7 minute read
Dive Into Adventure
Travel through an ocean of wonder and escape reality, and then build family memories at the ultimate indoor LEGO® playground all in one day!
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Both SEA LIFE San Antonio Aquarium and LEGOLAND® Discovery Center are conveniently located at the Shops at Rivercenter. Even better, the attractions are just feet from each other to give the ultimate day of adventure, excitement and fun in the Alamo City.
First, voyage into the jaw-dropping underwater worlds at San Antonio’s newest Aquarium filled with thousands of gallons of fun. SEA LIFE San Antonio includes the city’s only 360-degree ocean tunnel that gets guests face to fin with sharks, stingrays and even a rescued sea turtle! Be immersed in 10 breathtaking exhibits and even touch real creatures like a sticky anemone. Get lost in a gang of mesmerizing jellies, explore a dense mangrove full of seahorses and spot a sea creature movie star in a teeming coral reef.
To keep the family fun going, make the short walk next door to LEGOLAND® Discovery Center San Antonio. This attraction is the ultimate indoor LEGO playground with two rides, 10 LEGO build and play zones, a 4D cinema and much more!
Catch a mini 4D movie and see your favorite LEGO® characters at the 4D Cinema. Then explore the San Antonio cityscape and iconic landmarks in the mind-blowing MINILAND® San Antonio, which is made entirely of LEGO® bricks—1.5 million in fact! Hop on Kingdom Quest, an interactive ride where you blast your way to save the day and fly high in the sky on Merlin’s Apprentice ride!
With millions of LEGO® bricks and thousands of sea creatures, your exploring has just begun in San Antonio as you visit SEA LIFE San Antonio and LEGOLAND® Discovery Center San Antonio all at the famous Shops at Rivercenter. Buy tickets online and purchase a combo ticket to save money and time to visit both amazing attractions.
Sometimes, you need to change your point of view to fully appreciate things. Ok, we know the River Walk is a pretty sweet view, but get ready to take in San Antonio from a whole new perspective! We are checking out unique vantage points that will turn your view of the Alamo City on its head. Get ready to walk through the sky, scurry under jaguars and sharks, and ascend 750 feet above the city!
SKYWALK AND LAND BRIDGE AT PHIL HARDBERGER PARK
Our first unique vantage point is the Skywalk and Land Bridge at Phil Hardberger Park, which is free to the public and just a short 20-minute drive north of downtown. The 1,000-foot-long Skywalk climbs through the tree canopy and reaches 18 feet off the ground. At six feet wide, the entire Skywalk is ADA accessible and offers a low incline for leisurely strolling and birdwatching. The Skywalk also serves as your connection to the Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge—the 150-foot-wide crossover connecting both sides of the park and allowing wildlife to safely traverse the bustling street below. Take a walk through the park (and the trees) like never before!
San Antonio Zoo
THE PANTERA WALK AT SAN ANTONIO ZOO
The San Antonio Zoo has a brand-new exhibit that gives you a wild look at some wildcats. The zoo is a short 10-minute drive north of downtown in the Museum Reach district, and day passes start at $21 for adults and $17 for children. The zoo’s latest exhibit is Neotropica, a unique ecosystem that allows jaguars, Amazon birds, monkeys and reptiles to live side by side. The exhibit features The Pantera Walk by Texas A&M University-San Antonio—an aerial bridge that allows jaguars to cross directly over the crowd. In addition to giving visitors a unique view of the cats, the remarkable bridge creates 120 percent more space for the big cats to roam (and a pretty cool view for the cats to check you out, too)!
OCEAN TUNNEL AT SEA LIFE® SAN ANTONIO
Get ready to go deep-sea diving without even getting wet! SEA LIFE San Antonio is located downtown in the Shops at Rivercenter, and tickets to this aquarium start at just $20 per person. Inside lies San Antonio's only underwater Ocean Tunnel that you have to SEA to believe. Get up close and personal with over 500 undersea creatures from their point of view—under the water’s surface! The Ocean Tunnel is 20 feet deep and traverses through a 155,000-gallon tank. Watch sharks swim directly overhead and maybe even spot a diver or two. While you are on your journey, do not forget to track Blackbeard and see if you can uncover his sunken treasure in these unchartered waters!
Tower of the Americas, courtesy of Landry's
click on this:
PHIL HARDBERGER PARK www.PhilHardbergerPark.org
SAN ANTONIO ZOO
www.SAZoo.org
SEA LIFE SAN ANTONIO
www.VisitSeaLife.com
BRACKENRIDGE PARK
www.BrackenridgePark.org
TOWER OF THE AMERICAS
www.TowerOfTheAmericas.com
NATURAL BRIDGE CAVERNS
www.NaturalBridgeCaverns.com
COMANCHE LOOKOUT PARK
www.SanAntonio.gov/parksandrec
THE BRACKENRIDGE PARK BRIDGE
Cross one of San Antonio’s oldest bridges to enter Brackenridge Park. The Brackenridge Park Bridge was built in 1890 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Co. and remains open to cars and pedestrians—serving as the entrance to San Antonio’s largest free urban park just 10 minutes north of the Alamo. Built from a single 95-foot truss, Brackenridge Park Bridge is one of the shortest truss bridges in the country. In addition, it offers a pretty fantastic view of the river and the 343acre park, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. After you cross the bridge, you can take time to explore the multiple walking trails, Japanese Tea Gardens and picnic grounds Brackenridge has to offer.
TOWER OF THE AMERICAS
Get a bird’s eye view of San Antonio by ascending 750 feet up into the sky at the Tower of the Americas. Located on the edge of downtown, the Tower is an icon of the San Antonio skyline. Tickets to ride to the top are just $16 for adults and $12 for children. Built as part of the 1968 World’s Fair, the Tower is one of the tallest observation towers in the United States—dwarfing the 600-foot Seattle Space Needle. What can we say? We do everything bigger in Texas! Make your way to the top, catch some choice views on the observation deck and even make a reservation in the rotating Chart House Restaurant for incredible panoramic sights and 5-star dining.
NATURAL BRIDGE CAVERNS ZIP RAILS & ROPES COURSE
The Natural Bridge Caverns, 45 minutes north of San Antonio, are an underground cave formation named for the naturally occurring 60-foot land bridge made of limestone present at the entrance. These cave tours are super cool because the caves maintain a 70-degree temperature year-round! While you cannot cross the land bridge, you can still catch some sights on the rails and ropes course. The Twisted Trails Zip Rails & Ropes Course towers 60 feet into the sky. Here, you can test your balance on four levels of suspended ropes. The ropes course includes swinging ropes, rope ladders and tightropes. If you are more into easy-breezy fun, you can traverse over 685 feet of suspended ziplines and soar high above the trees. This twisted course offers plenty of incredible thrills. Tickets start at $24.99 and are sold separately from cave tour tickets.
COMANCHE LOOKOUT PARK
Lookout! There are great views ahead. Comanche Lookout Park is a free 96-acre park located just 25 minutes north of downtown. The park is the fourthhighest point in San Antonio, with an elevation of over 1,300 feet. Here, you will get some amazing views of The Cibolo floodplains below. During the site’s history, Native Americans used the hill as a vantage point, and Colonel Coppock went on to construct a four-story medieval tower on the highest point in the 1940s. Climb to the top of the hill to explore the remains!
Drew Henry is a writer, yogi and meme enthusiast. When he is not writing, he is out exploring all Texas has to offer. View his portfolio at DrewHenryWrites.com and follow his antics on Instagram at @drewhenrywrites.
