San Antonio is definitely an amazingly pedestrian- and tourist-friendly city. This is a big deal, especially when kids are involved. The downtown area is jam-packed with food, shops, lodging, attractions, music, lights, history, playgrounds, easy parking, and food. Did I mention food? If focusing on a compact area filled with fun, not a ton of walking, and beauty, San Antonio’s downtown is a win. If you want awesome barbecue, funky breweries, and a nature-meets-history-meets-modernization, a vacation to San Antonio, Texas, is definitely a spot to consider.
Here are our 5 favorite family-friendly stops from our recent trip:
1. Cruise the Riverwalk
I say “San Antonio”; you say “Riverwalk.” SAN ANTONIO! <riverwalk> SAN ANTONIO! <riverwalk>
The words literally go hand-in-hand so you’d be amiss not to see what the fuss is all about.
While you can stay near the San Antonio Riverwalk in a lovely hotel, the cost goes up exponentially to be at the gateway of the river. If you’re looking to save some money, consider staying a short drive away. Parking is not complicated if you use general parking near the river and walk 5 whopping minutes. It’s a breeze and is major savings!
Upon arriving at the Riverwalk, we excitedly climbed aboard one of their boat cruises to help get a lay of the land. While you can book tickets online (advisable during San Antonio’s busy season – May through October), if you’re going during off-season, just walk up to one of the many ticket booths along the river and purchase on-site. Oddly enough, it’s slightly cheaper to do so. Go Rio River Tours offer colorful boats and a short-and-sweet narrated water cruise for about 35 minutes and under $15 (adults) and under $10 (little kids).
Once your tour ends, you’ll know your way around the area much better and will have hopefully picked out some must-stops for food, drink, culture, shopping, and entertainment. We were immediately drawn to the churro sundaes (yes, CHURRO SUNDAES!) at Justin’s Ice Cream. Keep in mind, food on the Riverwalk is not cheap (sundaes were $15 each). But dang, were they good!
Adults can walk the Riverwalk with alcoholic beverages which is a nice perk. And the Mexican food is pretty fantastic (and often comes with a mariachi band). We hit up Bonita Rita’s for margaritas and had guacamole made right in front of us at The Iron Cactus. There’s wine gardens and steakhouses and oyster bars, but for the kids, the Mexican taquerias seemed like the best non-super-chainy choice (there’s a Rainforest Cafe too, but the Mall of America fills that cup often enough).
In addition to food, there’s a limitless amount of shopping along the San Antonio Riverwalk. A super short block from the river, you will find La Villita, a brick-laid village with some cute artisan shops and amazing architecture. While the activities here might not be the most kid-friendly, there’s good and safe space to let them run and dip their fingers in a fountain or two.
And what is a trip to San Antonio without a visit to the Alamo? A quick 10-minute walk from the Riverwalk, this cultural landmark is a San Antonio staple – a piece of history where you can walk the land where the Texas Revolution occurred in 1836 – a place that physically represents America’s liberty and honor. So whether your kids understand it or not, it’s worth a visit. You can walk into the Alamo church for free but reservations are required. Visit the webpage here to pick your date and book your tickets.
2. Hemisfair and Tower of the Americas
If you’re looking to get away from the San Antonio Riverwalk busyness but stay within walking distance, consider hitting up Hemisfair. This is an urban oasis for kiddos who just want to play – and it’s right in the heart of the city. Not only is there an accessible playground and public bathrooms, you’ll also find a splash pad, ice cream, paletas, a big sand box, bean bags, ping pong, and green spaces to chill and enjoy the Texas sunshine. It’s like kid heaven and is a welcomed break from crowded tourist spots.
Worth a mention in its very own paragraph is the lavender latte from Commonwealth Coffeehouse. Don’t wait – go. Go now. Get it. No question. You’re welcome.
While we only did the outdoor play spaces (and got some paletas and the aforementioned latte), the Hemisfair area also has a children’s theater and a few museums. It is also home to the Tower of the Americas, a 750-foot-tall tower built for HemisFair ‘68 and stands today for tours to the top, dining options, a 4D theater, and plenty of year-round events. Maybe check out their website to see if anything fun is happening there while you’re in town.
Our family did one big “treat yourself” event on our trip to San Antonio, and eating in the Tower of the Americas at the Chart House was that treat! Be sure to make your reservations for a table well in advance, take the time to dress up and get ready to enjoy scenic views from glass windows near the top of the tower. And yes, the restaurant rotates (but so slowly, you don’t notice it happening, I swear). You take a glass elevator to the top and get ready to enjoy a top-notch meal. Note that the website does not list kids menus as an option, but they DO indeed have them (thank goodness) for about $12 average per meal.
We enjoyed calamari, old fashioneds, ahi tuna, steak, and three kids meals. It was perfection and everyone felt so fancy and special, and surprisingly it didn’t break the bank!
3. Natural Bridge Caverns
If you’ve rented a car, you should definitely drive the 30 minutes from the Riverwalk and check out Natural Bridge Caverns, an above and underground adventure that is sure to make memories.
