Things to do in San Antonio with KidsGreater San Antonio is packed with fun family attractions!In the slide show above, you're viewing pictures of exciting San Antonio family activities and attractions. There are fun things to do in San Antonio for all ages from tots to teens...and the adults in your group will stay fascinated, as well! List of fun San Antonio family activitiesSan Antonio, Texas is a hot spot for family vacation activities, with families driving and flying in from many miles to enjoy the large selection.If you choose to visit the greater San Antonio area, you'll be able to completely pack an entire week (if not more) with truly exciting activities. Every age group from tots to teens can find something to interest them...including parents and grandparents, too! If you've been thinking about planning a San Antonio vacation, or if you already live in this vibrant Hill Country metropolis, you'll undoubtedly find the list of San Antonio attractions filled with many tempting options for you. San Antonio theme parks
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San Antonio has two exciting, world-class theme parks---and kids often want to make a beeline towards them as fast as possible.
Sea World San Antonio is another world class, can't-miss theme park that your family will enjoy seeing. In fact, there are so very many shows, rides and exhibits, it will actually take your group more than just one day to experience them all. In addition, like Fiesta Texas, the SeaWorld theme park in San Antonio ALSO has a good-sized water park which comes included with your price of admission! To discover all the fun details, you'll want to visit the Sea World San Antonio website. Or, if you'd like to discover the park's operating schedule, please see our SeaWorld San Antonio Hours of Operation page. Or, if you'd like to view our pictures of the park's fun rides, here's our SeaWorld San Antonio Roller Coasters & Rides page.
SAN ANTONIO FAMILY FUN CENTERS: Theme parks aren't the only place you can enjoy some rousing family activities in the Alamo City. Like most other metro areas, San Antonio has a selection of family fun parks...where (depending on which one you choose) you may play miniature golf, ride bumper boats, drive go karts, play laser tag and, of course, test your skill in the arcade. A list of San Antonio family fun centers includes:
Fun Animal Attractions in & around San Antonio
You'll want to return to Brackenridge Park for still more fun! Taking children to enjoy The Witte Museum at the park is a San Antonio tradition! The museum's HEB Science Treehouse helps kids understand science better; local history and culture are other topics explored here. You'll find that the Witte Museum website gives you all the info you need to plan your outing.
The Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, pictured in the slide show above, is another fun animal attraction in greater San Antonio. This is a totally irresistible park for animal-lovers, and takes the meaning of the phrase "up close & personal" to a new level. In this drive-through park, you'll be side by side with the animals as you view them just on the other side of your car window. Bags of animal food can be purchased at the front gate along with your tickets...and you'd better stock up, 'cause you're going to want to throw more food to the animals than you'll imagine when you first start out! After your drive through the wild animal loop, you'll end up at the walk-in petting zoo filled with barnyard animals. Here's the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch website so you can make your plans.
Fiesta Farm is another choice for families with kids who enjoy petting zoos. It's only open to the public on select days of the week, so be sure to check the Fiesta Farms website for dates and times. Also, the Wonder World Park in San Marcos (which was already mentioned in the "caves" section above) has a petting zoo that kids enjoy.
Reptile lovers won't want to miss the interesting Snake Farm. See their website at www.exoticanimalworld.com for a complete desctiption. And yet another animal attraction near San Antonio is the Wild Animal Orphanage. Not so much a tourist attraction as an animal care facility, this non-profit organization provides public education in animal welfare and environmental responsibility.
The Alamo and Alamo Plaza
This sobering sanctuary is a national tourist draw; family-fun attractions surround the shrine
The Alamo needs no introduction. Its story of bravery and valor are well-known, and for adults, the Alamo is surely San Antonio's first spot on any touring itinerary.Small fry, and even teens, aren't necessarily going to feel the same way. Moreover, the story of the battle at the Alamo ends in bloodshed and death; stopping to hear the docent's re-telling of the story could certainly be overwhelming to the little kids in your group.
That's not to say that your family should avoid the Alamo. The building itself is interesting to behold, and its spacious grounds are well-maintained, green and lovely. Here's The Alamo's website to use as a guide in planning your visit.
More than likely, your kids will be clamoring to visit the Alamo Plaza attractions. It's impossible to miss them; they're directly across the street from the Alamo itself. Ripley's Believe It or Not is a collection of oddities gathered from around the world...which oftentimes tend to be grotesque looking. Needless to say, it's often a hit with teens. Kids will probably be interested, too...and adults may find themselves staring in fascination, despite themselves. Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum is a fun place to view wax replicas of Hollywood stars, past and present. This attraction shares a website with the Ripley's museum.
Other Alamo Plaza family attractions include the ever-popular Guinness World Records Museum, Ripley's Haunted Adventure and Tomb Rider 3D. These three facilities share one website, www.AlamoPlazaAttractions.com, where you'll find hours, ticket prices, and a full description of what you'll see when you visit.
