San Antonio - Things To Do
San Antonio: Not Just Heritage Sites
San Antonio, Texas is famed for The Alamo, The Riverwalk, and its historical and cultural attractions. When you’ve had your fill of heritage sites, there are plenty of other interesting and fun things to do in the city.
Enjoy the View
One of San Antonio’s downtown landmarks is the Tower of the Americas. This 750-foot-tall tower has a spectacular view of the Alamo City. Enjoy the ever-changing sights from the Tower's revolving Chart House Restaurant, enjoy the scenery from the Observation Deck or experience the thrilling 4D Theater Ride - Skies Over Texas, which is also included in your $16.50 price of admission.
Stop and Smell the Roses
San Antonio’s great climate allows for truly spectacular gardens and landscapes. Two of the city’s favorites are the San Antonio Botanical Garden and the Japanese Tea Garden.
The San Antonio Botanical Gardens encompass 38 acres of grounds ranging from traditional rose gardens to culinary plants to Texas natives to indoor conservatories with exotic plants from around the world. Kids especially enjoy the Family Adventure Garden.
The Japanese Tea Garden is equally enchanting. Occupying a former rock quarry, it features stone arch bridges and a stone pavilion, roofed with palm fronds. As you wander through, you’ll also run across a beautiful waterfall, which can also be viewed from the pavilion. The tea garden is part of the San Antonio Parks Foundation, and offers free admission.
Cool Off Underground
For a different take on the outdoors, head just out of town to Natural Bridge Caverns and go underground to take advantage of the year round 70-degree temperatures. Natural Bridge Caverns features Texas’ largest show cavern, and several different tours are offered on a daily basis. Be sure to book ahead online for a discount off the admission price. While this isn’t one of the “bat caves,” they do offer seasonal, springtime excursions to nearby Bracken Cave, home to the world’s largest bat colony.
If staying above ground is more your speed, there is still plenty to do here. The Twisted Trails Zip Rails and Ropes Course will challenge your balance and get your heart pumping. You can also explore the 5,000-footlong maze on the property or pan for gems and fossils at the Natural Bridge Mining Company.
Commune with the Animals
If you’re looking for something a little wilder, you can view animals to your heart’s content at the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch or the San Antonio Zoo. The Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch is an outdoor safari, where you can enjoy the over 40 different animal species spread out on over the 450-acre historic hill country ranch. Drive through in your own vehicle or take a guided safari tour.
Closer to downtown, the San Antonio Zoo features over 750 different species and has enough attractions to keep you busy for hours. The Zoo offers many unique experiences, including several “Behind the Scenes” tours and breakfasting with the animals. A visitor favorite is the Zoo Train, which winds through the zoo and Brackenridge Park.
As you can see, San Antonio is a lot more than just historical sites. If you’d like to learn more about things to do in the city, please be sure to check out our other San Antonio blog posts!
