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What are Some Outdoor Activities in San Antonio, Texas?

Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth

Some outdoor activities in San Antonio give you an opportunity to appreciate nature, like a visit to the San Antonio Botanical Garden, or nature and history, like a visit to San Antonio Missions National Historical park. If you’d like a little fauna with your flora, try Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, the SeaWorld Adventure Park, or the San Antonio Zoological Gardens and Aquarium. And if rides is what you want, try Six Flags Fiesta Texas or Splashtown.

Can some outdoor activities in San Antonio be done on the spur of the moment? Sure: not only can you stroll through El Mercado/Market Square — the largest Mexican market outside of Mexico, but you can also enjoy a stroll along Paseo del Rio/River Walk. But that’s not all: the San Antonio Parks & Recreation Department boasts over 225 parks, with a wide variety of amenities including playgrounds, trails for hiking and biking, picnic tables, dog parks, sports courts and fields, and skate parks.

Outdoor activities in San Antonio for sports enthusiasts include golfing on the city’s more than 40 training greens and golf courses. Miniature golf and — believe it or not — ice skating are available at the Ice & Golf Center at Northwoods.

San Antonio offers plenty of outdoor activities.
San Antonio offers plenty of outdoor activities.

If you are looking for outdoor activities in San Antonio that involve spectators rather than participants, you could go on a river cruise or a walking tour of the city. Alamo Battlefield Tours are available, and in the city you can find Segway tours with Alamo Segway, ghostly tours with Alamo City Ghost Tours or The Ghosts and Legends of San Antonio tour, and there’s also the more standard San Antonio City Tours which allows you to see the city from a trolley. You can also try Incredible Journeys’ hot air balloons or powered parachutes for a tour that takes to the skies.

San Antonio offers a variety of golf courses.
San Antonio offers a variety of golf courses.

Other outdoor activities in San Antonio include fiestas and festivals centered in the open air. These include the monthly Houston Street Fair & Market—which, despite its name, is in San Antonio, Remember the Alamo weekend with dramatizations of the battle, Poteet Strawberry Festival, Fiesta San Antonio!, Cinco de Mayo, Texas Folklife Festival, Juneteenth, Fourth of July, Diez y Seis, Jazz’SAlive, Oktoberfest, Wustfest, El Dia de los Muertos, Ford Fiesta de las Luminaria, and Celebrate San Antonio on New Year’s Eve.

Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth

Mary Elizabeth is passionate about reading, writing, and research, and has a penchant for correcting misinformation on the Internet. In addition to contributing articles to WiseGEEK about art, literature, and music, Mary Elizabeth is a teacher, composer, and author. She has a B.A. from the University of Chicago’s writing program and an M.A. from the University of Vermont, and she has written books, study guides, and teacher materials on language and literature, as well as music composition content for Sibelius Software.

Learn more...
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth

Mary Elizabeth is passionate about reading, writing, and research, and has a penchant for correcting misinformation on the Internet. In addition to contributing articles to WiseGEEK about art, literature, and music, Mary Elizabeth is a teacher, composer, and author. She has a B.A. from the University of Chicago’s writing program and an M.A. from the University of Vermont, and she has written books, study guides, and teacher materials on language and literature, as well as music composition content for Sibelius Software.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

bluespirit

@speechie - I have never done powered parachuting, but to me it looks like great fun (but I like that kind of adventure, for example I went sky diving for my birthday and really enjoyed white water rafting).

And it looks like Louisiana swamp boat meets parasailing, except you do not have any water around you rather you just have the ground.

I have watched a video on it, as the descriptions I was reading on the internet just did not cut it for me as far as giving me a great picture. So here's what I saw -

Someone driving what looked like a large go-cart with a large fan on the back with a large parachute attached to them and as they rev forward their parachute starts to lift them up and then the video literally showed the powered parachute riders flying through the air.

Exciting, huh?!

Speechie

I am looking for a route to travel across country but it is tough to choose between driving through Texas as it seems like you drive, drive some more, and then you are still in Texas or driving through the Midwest where it seems like you are driving through cornfields for days.

However, there seem to be many great cities in Texas which might make that route worth it, including San Antonio - but I must share something that I thought was ironic about San Antonio that I found while I was researching the different cities in Texas.

Although San Antonio has all these great activities, it is ranked as one of the least healthy cities!

So maybe not a healthy city, but it sure sounds like a San Antonio vacation would be great if you like the outdoors, and not far from it is Austin which is a must-visit place if you like music.

I personally am interested in seeing the Zoological Gardens and El Mercado/Market Square and trying the hot air balloon rides or powered parachutes.

I have never heard of powered parachutes, how do they work?

Sara007

@letshearit - If you are heading into San Antonio I would suggest staying at one of the downtown San Antonio hotels as they offer easy access to most of the major tourist locations. Plus, a lot of organized tours originate from the downtown area.

I would suggest you try The Ghosts and Legends of San Antonio tour. It is a bit cheesy but can give you some great insight into the history of the city and since the walks are held at night, you don't have to worry about roasting in the sun. These tours happen downtown and you'd be surprised at the number of creepy occurrences that have happened here over the years.

letshearit

Does anyone have a favorite thing to do in San Antonio, Texas? Outdoor activities are preferred, but I would also consider doing something inside if were a special spot.

I am going to be in San Antonio sightseeing for a week and while I have purchased a San Antonio guide book there are just so many things to choose from. A lot of people I know were surprised when I decided to vacation in San Antonio but I have always liked Texas and am curious about some of the local sights. I really want to make this trip a good one.

johnmason09

I love San Antonio so thanks for the info. a lot of San Antonio Discount Hotels also offer tours and other fun things to do in SA.

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    • San Antonio offers plenty of outdoor activities.
      By: Brandon Seidel
      San Antonio offers plenty of outdoor activities.
    • San Antonio offers a variety of golf courses.
      By: Phase4Photography
      San Antonio offers a variety of golf courses.
    • Hot air balloon rides are one way to see San Antonio, Texas.
      By: icholakov
      Hot air balloon rides are one way to see San Antonio, Texas.
    • San Antonio has an Oktoberfest celebration every year.
      By: sdraskovic
      San Antonio has an Oktoberfest celebration every year.
    • San Antonio has many yearly festivals, like Oktoberfest.
      By: sumnersgraphicsinc
      San Antonio has many yearly festivals, like Oktoberfest.