The Ultimate Mirror Maze & Vault Laser Challenge are other fun things to do which your family might enjoy in the Alamo Plaza area, as well.
River Walk & Downtown Attractions
The Alamo may be the "heart" of downtown, but it's far from being the area's only good attraction. Kids will enjoy both the San Antonio River Walk, the Tower of the Americas, and the San Antonio Children's Museum, as well.
2.) The San Antonio River Walk is one of the loveliest downtown areas that you'll find in any city in the USA. The area is actually many attractions in one, all of them lining both sides of a small, picturesque river. Tour barges and water taxis ply the river, trees tower overhead, stonework bridges criss-cross back and forth for pedestrians to cross...and large, colorful umbrellas seem to be everywhere, shading scores of sidewalk cafe tables. It's an area where you'll enjoy people-watching at its finest...and whether you're walking, dining, or riding in a boat, you'll be a part of the action.
Most of the attractions along the River Walk are restaurants and bars. It gets crowded in the evenings once the nightlife begins; therefore, mornings and afternoons are more ideal times to bring children. Eating at one of the sidewalk cafes is an enjoyable activity...but if you're on a budget, getting ice cream at the Haagen Dazs works just as well (and your kids will certainly approve!) San Antonio's Rainforest Cafe location is also along the River Walk...and it's festive jungle decor & colorful aquariums draw children's interest like a beacon. Teens may be interested in dining at the Riverwalk's Hard Rock Cafe location.
The Rivercenter Mall is located on a portion of the River Walk...and it's also an attraction you won't want to miss. Not only is it a convenient and lovely spot to shop, but you can hail water taxis and take tours from this location. A food court provides less expensive dining options than the Riverwalk's restaurants, if you're on a budget. And, the IMAX Theater is here at the mall...most noted for its Alamo Imax movie, that serves to expand what you've already learned at the shrine next door. But, if you feel your kids are too young for the topic, you can choose from some interesting IMAX nature movies, instead.
Websites for the Riverwalk attractions can help you plan your outing. You may be interested in checking out the Rivercenter Mall website, the Rivercenter IMAX website, and the San Antonio River Walk website...all of which are very helpful and informative.
3.) The San Antonio Children's Museum (which is also downtown near the River Walk and Alamo Plaza) is an interesting stop for families with kids from ages 2 through about 10 years old. As you might guess, "learning through play" is emphasized here, and the museum's interactive exhibits keep kids absorbed while learning and role-playing in a variety of settings. To help plan your family's outing, here's the San Antonio Children's Museum website.
San Antonio-area caves and caverns
What child, teen or adult doesn't like to enjoy an interesting cave? The site of beautiful caverns filled with stalactites, stalagmites, cave bacon and other formations is always thrilling to the human imagination. The area around San Antonio offers your family to learn while having fun at the same time...by taking one of several cavern tours!
The Natural Bridge Caverns is one cave system that my own family has enjoyed (and you can see some pictures of this attraction in the slide show above.) It's reasonably-priced, popular...and can easily be combined with a visit to another fun attraction "next door" (the Natural Caverns Wildlife Park, described below) to make for a full day of fun. For info, please see the Natural Bridge Caverns website.
Wonder World Park in San Marcos is another good cavern tour that your family might enjoy. The admission price also includes other family activities your kids will enjoy. Details can be found at the Wonder World website.
The Cave Without A Name in Boerne, Texas also makes a good day-trip from San Antonio. It features 6 rooms of beautiful features...which take a full hour's tour to enjoy. Here's the Cave Without A Name website for directions, hours and tour prices.
Cascade Caverns, also in Boerne, is yet another enchanting cave system you may want to explore in the heart of Texas Hill Country. During its long life, even mastodons and saber-tooth tigers have enjoyed the cave. (How do we know? Their bones have been found here!) For details, here's the Cascade Caverns website.
San Antonio water parks & river tubing
As you discovered in the section above, both Sea World and Fiesta Texas have good, mid-sized water parks which your family is sure to enjoy. That doesn't mean you shouldn't check out the area's other water parks.
The Schlitterbahn Water Park, pictured in the slide show above, is in nearby New Braunfels. It has consistently been rated as the top water park in the entire USA year after year (by a number of different lists, including the Travel Chanel!) Even die-hard water park enthusiasts will never have enjoyed such a wide variety of water attractions! For info, prices and directions, here's the Schlitterbahn website.
Splashtown Water Park in San Antonio is another good choice for families who love water slides, wave pools, and lazy rivers. Everything from a tame kiddie area to giant, scream-inducing slides awaits your group here! Details can be found at the Splashtown website.
TUBING: For a more relaxed approach to water fun, you'll want to discover the activity of river tubing. The area around San Antonio offers good tubing opportunities in both New Braunfels (on the Guadalupe and Comal rivers) and San Marcos (on the San Marcos River.) You may bring your own tubes...and the price couldn't be better. It's free! Or for even more fun, you can find a tubing company which will take you back to the "starting point" as many times as you'd like during the day. Canoeing and kayaking are other river activities which make good family outings. Google's list of New Braunfels tubing companies includes a map showing where each one is headquartered. TubeSanMarcos.com is a popular site about San Marcos tubing, and other good sites can also be found by doing an internet search.
