Downtown San Antonio Family Portrait Itinerary

When most people think of a family photo shoot in San Antonio, they picture it being in one of the city’s epic parks. But what if you happen to be a tourist staying downtown? The good news is that there are lots of photo shoot locations just steps away from the big hotels. As a downtown resident, the city is my backyard. So, with my insider knowledge, let’s plan the perfect downtown San Antonio family portrait itinerary in today’s blog post.

The Perfect Downtown San Antonio Family Portrait Itinerary
Start to Finish

Where would I go if I were a family looking for fun photos in downtown San Antonio? Here is my perfect photo shoot itinerary from start to finish:

San Pedro Creek Trail at Nueva Street. If you are coming to San Antonio, then you have to take photos along the river. But The Riverwalk tends to be crowded, and space is limited on the narrow pathways for you and your photographer. Instead, start out your shoot at the San Pedro Creek Trail. This waterway has absolutely stunning landscaping, and more importantly, it’s pretty much empty of visitors. The pathways are wide, and you have lots of background options including waterfalls and public art. Get your family walking here starting at Nueva Street and make your way over to…

Market Square. All the colors of San Antonio are packed into this one square block. With colorful here in San Antonio. You’ve got the colorful papel picado banners overhead, you will feel like you have been transported to Mexico. And while Market Square can be crowded – especially on weekends – if you duck into some of the side corners of the market, you can have the whole place all to yourself. In particular, some of the side entrances to the restaurants are largely ignored during the day. Here you will find quaint, architectural details and lots of brick walls.

Bexar County Courthouse and San Fernando Cathedral. Next up, I recommend the Bexar County Courthouse building and the San Fernando Cathedral since they are across from one another. The Bexar County Courthouse has a great fountain in front of it and the San Fernando Cathedral has a nice patio area leading down to the Riverwalk. This little area is great for family photos and is largely uncrowded.

Hemisfair. The Hemisfair area includes two lovely parks – the smaller Yanaguana Garden at Hemisfair and the Civic Park at Hemisfair – plus the Tower of the Americas. The Civic Park at Hemisfair has just recently been renovated and it has lots of little river-like fountains all throughout the park. There’s wide open green space, which is great if you have little ones who need to run around. Finally, you also have the San Antonio skyline-defining Tower of the Americas. It’s up to you whether you want to go to the top of the tower, but you can at least get a shot of it from this park area. Oh, and if you need a playground, then Yanaguana Garden has you covered.

The Riverwalk. Finally, you can’t say you’ve been to San Antonio without taking a ride on the river. While a tourist cruise down the river would be way too crowded for a photo shoot, the ferries that go down the length of the river are much less crowded. If you hop on one of these headed to the Pearl, you are very likely to have the boat pretty much all to yourself. You’ll miss out on the tour guide talk, but you are pretty much guaranteed a comfortable trip.

Note that these boats can only be found where you see the ‘Go Rio Shuttle’ signs and cost $20.50 for a one-day pass and $29.50 for a three-day pass. You can buy tickets online here.

More Suggested Downtown San Antonio Photo Shoot Locations

Public Art. Pro tip: make sure you take advantage of all the colorful murals dotted throughout the city. San Antonio has public art like no other, and the colorful art can liven up any photo shoot, especially on a cloudy day.

Legacy Park. Looking for a decent park with excellent snack options? Check out Legacy Park, where you can also find Pinkerton’s Barbecue in the shadow of the Frost Tower. There is a nice wide open space right in front of the restaurant. You can have a snack, and let the little ones run free.

La Villita. This is a cute little ‘neighborhood’ of homes that serve as artisan shops. There is even an old church and of course, lots of restaurants. If you are looking for an eclectic area or just want to do a little shopping during your shoot, then head to La Villita.

Where Not to Go

Yes, I know you have to go to the Alamo while you’re in San Antonio. But truthfully, the construction down at the Alamo makes it near impossible to take photos around the building. You can snap a quick photo in front of the facade, but that’s about it. The lush gardens that used to be in the back of the building have all been closed off for construction. As such, I suggest you visit the Alamo as a family, but skip it for your photo shoot.

Conclusion

As a San Antonio resident, I love — LOVE — my neighborhood, and encourage others to make the trip downtown. Despite what you may have heard, I find downtown to be clean and safe. I can’t deny how bad the construction is, but it will end (hopefully soon). In the meantime, parking is going to be your biggest hurdle, and I have an easy solution: the South Alamo lot located at the corner of Nueva Street and Cesar Chavez Blvd. Parking in this lot is $2.00 per half hour and only credit cards are accepted. Park here and you can walk to every place listed above. It’s the downtown way!

Enjoy the images, and I will have more photo adventures for you next week!

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Are you interested in scheduling a family portrait in San Antonio? Drop me a line and let’s chat about how I can help you. I have hourly rates, and all photo shoots include editing and high-resolution files.

To view more images from my family photography portfolio, please visit my website – KellyWilliamsPhotographer.com