The Shops at La Cantera, First Walk Through
You come off Loop 1604 or I-10, and the speed falls away. The walk starts outside. Covered walkways lead you forward, then open up into courtyards that break the path into shorter sections.
Water features are placed at corners and spots where the path changes direction or one area leads to another. The storefronts do not run in one straight line.
They change along the walk, and the paths curve through a series of outdoor spaces instead of one long hallway. Shade is included along the way, so walking feels natural, not like a backup plan.
Courtyards create brief pauses before the next cluster of shops comes into view, then the route picks up again.
This is the format Phase I opened with on September 16, 2005: an open-air, single-level retail village laid out across about 1.3 million square feet on roughly 150 acres, set within the larger La Cantera master-planned community, a 1,700-acre resort development.
From the first pass through, the layout supports walking pace rather than a quick drive-up, in-and-out stop.
Rouse, USAA, and a Retail Partnership Plan
The Shops at La Cantera was conceived in the early 2000s through a joint venture between The Rouse Company and USAA Real Estate Company.
USAA Real Estate, based in San Antonio, was tied to the development of the broader La Cantera master-planned community.
The Rouse Company brought experience as a shopping center and community developer, including its earlier role in creating San Antonio's North Star Mall, and carried that retail background into plans for an open-air, pedestrian-focused project.
In November 2004, General Growth Properties acquired The Rouse Company and took over control of the development.
The change in ownership shifted responsibility for delivery, but the project continued under the same basic concept, with General Growth moving forward toward completion of Phase I.
The site was selected on San Antonio's Northwest Side with direct access to major traffic routes and nearby destination activity within the La Cantera area.
La Cantera's Landscape-First Plan
Alamo Architects designed the project with an architectural style drawn from Texas Hill Country vernacular and with environmental constraints built into the layout.
Along the edges of the site, large areas were preserved as wild landscape, forming a greenbelt buffer beside the freeway.
The plan avoided a standard frontage-road line of outparcels and instead created a gradual transition into the center from the feeder roads.
Within the site, the development stepped down the existing grade in clustered buildings organized around a linear sequence of courtyards, paseos, and gardens.
The building placement was coordinated with the terrain to retain existing trees at their original elevations.
Parking fields were arranged to provide shade and to break parking into smaller zones rather than a single continuous expanse.
Landscape architect J. Robert Anderson shaped the outdoor environment with references to Hill Country traditions and to the market streets of Spain and the Spanish Colonial areas of old San Antonio that meander along the river.
Water features were used at transition points and designed to limit evaporation. Planting relied on xeriscaping and hardy, low-water foundation species, with an emphasis on native Texas Hill Country plants.
First-Time Anchors and a New Retail Mix
When The Shops at La Cantera opened, it did so with anchors that were new to the local market.
Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom both opened here as San Antonio's first locations, giving the center an immediate luxury footprint.
Dillard's opened as another department store anchor. Foley's was part of the original group and later changed to Macy's as the chain was rebranded.
The rest of the lineup widened the draw beyond department stores.
Phase I opened with more than 150 shops and restaurants around these major tenants, giving the property enough variety to work for quick trips and longer visits.
The center was built as an open-air "retail village" rather than a single enclosed mall building. Storefronts were spread along outdoor walkways and shared common spaces instead of one interior corridor.
Over time, the tenant count grew to more than 180 specialty stores and restaurants, with individual brands changing while the overall mix stayed anchored in department stores, apparel, and dining.
Phase II Turns Garden Walks Into Main Street
Phase II opened in October 2008 and expanded The Shops at La Cantera by about 300,000 square feet. The second phase added roughly 40 stores, with about 30 described as new to the San Antonio market.
It also brought additional restaurants, a bookstore, and office space, extending the center beyond the original Phase I footprint and increasing the number of reasons to visit beyond shopping alone.
Phase I was designed like a garden village, with outdoor walkways and shared spaces that made it easy for people to walk between groups of stores.
Phase II changed this to a main street style with parking along the street and a more defined street border.
The expansion created a more direct route through the new area, while still keeping the focus on pedestrian circulation and outdoor gathering space.
The main street ended at a shaded, wooded restaurant courtyard that concentrated dining at the far end of the phase.
A water feature connected the courtyard's upper level down to a series of colorful mosaic fountains below, giving the restaurant zone a central visual element and a clear meeting point.
After Phase II, the combined project totaled about 1.4 million square feet of retail space and about 75,000 square feet of office space.
Awards, Engineers, and Who Runs It Now
The design world noticed early. In 2006, the center won Retail Traffic Magazine's SADI honors, including "Best New Open-Air Center" and the "Grand SADI" award for best design in the competition.