San Antonio Attractions Coupons
What's could be more fun than touring the wide variety of San Antonio family attractions?Touring them at a discount, of course!
The good news is that most of the fun things to do in San Antonio with kids ALSO have discount coupons that you can find (either on the internet or locally in tourist brochures.) Here are some good places on the internet to find discount coupons for San Antonio attractions:
1.) San Antonio Area Tourism Council coupons: The very active tourism council has been doing a good job of getting coupons to the public for a number of years. On their www.SanAntonioAttractions.com website, you can get some good San Antonio attractions coupons to a wide variety of activities. These coupons include the SA Botanical Garden, the Buckhorn Saloon & Museum, the SA Children's Museum, the Enchanted Springs ranch, the IMAX theater, the Institute of Texan cultures; the shops of La Villita; the Ultimate Mirror Maze & Vault Laser Challenge; Natural Bridge Caverns; Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch; Ripley's/Louis Tussaud's; Schlitterbahn Water Park; Fiesta Texas; SeaWorld; Splashtown water park; McNay Art Museum; SA Trolley Tours; Wonder World Park and cave; and San Antonio Zoo in Brackenridge Park.
The group's other website, SanAntonioTourism.com website has still more coupons. Some of the attractions are the same as you'll find in the website above, while others are different. The discount coupons to San Antonio family attractions include the Alamo Sightseeing Tours; SA Trolley Tours; Buckhorn Saloon & Museum; Natural Bridge Caverns; Enchanted Springs Ranch; IMAX Theater; Ultimate Mirror Maze; Ripley's; Alamo Trolley; Schlitterbahn; SeaWorld; Six Flags; Splashtown; Louis Tussaud's; Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch; Witte Museum; Wonder World; Institute of Texan Cultures; and San Antonio Zoo.
Multi attraction discount pass: There's also information you can get about the group's "San Antonio & Beyond" multi-attractions savings pass. Here's a link to the San Antonio & Beyond Card information, for your convenience.
2.) The San Antonio Convention & Visitor's Bureau is also very active in helping families find discounts to San Antonio tourist attractions. This group's website, VisitSanAntonio.com, is a terrific resource for tourists and local sight-seers to discover. The San Antonio Visitor's Bureau is also the sponsor of the "S.A.V.E." discount program (San Antonio Vacation Experience.) To download the coupons, you may need to register your personal information. Here's a link to the S.A.V.E. program's San Antonio attractions discount coupons.
3.) Coupons for the San Antonio River Walk can be found on TheSanAntonioRoverWalk.com website. Fortunately, the discount coupons aren't limited only to RiverWalk attractions; they include other family fun spots, as well. On this website's San Antonio Discount Coupons page, you'll also find print-at-home coupons for the Ripley's attractions in downtown San Antonio and a Tower of the Americas coupon, for example.
4.) AAA Club's San Antonio attraction discounts: You'll need to be a member of the American Automobile Association in order to get these discounts...but since many people are, we'll list them here. The AAA has 2 types of discount programs. One is the "Show Your Card & Save" program...where you simply show your AAA card at the door of participating attractions to get a discount. The other type of AAA discounts require you to actually go into one of the club's branch offices and purchase your discount tickets in person; these are usually even better discounts. Here's a link to the Texas AAA Attraction Discounts page where you can see a list of current offers. If you're not a member, be sure to check out the benefits of joining...which include towing, emergency roadside assistance and trip-planning. Being rescued from only one mishap can end up paying for several years of membership...and that's BEFORE you even begin to take advantage of their discounts & coupons. (We should know; they've rescued us many times!)
5.) San Antonio Entertainment coupon book: If you don't mind paying for a coupon book, you'll be able to get discounts not only for attractions...but also for restaurants, shopping and sporting events, as well. There are simply too many restaurants to list, but some of the San Antonio family attractions discount coupons you'll find are as follows:
Kiddie Park; bogo discount
IMAX Theater; bogo admission
Splashtown water park; bogo admission
Just Add Children indoor playground; $25 off party
Alamo Dragway; 20% Off
Ice & Golf Center at Northwoods; Bogo skating
Wild Animal Orphanage; BOGO admission
Fiesta Farm; Bogo admission to petting zoo
Green Acres Golf & Games; Bogo "water wars" attraction
Family Celebration Station; $20 off party
Natural Bridge Caverns; $2 off
Cascade Caverns; %30 off admissions
Cave without a Name; bogo admissions
Snake Farm; bogo admissions
Gruene River Co; 20% off
Rio Raft Co; 20%
Wonder World; 20% off adm
For more info about the San Antonio Entertainment book offers & prices, please see the ad below.
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