Planning a trip to San Antonio? Or just looking for some fresh, new ideas for places to take your family in this great city? It’s Mom’s List (like a cheat sheet) to the rescue with five family-friendly activities the locals know about – but you may not.
Talked about as the world’s only ultra-accessible park, Morgan’s Wonderland is for everyone, not just special needs children and adults. Play in the water works, ride the carousel, catch a fish at pier and ride the Wonderland Express in this 25 acres of fun. With lots of shade and a quiet place to rest, you just can’t go wrong. It’s a playground like you’ve never been on before. Our family favorite is the indoor light show in the Sensory Village where butterflies land on your arms and flowers magically appear wherever you walk. As an added benefit, when you walk in the door, you are equipped with an RFID locator wristband so you can keep track of everyone, wherever they are in the park.
Opened just in time for Halloween 2011, it’s Monster Golf. Gives all us locals goose bumps just to be able to mini-golf indoors when it’s so hot outside. But this takes mini-golf one step (two, maybe) further. Because it’s not just inside, it’s in the dark, with glowing and animated props.
San Antonio Botanical Gardens is a 38-acre gem of green goodness. Open year ’round, it’s more than just a garden, it’s a true experience complete with formal beds, a $6.9 million conservatory that surrounds a sunken courtyard and tropical lagoon and a native Texas trail – wild and free. Be sure to check the website before you go to find out what special event is happening that week.
San Antonio’s newest movement in preservation and conservation, Phil Hardberger Park, is a beautiful 311-acre oasis right in the middle of urban development. Situated on the old Voelcker Dairy Farm, cows once roamed through the patch of wilderness that is home to hundreds of species of birds, butterflies, insects, flowers and trees…some of which have been around since even before Texas became a state. In the smaller linear park, the hopscotch grid and merry-go-round remind me of my childhood. The dog park just makes me smile. In the larger park across the street, the miles of preserved hike and bike trails make for a full day of all nature has to offer. It also is home to the city’s largest dog park and one pretty awesome art exhibition called “Making Hay.” This is a park that has been lovingly restored to its wild beauty, cultivated to celebrate stewardship of the land.
The Buckhorn Museum sits at the corner of Houston Street and North Presa Street – a monument to horns with more than 1,200 trophy mounts, fish and feathered exhibits. There’s also the wax museum and saloon where Teddy Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders and Pancho Villa is rumored to have planned the Mexican Revolution. Yep, there’s real Texas history here. Don’t miss it.