Top 20 Places to Take Kids In and Around San Antonio - 2020
San Antonio's favorite places to take kids for 2020
There are literally hundreds of wonderful places to take your kids in San Antonio! Each year, we survey San Antonio parents to find out where they love to take their kids. 2020's results are below. And make sure to browse through our packed daily calendar, visit our Everything That's Free page, and sign up for our fantastic FREE weekly newsletter with dozens of ideas each week for local stuff to do with kids.
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San Antonio Aquarium
The San Antonio Aquarium opens eyes of discovery in a family friendly environment,creating fun things to do in San Antonio. We provide San Antonio’s children and families fun access to the excitement and learning of the planet without a long trip to the coast. Watch jellyfish gently float and glow, admire families of seahorses playing, or our Giant Pacific Octopus snack on crawfish – fed by guests!
San Antonio Zoo
The San Antonio Zoological Gardens and Aquarium is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoo in Midtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. The 35-acre zoo has a collection of over 3,500 animals representing 750 species.
LEGOLAND Discovery Center San Antonio
The ALL NEW LEGOLAND® Discovery Center San Antonio is the Ultimate Indoor LEGO® Playground! Visitors to LEGOLAND Discovery Center can enjoy 2 rides, a 4D cinema, MINILAND® San Antonio, 10 LEGO Play Zones and more! Families with children ages 3-10 won't want to miss out on the fun! LEGOLAND Discovery Center San Antonio is located inside the Shops at Rivercenter in the heart of downtown San Antonio, steps away from the historic Alamo and World Famous River Walk!
Natural Bridge Caverns
180 ft below the surface of the earth, is a Naturally Amazing place filled with incredible underground chambers and spectacular formations. Guided tours let you see Texas’ largest cavern system up close. But Natural Bridge Caverns is more than just caverns, it’s home to Twisted Trails, the World’s LARGEST Zip Lines and Ropes Course. Test your balance on four stories of obstacles high above the Texas Hill Country. For the little ones, Twisted Tykes is a specifically designed ropes and zip lines course. Don’t forget about mining for gems and fossils in a real working sluice at the Discovery Village Mining Co. or take a on the challenge of the AMAZEn’ Ranch Roundup our 5,000 square foot outdoor maze. It’s fun for the entire family!
San Antonio Botanical Garden
Explore 38 acres of garden space at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, including the Family Adventure Garden with 15 fun spaces that encourage unstructured play and exploration. The 2.5 acre Family Adventure Garden offers a universal, multigenerational design so people of all ages and physical abilities can unplug from devices, and plug into nature. Families can explore bubbling creeks, thundering ridges, beckoning hills, and sandy shores. The Botanical Garden’s mission is to inspire people to connect with the plant world and understand the importance of plants in our lives.
SeaWorld San Antonio
At Sea World, you can experience up-close animal interactions, dive into the world beneath the waves on thrilling rides like the Great White coaster, and enjoy awe-inspiring shows. Check out Discovery Point, where you can experience dolphins through nose-to-bottlenose encounters. Their all-new Sesame Street Parade features everyone’s favorite Sesame Street® friends, 10 themed floats, contemporary tunes including Sesame Street favorites, and two show-stopping performances throughout the parade route.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Home of eight world-class roller coasters and our giant FREE White Water Bay Water Park!
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch
Meander through 400 acres of rolling hills, creek beds, and magnificent live oak trees and witness the behavior of over 500 animals from 40 exotic, native and endangered animal species worldwide.
Science Mill
Discover the fun of science at the Science Mill in Johnson City! This family destination offers a fun, interactive learning environment for all ages. Through cutting-edge exhibits and educational programs, the museum expands understanding and appreciation of science in everyday life. Housed in an historic 1880s mill, the Science Mill features more than 50 interactive, world-class outdoor and indoor exhibits. Visit http://sciencemill.org to learn more and plan your visit.
Witte Museum
The Witte Museum is Where Nature, Science and Culture Meet. Discover Texas Deep Time in spacious galleries located on a beautiful, riverside campus. Explore dinosaurs, Chili Queens and cattle kings, original Gallery Theater plays and so much more. Come discover YOUR Witte Museum.
