san antonio

**halloweenfreak** · 03-26-2007, 10:13 AM

we are going on a long, much needed vacation to san antonio again this may. we're taking the kid back to sea world since he loved it so much last year. thing is, this is my 4th time going back to san antonio and it seems like i just keep seeing the same things everytime. is there any nifty little known activities you know of that will make this trip different? we've done the river walk, the market square, sea world, ripleys.... ive searched, and havent found any good family friendly things to do. help!

**McD** · 03-26-2007, 10:54 AM

Have you went to the Alamo? I'm sure you have, but thought I would ask.

What about the zoo? I'm told they have a really awesome zoo.

**Debbies_Mom** · 03-26-2007, 11:34 AM

Hi! I just vacationed to San Antonio for the first time this month with my two kids. We did all the usual things like the Alamo and the Market.There are five other missions besides the alamo. They are neat to go to. One of them is Mission Concepcion. They are all pretty close together and most people drive from one to the other in a path that takes you into San Antonio. I'm sure you can find them on the web, I don't remember the names of the others though. Maybe San Juan was one of them. Also, we went to the zoo and right across from the zoo is the Japanese(also called Chinese) Gardens. It's free and very pretty to walk through.

**starsapphire** · 03-26-2007, 04:21 PM

How about hitting all the local art and history museums? Pay a visit to the local chamber of commerce, you can get lots of information there and you might be able to get a map of the area with all the different attractions on it.

**Mom23boys** · 03-26-2007, 09:17 PM

I don't know where you usually stay when you visit San Antonio, but we usually stay at the Drury Inn only because they have a hot breakfast bar in the morning, free popcorn and fountain drinks morning until 7 pm at night, and starting at 5 pm they have a snack bar which includes nachos, pizza, salad, and baked potatoes. They also allow each adult over 21 two free "bar" drinks which could include mixed drinks or beer. It saves us on meals because we eat breakfast and dinner there which is included in the room stay. We also get all the drinks we want for free too.....just ride the elevator downstairs and get a fountain drink. They also have a computer for guests to use with internet access. :-)

Have you visited the Towers of the Americas, Fiesta Texas, Witte Museum of San Antonio (has life-size dinosaurs, Egyptian mummy, historic homes, and more), or Splashtown?

**Tamerama** · 03-26-2007, 09:52 PM

We just got back from San Antonio and we went to the Natural Bridge Caverns which was neat and Fiesta Texas (6 Flags)... and then of course the Riverwalk.

Have fun!
Tami

**halloweenfreak** · 03-26-2007, 10:44 PM

i would love to go to the natural bridge caverns. when i was a kid and my father would take us on vacation, you could bet we'd be seeing at least 1 cave during our trip. is this one something a 5 year old would enjoy? i saw one of the tours lasted 75 mins... im not sure he would be entertained for that long.

**Michelle68** · 03-27-2007, 10:27 PM

Halloween, I live in San Antonio and my DS and my DH went to Natural Bridge Caverns the other day on a school field trip. They both say that they think a five year old would really enjoy Natural Bridge Caverns. It also has a wildlife preserve that you can drive through. Someone mentioned the Witte Museum and the zoo. Both are great to visit. The Witte is pretty inexpensive and always has really neat exhibits going on throughout the year. ($7 for adults 7 years and up, $5 for children 4-11 and 3 and under are free.) Here's the website :http://www.wittemuseum.org/ .

The zoo is a lot of fun. We were fortunate to be given a zoo pas for Christmas this year, so it's free for us for a year. ForAdults admission is $9, for children 3-11 it's $7. There is a really cool butterfly exhibit that's an extra $1 right now. Here's the website:http://www.sazoo-aq.org/ . THe zoo is right in Brackenridge Park (a city park) where you can picnic, play games and there's even a miniature railroad where you can ride a train.

Fiesta Texas and Sea World are fun, but they are pretty expensive, as are most amusement parks. Splashtown is a pretty fun waterpark ($24.99 general admission, $ $18.99 for under 48" tall. After 5 pm all admissions are $15.99), but up the road about 30 miles in New Braunfels is the granddaddy of waterparks, Schlitterbahn. (http://www.schlitterbahn.com/)

Downtown, there's the Riverwalk, Alamo, Tower of Americas, etc., but have you been to Ripley's Believe or Not across from Alamo Plaza or Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum nearby? There's also The Institue of Texan Cultures right near the Tower of Americas and there's Hemisphere Park with a playground there for your little one.

You can also visit The Buckhorn Saloon and Museum which is pretty cool near downtown: http://www.buckhornmuseum.com/ and the San Antonio Children's Museum which is close by: http://www.sakids.org/ . Of course, there's lots of great little hill country towns which are fun to visit like Gruene, Wimberly, and Fredricksburg and are just 30-70 miles away.

Anyway, just let me know if you need anymore information, hope y'all have a great vacation!

--Michelle

**Michelle68** · 03-27-2007, 10:30 PM

Oops! I just noticed you said you'd been to Ripley's and Splashtown already.

--Michelle

**Mom23boys** · 03-28-2007, 11:28 PM

Natural Bridge Caverns is really neat. We have been there also. On the tour, your tour tour guide will point out the "cool" facts found in the cave. I loved the "soda straws." They were so neat. In one part of the cave, the formation looks like snakes crawling on the ceiling, but it isn't.....it just formed that way. You also will get to see the big ice cream cone that formed. I love seeing how the water dripping down has formed the inside of the cave into "creations." I think you would enjoy it if you like caves. I know that our school takes a trip there every year with the 3rd graders.