ABC’s of San Antonio Activities: 80 Local Outings to Make Your Summer Fun

IT’S SUMMER!!! Which means it’s only a matter of time until you hear those words that can drive any momma crazy – “I’m bored.”

Alamo City Moms Blog is here to rescue you from those dreadful words with our ABC’s of Summer! We’ve done the research and we’re taking you straight through the alphabet with 80 summer outings for your San Antonio summer bucket list. We’ve even created a handy, free printable to hang on your refrigerator. When your kids utter those words, “I’m bored,” just pick an outing and hit the town for some summer fun! See how many of our outings on the list you can hit, and while your out and about, snap some shots and share them with us at #acmbsummer!

You can even step it up a few notches and make it educational. Have a whole day that’s focused on a letter. Start yourself off with A: head to the ALAMO, eat APPLES, ASPARAGUS, AVOCADO and ANGEL FOOD CAKE, read ALLIGATOR SHOES by Arthur Dorros, and make a craft with the letter A.

Print out our ABC’s of San Antonio Printable to keep track of your summer outings:

ABC's of San Antonio.jpg

So here’s your list – let the summer fun begin!

A

Alamo: You can’t get more San Antonio than the Alamo. Plan a trip downtown to see our city’s most famous landmark
Amazing Jump: Bounce those sillies out on a number of trampolines
Artworks: Three San Antonio area locations offering both classes and open art times
Alamo Draft House Kids Camp: Cherished children’s films with free screenings throughout the summer

B

Botanical Gardens: Stroll through the gardens, enjoy the Birdhouse Exhibit through June 29 or Dog Days of Summer August 2-3
Brackenridge Park: Feed the ducks, walk the trails and watch the wildlife
Buckhorn Museum: Check out over 520 species wildlife at this Texas Ranger Museum
Bowling: Free bowling is being offered throughout the summer at University Bowl and through AMF Summer Games at Country Lanes and Ponderosa
Boerne City Lake: Enjoy the beach, the lake, paddle boarding and the playground

San Antonio Botanical Gardens
San Antonio Botanical Gardens

C

Children’s Museum (San Antonio): Enjoy San Antonio Children’s Museum in it’s last summer in the downtown location
Cave Without a Name: Located in Boerne, cool off in the 66 degree cave while seeing Stalagmites, Stalactites, Flowstones and Rimstone Dams
Cibolo Nature Center: Also in Boerne, play in the creek, spread your toes in the mud and enjoy the tall cyprus trees
Cascade Caverns: Enjoy a one hour tour of this Boerne destination; visit the website to print off a coupon before going
Children’s Fine Art Series: With shows designed for children 3-10, music, dance, drama and song fill the stage. Shows times and dates are limited so check showtimes before going.

D

Double Decker Bus: Play tourist in San Antonio and catch a ride on the hop-on-hop-off site seeing bus
Dinosaur George: Don’t miss Dinosaur George’s Free Summer Library Tour
Denman Estate Park: Enjoy South Korean architecture and labyrinth
The DoSeum: Head on over to San Antonio’s newest attraction for kids!

Dinosaur George
Dinosaur George

E

Enchanted Springs Ranch: Hit up the Old West in Boerne
Empanadas at Beto’s: Known for their savory empanadas, hit up Beto’s for lunch or dinner
Eisenhower Park Hike: Climb to the top of the observation deck at the top of Cedar Flat’s trail

F

Funtastic Playland: When the temperatures heat up, head indoors for some fun
Fort Sam Houston Splash Pad: One of the only public splash pads in San Antonio
Fire Museum: Journey through the history of the San Antonio Fire Department and chat with the active and retired firefighter docents
Food Trucks for Dinner: Hit up family friendly food truck locations like Boardwalk on Bulverde, The Point Park & Eat, 281 Food Park and The Block

G

Guadalupe State Park: Head just north of San Antonio to explore nature, fun and water
Golf: Whether it’s mini-golf, hitting the driving range or getting out for 18 holes, you’ll be yelling “FORE!”

H

Hardberger Park: Take your pooch to the dog park or play on two different playgrounds (Phil Hardberger East & Phil Hardberger West)
HemisFair Park: Beautiful waterfalls, a children’s playground and a labyrinth – fun downtown!

HemisFair Park
HemisFair Park

I

Inflatable Wonderland: Two San Antonio locations for this bounce house extravaganza
Institute of Texan Cultures: Explore over 20 ethnic groups that settled in Texas with interactive exhibits
IMAX Theater Rivercenter: Step your moving watching experience up a few notches with the mega-screen and surround sound of IMAX

Inflatable Wonderland
Inflatable Wonderland

J

Japanese Tea Garden: Visit San Antonio’s urban oasis
Jumpy Place: Head to New Braunfels to jump until you your hearts content (and enjoy Cooper’s BBQ for lunch when you are done!)