Check out all the packages offered online and make your reservation before arrival. You will need to pick a date and time, and you MUST be ON TIME. One thing to keep in mind is that this is a daytime activity – the grounds close by 5pm every day so I suggest arriving early and making the most of it. Our family purchased in advance the Hidden Wonders Tour for $30 (adult) and $20 (kid) and it was truly magical. There’s lots of stairs to navigate and zero bathrooms on this 75-minute tour, so plan accordingly. But unlike the caves here in Minnesota, the underground temperature in this cavern was actually balmy. The tour showed off soda straw formations, chambers, canyons, and had a pretty remarkable light show that left us oooing and aaahing. You take the “BAT” (like a conveyor belt) out of the cave – a pretty fun way to end the tour.
While the parking at Natural Bridge Caverns was free, everything else did have a price tag. Once you purchase your tickets for the cave tour, you can add on tickets to the “Surface Attractions.” These include a ropes course (one for bigs and one for littles), a climbing wall, and a 5,000 square foot walking maze.
The ropes course is a 45-minute, 60-foot high walk in the sky across obstacles, ladders, and beams and includes different levels of zip lines (yikes) allowing you to soar above the trees. Kids 48″ or taller can do the course solo. 42″ can go with a chaperone. There is also a Tykes Ropes Course option made for the super-minis which is amazing if you have kids of different ages, bravery levels, or heights. The climbing wall is an additional cost and was not worth it for our family. Personal opinion, of course. Tips for doing the ropes course: Wear close-toed shoes, pull your hair back, empty your pockets, and have a blast!
After your time expires on the ropes course, you can go mining at the Discovery Village Trading Post. A bag of gems or fossils is $9.95 – we advise you get the gem bag because you get more bang for your buck.
Hungry after all of that? There were a couple restaurants with decent snack food – Big Daddy’s served up some solid brisket nachos and we had fudge, candy, and ice cream. Because, well, vacation.
4. Historic Market Square
A 5-minute car ride (or 20-minute walk) from Riverwalk is Historic Market Square, a 3-city block pedestrian mall that feels detached from the busyness of downtown. This marketplace is doused in color, multicultural merchandise and food and entertainment for the whole family. If you haven’t had enough shopping (us girls could’ve shopped all vacation!) be sure to spend a couple hours exploring authentic Mexican goods, dining on Tex-Mex, and enjoying live music or dancing.
The market hosts more than 100 locally-owned business so you’re also shopping small, which feels good. Everyone will find something – spices, jewelry, fresh fruits, flowers, candy, art, accessories, clothing, and more. Want to make everyone happy in one stop? Be sure to stop at Mi Tierra’s bakery for pan (bread) selections that are as traditionally Mexican as it comes and don’t leave without taking in the ambiance and maybe a Mexican meal because, DANG. It was SO delicious.
The Market is open from 10am-6pm but an hour or two should be all you need to pick up some souvenirs and take it all in. Be sure to check ahead to see if there are any festivals or live events happening during your trip, and come with hungry bellies. A parking garage is available for a small fee and there are also a couple lots on the mall.
5. Hopscotch and Buckhorn Saloon + Museum
A 10-minute walk from Riverwalk, you’ll find Hopscotch, a 20,000 square foot immersive space for adults and kids alike. At Hopscotch, artists have created large-scale exhibitions that are interactive for visitors. Walk through string lights, make colorful shadows, play with mirror and optical illusions, play in an LED ball pit, and experience an entire room made up of plastic bags.
The family favorite for us was the “Secrets Hotline” room where you can pick up a phone and listen to peoples’ recorded secrets. You can also call in and get your secret added to the hotline for a later date. It was a unique and clever idea and our girls thought it was cool.
If you have a specific date and time you’d for sure like to visit Hopscotch, you can make a reservation and purchase your tickets online. Tickets are $24/adults and $15/kids. Under 4 is free.
There is a bar available and you can walk through the exhibits drink in hand, but they are a bit on the expensive side. Kids drinks were fun colors and flavors and cost a bit less. Don’t forget your camera (this is a very Instagram-worthy stop) – you’ll want to capture lots of pictures in this colorful, energizing art space!
When we were done, we stopped at the one hot spot we wanted dad to see – Buckhorn Saloon and Museum. This history-holding spot was only a 4-minute walk from Hopscotch (See? Everything is so walkable here). The saloon is the home to where Teddy Roosevelt recruited his Rough Riders and started the planning of the Mexican Revolution.
We did not tour the museum but it features highlights of Texan culture with exotic animals and historic cowboys and rangers (wasn’t really our jam). It costs money – $22/adult and $17/kid –so we went just to eat and see the walls covered in antlers and a back bar straight outta the Wild West. Try a prickly pear margarita or a Buckhorn burger and let the kids play the shooting game, crane and arcade machines, or get your fortune read by Zoltar. Yes to $8 kids meals, root beer floats, and air conditioning.
This is it – our list of five of our most memorable stops in the downtown San Antonio area. While this is not all we did on our vacation, these were the places we wanted to highlight. Others worth mentioning and additional San Antonio options include:
- San Antonio Zoo
- Discovery Point (swim with dolphins)
- Sea World
- LEGOLAND
- Morgan’s Wonderland (theme park)
- The DoSeaum (children’s museum)
- San Antonio Aquarium
- Aquatica (waterpark)
- And for BBQ, “best of” options are: Two Brothers Barbecue, Rudy’s BBQ, and Pinkerton’s
Everything is bigger in Texas. Even the FUN!
What do you suggest for San Antonio?
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