San Angelo Visitors Center

The beautiful San Angelo Visitor Center was designed by Craig Kinney/Chakos Zentner Marcus architects and was completed in May 2014. Local and regional materials were used throughout the building, including local mesquite for the floors and tables, and the stone is from quarries near Garden City, Sisterdale and Fredericksburg. The unusual architecture of the 1,600-square-foot center also features a copper roof with zinc accents, and the roofline is shaped like a wave that mirrors the adjacent Concho River.

As you move to the back of the building, you will see two tall bronze statues sculpted by John Noelke to celebrate the strength of Texas women. They are in heroic scale, which means they are at 1.5 times the size of real life. The tallest figure is 9 feet tall, and the statues collectively weigh over 3,000 pounds. The younger figure represents the deceased wife of San Angelo’s founder, Bart Dewitt, who named the town in her honor. The taller figure holding the book represents a 16th century saint who founded the Ursuline Order of Catholic nuns. The ewe statue across the river is a part of the sculpture and evokes the biblical parable of the “lost sheep.”

As you progress down the walkway, you will see a painted sheep overlooking the grass. Painted by mural artist Crystal Goodman and named "The Welcoming Ewe," the statue is one of more than 60 sheep that have been placed throughout the city as part of an ongoing program by the Downtown San Angelo Inc. organization.

A pedestrian bridge links the Visitor Center to Kids’ Kingdom Park, a community-built children’s playground across the river.

Enjoy our beautiful, four-mile Riverwalk along the Concho River. It’s a great place to take a leisurely walk, feed the ducks and enjoy eclectic art.

The Visitor Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. It is staffed by 18 volunteers.

For more information on San Angelo, go to visitsanangelo.org.