K

Kiddie Park: Filled with nostalgic rides perfect for pint-sized folks

L

Library: Join a Summer Reading Program and head to your local San Antonio Public Library Branch to check out books until your heart’s content
Landa Gardens: Enjoy the fun playground and beautiful gardens on the grounds of the Landa Library

M

Morgan’s Wonderland: The family fun park for those with and without special needs
McKenna Children’s Museum: Head up I-35 to New Braunfels to enjoy the McKenna Children’s Museum – well worth the trip!
McNayIntroduce your children to art appreciation and don’t miss the last Sunday of every month for Family Day
Missions Baseball Game: “Take me out to the ballgame” – head to see San Antonio’s Minor League team in action
Magik Theatre: San Antonio’s Premiere Children’s Theatre offering multiple showtimes all summer long

Magik Theatre
Magik Theatre

N

Natural Bridge Caverns: Explore the caverns, zipline, take an adventure tour or check out the maze and mining village
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch: See giraffe, Watusi, elk, zebra, antelope and more

O

Open Gym: Let your littles run their energy out every week at one of the Open Gyms at local San Antonio gymnastics facilities including Aerial Athletics, Olympia Gymnastics and Alamo Heights Gymnastics Academy
OP Schnabel Park: Hike the nature trails and enjoy the playscape

P

Pump It Up: Two inflatable San Antonio locations with special events like Glow Bounce with glow in the dark fun
Picnic at MacArthur Park: One of San Antonio’s best playgrounds and perfect location for a picnic!

Q

Quench Your Thirst with Raspas, Palettas and Fruit Cups at Las Nieves: A sure way to cool off when the temperatures soar
Quarry Theater Movie: Hop over to The Quarry to catch a movie
Eat Texas Q (BBQ, that is!): Our family friendly favorites include Two Brothers’ BBQ and Blanco BBQ

R

River Walk: Enjoy Texas’s #1 tourist destination and stroll the San Antonio River or take a River Boar Ride
Root Beer at Schilos: A San Antonio institution, world famous for their homemade Rootbeer
Rollercade: Take your kids back to the days of your youth and hit the rink!

S

San Pedro Springs: Swim in the municipal spring fed pool
Schlitterbahn: A rite of passage in San Antonio but great for young kids too
SeaWorld San Antonio: Whether you are hitting up SeaWorld for the animals and shows or Aquatica for the water park, you always have the opportunity to cool down
Six Flags Fiesta Texas: Try weekdays or after 5pm to avoid heavy crowds
San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA): Visit to see the Matisse collection beginning June 14
Sonic Happy Hour: A cheap and easy afternoon, let your kids order at the drive-in and then play outside around the picnic tables while you wait for your order
Salado Creek Greenway: Beautiful paved trail segments and natural surface trails stretching through north and east San Antonio
Splashtown: 50 rides and attractions at this San Antonio Water Park

photo 1
SeaWorld

T

Train at the Zoo: This 20 minute train ride will take you through Brackenridge Park, with stops at The Witte, Kiddie Park and the Japanese Tea Gardens
Texas Transportation Museum: Operating a working passenger railroad, several model train layouts and many road vehicles, this museum is perfect for the train obsessed littles in your family
Texas Star Trail: Print off a map of the Texas Star Trail and take a walking tour of downtown San Antonio
Tube the Guadalupe River: Sit back, relax and let the river take you
Toilet Seat Museum: Located in Alamo Heights, Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Art Museum has FREE admission! Call before arriving: 210-824-7791

Riding the Zoo Train
Riding the Zoo Train

U

Under the Stars at Garner State Park: Camp under the stars

V

Volunteer: Whether it’s San Antonio Pets Alive!, the San Antonio Food Bank, Christian Senior Services or hosting a lemonade stand to raise money for your favorite non-profit, there are many ways to teach kids about philanthropy over the summer break
Villa Finale: Home to Walter Mathis, the catalyst for revitalizing King William. Start your visit to historic King William district at this museum and gardens

W

Witte Museum: Enjoy the newly opened HEB Body Adventure, plus the South Texas Heritage Center, Texas Wild Ecology, dinosaurs, mummies and more!
Woodlawn Lake Park: Site of the annual Fourth of July Celebration, this park offers walking trails and a free swimming pool

X

X marks the crosses of the Mission Reach Trail: Check out San Antonio’s four historic missions on bike or foot – Mission Concepción, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada 

Y

YMCA Splashpad at Schertz Family YMCA or Braundera Family YMCA: Yes, you do have to be a member to get access to these splash pads but with the deficit of splash pads we have in San Antonio, we think it’s kind of worth it

Z

Zoo: If you’ve never been to the San Antonio Zoo, you are seriously missing out. It’s awesome.

San Antonio Zoo
San Antonio Zoo

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Brooke
Brooke graduated high school from right here in San Antonio. After twelve years of living everywhere from Colorado to Greece, London to Atlanta, she and her husband have made San Antonio home and have become parents to their daughter and son. Brooke loves finding undiscovered activities around the city and dragging her kids along! She is a runner, an amateur cook that loves trying out San Antonio’s growing culinary scene and is actively involved in non-profit organizations in San Antonio.

7 COMMENTS

  1. […] do in San Antonio during a weekend away with kids.  They have a fully comprehensive list called ABC’s of San Antonio Activities :: 80 Local Outings to Make Your Summer Fun that is pretty amazing, but here’s the consolidated version for you weekend warriors like […]

  2. Oh shush it!!! I love this!!!!!! Not only for the summer but for when out of towners ask me what they should do and where to go.. Good job… and THANKS

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