Accessible San Antonio
Visitors to San Antonio can name their pleasure – theme parks, water parks, historic sites, hiking, rock climbing, Gulf Coast beaches, museums and much more are here for the picking.
The nation’s seventh largest city is popular with thrill seekers, history buffs and people who love vacation destinations where everything is within reach. San Antonio is an ideal spot for a three-day family getaway. It does get hot here – temperatures in July and August can exceed 100º F – so come prepared.
Situated in South Texas, San Antonio is home to the Alamo, three theme parks, nine museums, the second largest zoo in the United States, and a river meandering through the heart of the city with restaurants, shops, hotels and art galleries along its cobblestone banks. The River Walk is one of the most popular attractions in San Antonio, for romantic couples and families alike. Dining on one of the many river barges here is a big hit with tourists as well.
Historic Sites and Museums
For many school-aged kids, San Antonio is synonymous with the Alamo. Parents may recall lessons about the siege of the Alamo – where Texans successfully fought Mexican soldiers during the Texas Revolution – from their school days, from the 1960 movie starring the late John Wayne, or maybe the 2004 remake with Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton and Jason Patric. Besides the Alamo, San Antonio has four Spanish frontier missions situated along the San Antonio River – San José, Concepcion, San Juan and Espada.
Museums in the city include the kid-appealing Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Texas Ranger and the Plaza Wax museums.
Theme Parks and Water Parks
Thrill seekers can enjoy hair-raising rides and some of the best entertainment in the area at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and SeaWorld San Antonio.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas features a water park and about 48 rides, seven of which are coasters. Some rides are scarier than others, but rest assured there’s something here for everyone. Eleven of the park’s rides are in its water park, so come prepared for a drenching good time. Six Flags also offers shows, parades, fireworks and occasional concerts featuring top national recording artists.
Situated on 250 acres, SeaWorld, the largest marine life adventure park, is separated into four areas – shows, rides and slides, water and amazing animals. The park’s water play area, The Lost Lagoon, offers wet fun for all ages. And you’ll learn about animals through such attractions as Dining with Shamu, Up Close Tours and Beluga Interaction.
San Antonio’s water parks are all the rave, especially in the summer months. In addition to those on the grounds of Sea World and Six Flags, the city’s Splashtown water park features more than 50 water rides and attractions on 20 acres. Drive north to New Braunfels (about 40 minutes from downtown San Antonio) and you’ll find Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, with 40 water attractions including slides, uphill water coasters, tub-chutes, a surfing machine and a children’s water playground. And south of San Antonio, in the city of Corpus Christi, is another Schlitterbahn. Contact the parks for admission prices and times of operation.
A Year’s Worth of Fun
Plan your getaway around special events to ensure that you take in the entire flavor San Antonio has to offer. The city celebrates special events throughout the year, but the granddaddy of them all is Fiesta. This 11-day festival, held in April, is packed with 108 events and celebrations, including parties, carnivals, the Investiture of King Antonio and the crowning of a Queen and court, two street parades, a river parade, an Oyster Bake, A Night in Old San Antonio, Taste of New Orleans, street and park festivals of all kinds, fashion shows, battle of the high school bands and community fairs. There’s even a parade for pooches. Every breathing thing in San Antonio parties during Fiesta.
Other annual events include:
Poteet Strawberry Festival, early April;
Cinco de Mayo, early May;
Texas Valero Open, mid-May;
9th Annual Soul Food Festival & 2nd Annual Gospel on the Plaza Competition, mid-May;
Texas Folklife Festival, mid-June;
Juneteenth, mid-June;
Fourth of July Celebration,
Diez y Seis, mid-September;
Jazz’SAlive, mid-September;
Oktoberfest San Antonio, early October;
Wurstfest, late October through early November;
The San Antonio New World Wine & Food Festival, mid-November;
Ford Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony, late November; and
Celebrate San Antonio, Dec. 31.
Adventure, History and Shopping
Adventurers in the family will enjoy touring Cascade Caverns, 14 miles west of San Antonio. The caverns are a half-mile long, 140 miles deep and feature a 100-foot waterfall.
Cave Without a Name, a natural living cavern filled with stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, cave drapery, flowstones, rimstone dams and more, is situated west of San Antonio, about 12 miles outside of Boerne.
Guadalupe River State Park is on the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country. Recreational opportunities include fishing, swimming, tubing, hiking and an equestrian trail that can also be used for mountain biking. The park is about an hour’s drive north of San Antonio.
Hill Country State Natural Area is situated in rugged country west of San Antonio near Bandera. The area includes 40 miles of trails in an underdeveloped primitive park.
Market Square in downtown San Antonio sits on the site of the original Farmers Market. Market Square is a historic area featuring shops, restaurants, art galleries, live outdoor entertainment and El Mercado – the largest Mexican marketplace outside of Mexico.
Natural Bridge Caverns features caves and ancient formations 180-foot below ground. Adventure tours, mining sluice and an outdoor climbing tower are available. The caverns are north of San Antonio about 20 minutes from downtown.
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, located between San Antonio and New Braunfels features a drive-through safari for viewing exotic and rare animals, South Texas style.
Wonder World Park features the country’s only earthquake-formed cave, along with the Tejas Observation Tower. Visitors can play in the Park’s Anti-Gravity House and take a train ride through the waterfalls of Mystery Mountain to meet and feed the animals in the petting park. Wonder World is 43 miles from San Antonio in the town of San Marcos.
Lodging
San Antonio is home to a host of hotels and motels, from budget to luxury. You can choose from downtown hotels on the River Walk or lodgings closer to the theme parks near the city’s edge. There are cozy bed and breakfast locations scattered around the city, as well.
Seeing the Sights
Visitors can explore downtown San Antonio destinations by trolley or horse-drawn carriage. Professional guided tours are offered via river barge, helicopter, walking, segway, horse-drawn carriage, bus and hot-air balloon.
Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides
Bluebonnet Carriage Co. – 210,599-2474; www.bluebonnetcarriage.com.
Loan Star Carriage – 210-656-7527 or 210-887-6889; www.lonestarcarriage.com.
Yellow Rose Carriage Co. – 210-225-6490 or 210-354-5077; www.yellowrosecarriage.com.
Other Tours
Alamo Helicopter Tours, 210-287-5797; www.alamohelicoptertours.com
Alamo Segway, 210-223-2112
Alamo Sightseeing Tours, 210-492-4144
Incredible Journey Hot Air Balloons – 210-349-6991
Mission City Segways – 210-388-2557
Rio San Antonio Cruises – 210-244-5700 or 800-417-4139; www.riosanantonio.com.
San Antonio Trolley Tours – 210-492-4144
San Antonio Walks – 888-368-6874
Major Sites
San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau – 800-447-3372; www.visitsanantonio.com Information on the sites and offerings of San Antonio, including tours of the Alamo and Missions, ghost tours and more.
Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort – 830-625-2351; www.schlitterbahn.com/nb
SeaWorld San Antonio – 800-700-7786; www.seaworld.com/sanantonio
Six Flags Fiesta Texas – 210-697-5050; www.sixflags.com/fiestaTexas
Splashtown San Antonio – 210-227-1400; www.splashtownsa.com
The Alamo – www.thealamo.org.
Cynthia Ladson is associate editor of Our Kids San Antonio.