Courier July Courier | Page 28

SAN ANTONIO ’17 PREVIEW Market Square Shops, squares, authentic wares San Antonio’s neighborhoods are teeming with sprawling markets, funky boutiques and fine art galleries where travelers can find souvenirs and a bite to eat while taking in the local culture. Here are three shopping hot spots: visitors can shop for art, textiles, ceramics and jewelry made by local craftspeople or imported. The three-block market encompasses more than 100 shops and stalls, and live performances and working artists add to the vibrant atmosphere. Visitors should save room for dessert, too, since sweet bread and cinnamon-infused hot chocolate from the market’s food vendors are favorites. Antonio’s oldest neighborhoods. In 1939 it became La Villita Historic Arts Village. Today, the neighborhood offers visitors the opportunity to browse more than 30 shops and galleries run by artists from San Antonio and the surrounding area. Wares on display range from copper objects and sculptures to painting and folk art, and nearby restaurants serve savory, authentic Mexican and steakhouse staples. La Villita Brackenridge Park Alamo Heights is an upscale neighborhood known for fashionable boutiques. The Alley on Bitters features an eclectic collection of crafts shops and antique dealers and is built on the site of an 1800s dairy farm. Alamo Heights is also near the Witte Museum and Brackenridge Park, with 343 acres that include a tea garden, birding, walking trails and picnic areas. For more on these and other San Antonio attractions, go to visitsanantonio.com. To learn more about Travel Exchange, visit NTAonline.com/convention, or turn to page 16 to find out more about what the association has planned for its December convention. 26 July 2017 La Villita was established nearly 300 years ago, and it is one of San Market Square is San Antonio’s largest Mexican market, and