• riverboats image by John Sfondilias from Fotolia.com
  
  Although a walk along the famous restaurant-laden River Walk in San Antonio can tantalize the taste buds and give residents and tourists alike a chance to wet their whistles, it also can be just crowded enough to provide frustration and bottlenecked traffic. That's when a riverboat cruise can come in handy. Rio San Antonio Cruises Ltd. runs riverboats along the River Walk, which is maintained by the city of San Antonio's Parks and Recreation Department.
  
  

Narrated Cruises

• Daily narrated cruises are available and last from 30 to 40 minutes. There are two different tours--red and yellow. The red tour takes riders past the famed Pearl Brewery, The Grotto--a false wood creation along the River Walk by cement artist Carlos Cortes--and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. The yellow tour goes past several historic hotels and the SW School of Art & Craft and the Historic Civic Center. Tours take off from four stations, including the Rivercenter Mall and Lock & Dam, which offers beverages and Rio Taxi tickets. It is located near the Brooklyn Street Bridge, according to riosantontio.com. Tickets also are available online at https://www.riosanantonio.com/sm/index/tour. Standard shipping cost $20 in 2010, according to riosanantonio.com.
  
  

Rio Taxi Service

• Rio Taxis provide a relaxing breather from shopping, wining and dining along the River Walk. They make 39 stops, again following red and yellow paths. Taxis run daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are only available on board boats or online. Twenty-four and three-day passes are available as well as one-way tickets. To purchase tickets online, go to riosanantonio.com/sm/index/taxi. Standard shipping cost $20 in 2010, according to riosanantonio.com.
  
  

Private Charters

• Riverboats also can be chartered for dinner, cocktails or a narrated tour of the River Walk. Dinner cruises are fairly intimate, seating 20 guests for a meal catered by one of the restaurants located on the river. Some partnering restaurants and hotels include Fig Tree Restaurant, Original Mexican Café, Paesano's River Walk and Hotel Valencia Riverwalk. Cocktail cruises are available for up to 30 guests and include appetizers and drinks catered by partnering restaurants. Chartered tours seat up to 40 and mirror the daily narrated tours.
  For all charters, contact: Group Sales and Private Charter Information between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
  
  The office is located at 205 N. Presa, Bldg. B Suite 201, San Antonio, TX 78205. Or call 210-244-5700.