In 2007, it received ICSC International Design and Development recognition for a new project exceeding 500,000 square feet of retail space.
That same year, Alamo Architects earned the AIA San Antonio Mayor's Choice Award for outstanding architectural design and achievement.
A project like this also lives and dies by the team. Structural engineering came from Jaster-Quintanilla & Associates.
Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work came from Goetting & Associates. Civil engineering came from Pape-Dawson Engineering.
General Growth carried the project through Phase II. A decade later, Brookfield Properties took over as owner/operator when it acquired General Growth in 2018. The place did not just open and sit there. It stayed edited.
LEGO No. 1000 and the Modern Milestones
On September 1, 2023, The Shops at La Cantera opened the 1000th LEGO Store in the world.
The launch was set up like an event, with commemorative items tied to the milestone and special minifigures handed out to early visitors, which pulled people to the doors first thing.
In late February 2024, Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar opened at The Shops at La Cantera in a 7,500-square-foot space that paired a dining area with an open-plan retail store.
On December 2, 2024, Haywire officially opened its first San Antonio location at the property. The restaurant was described as more than 16,000 square feet, with seating for up to 400 customers.
On June 11, 2025, USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards named The Shops at La Cantera the No.
1 shopping center in the United States, citing its mix of luxury and fast-fashion tenants, anchored by Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, and its growing restaurant lineup.
20th Anniversary Events in September 2025
In September 2025, The Shops at La Cantera marked its 20th anniversary with a series of free public events. Two Tons of Steel played a free concert on September 11.
A Live Catrina historical exhibit ran on September 13. On September 19, the center hosted yoga and an Animal Defense League pet adoption event.
The series ended on September 20 with a Wellness Workout with Lifetime Fitness.
The anniversary programming drew visitors into the common areas with concerts, exhibits, and fitness activities, and kept the public spaces active during the anniversary period.
Urban Outfitters Closing and 2026 Additions
Tenant changes were reported in early 2026. After 17 years at the center, the Urban Outfitters at The Shops at La Cantera is set to close on January 22, 2026, with clearance discounts advertised ahead of the final day.
The center has continued to add first-to-market brands.
Over the five years leading up to 2025, it brought new-to-San Antonio names that included Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, David Yurman, Marc Jacobs, Golden Goose, Aritzia, Alo Yoga, Nike, Warby Parker, Fabletics, TravisMathew, Mizzen & Main, Yeti, Haywire, Southern Tide, Gorjana, Chanel Beauty, and Brandy Melville.
For 2026, additional openings are tied to construction schedules.
Crate & Barrel is expected to open its first San Antonio location, with renovations expected to begin in March 2026 and completion targeted for August 2026 for a roughly 20,000-square-foot space.
Arhaus is also in the pipeline with a $9 million project and an expected completion in December 2026.
Herman Miller is also expected to debut its first San Antonio store, adding designs associated with the Noguchi table, the Marshmallow sofa, and the Eames lounge chair and ottoman.
Other additions in progress include FP Movement as the first standalone San Antonio store for the Free People spinoff, plus Rothy's and Brilliant Earth. Sixty Vines is also expected to open.
La Cantera District Growth Around the Shops
The Shops at La Cantera sits inside a larger La Cantera district that has continued to add major uses around it. Six Flags Fiesta Texas remains adjacent.
Nearby, the La Cantera Resort & Spa rebranded as Signia by Hilton La Cantera Resort & Spa, effective October 1, 2025, after an 11-month, $49 million refresh.
The property includes 496 guest rooms with 34 villas, an adults-only floor, nine dining experiences, five heated pools, a 25,000-square-foot Loma de Vida Spa & Wellness, and a championship golf courses on 550 acres.
Other pieces of the district have remained in motion. Town Center at La Cantera was announced in 2008 and is under development as of 2026.
The plan includes residences, hotels, office space, and retail. Preliminary plans call for 350 residential units and 10,000 square feet of commercial retail.
The Rock at La Cantera has been rising as a 50-acre mixed-use project led by Lincoln Property Company. It is anchored by the Spurs' NBA training facility and the Victory Capital Performance Center.
It also includes a 60,000-square-foot Human Performance Institute and a 27,000-square-foot Frost Plaza events space. Plans include shops and restaurants, plus a 22-acre park with trails and a large dog park.
La Cantera Crossing is planned to add a 120,000-square-foot, five-story Class A office building, with floorplates ranging from 21,000 to 25,000 square feet and Hill Country views.