My Local Library
Of course, the libraries in the San Antonio area are not really ONE place, but MANY places... but it's important to emphasize how valuable libraries are for family learning and fun. The libraries in our area are wonderful about posting their events to the KidsOutAndAbout calendar so you always can get ideas for free things to do with your kids that celebrate education and imagination. KidsOutAndAbout.com takes this opportunity to salute the wonderful children's librarians who serve our community with such dedication. They're proud that locals voted them #3 in best places to take kids this year!
San Antonio River Walk
Explore the San Antonio River Walk’s official website for family-friendly fun year-round; parades, festivals, museums, shopping, entertainment, dining, music, culture, and history are just some of the fun that awaits!
Morgan's Wonderland
Morgan’s Wonderland, the world’s first ultra-accessible family fun park, encompasses 25 acres of rides, attractions and activities for everyone, and all are welcome! A place where the common element of play creates an atmosphere of inclusion for those with and without disabilities, encouraging everyone to gain a greater understanding of one another.
The DoSeum
We are dedicated to providing engaging hands-on experiences where Kids Play to Learn and Adults Learn to Play. Through interactive play, we inspire a journey of life-long learning, ultimately enriching lives and positively impacting the community.
Aquatica San Antonio - a waterpark that only SeaWorld could create.
Majestic Theatre
The Majestic and Charline McCombs Empire Theatres are San Antonio's premier performing arts facilities featuring Broadway shows, concerts, comedians, and other live events!
Main Event San Antonio West
Every occasion is a celebration when you visit Main Event, your headquarters for family fun and entertainment. When you're looking for fun things do in San Antonio, we've got you covered. You can bowl, play video games, watch sports on a giant screen, or even just kick back and relax at our bar. We've got dedicated meeting room space, perfect for team building, mini retreats and planning sessions. And nobody does birthday parties, group events, and company parties at either our West location on 151 just outside 410, or our North location at N 1604 and 281.
Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, Guinness World Records Museum
Experience three unique attractions including the authentically unbelievable Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium, the exciting movies that you ride at Ripley’s 4D Moving Theater and our larger-than-life Louis Tussaud’s WaxWorks.
Urban Air Trampoline
If you’re looking for the best year-round indoor amusements in Helotes, Leon Valley, Grey Forest and Northwest San Antonio areas, Urban Air Adventure Park is the perfect place! With new adventures behind every corner, we are the ultimate indoor playground for your entire family. Take your kids’ birthday party to the next level or spend a day of fun with the family and you’ll see why we’re more than just a trampoline park.
Winners in Special Categories
In the second part of our survey, we asked readers to select their favorites in several categories. Here were their choices.Favorite Place to Have Fun INSIDE
LEGOLAND Discovery Center San AntonioThe All New LEGOLAND® Discovery Center is the ultimate indoor LEGO Playground! Build, create, and play in 10 themed areas with millions of LEGO Bricks! It's as if you’ve just jumped into the biggest box of LEGO® bricks ever! There are two rides, 10 LEGO build & play zones, a 4D cinema & much more!
Favorite Place to Have Fun OUTSIDE
Natural Bridge Caverns180 ft below the surface of the earth, is a Naturally Amazing place filled with incredible underground chambers and spectacular formations. Guided tours let you see Texas’ largest cavern system up close. But Natural Bridge Caverns is more than just caverns, it’s home to Twisted Trails, the World’s LARGEST Zip Lines and Ropes Course. Test your balance on four stories of obstacles high above the Texas Hill Country. For the little ones, Twisted Tykes is a specifically designed ropes and zip lines course. Don’t forget about mining for gems and fossils in a real working sluice at the Discovery Village Mining Co. or take a on the challenge of the AMAZEn’ Ranch Roundup our 5,000 square foot outdoor maze. It’s fun for the entire family!
Favorite Performing Arts
The Magik TheatreThe Magik Theatre is San Antonio's professional family theatre, located downtown in Hemisfair. Enjoy the magik of live theatre during daytime performances, classes and camps, or community programming that activates imagination, grows young minds, and Inspires creativity.
Favorite Kid-Friendly Museum
The DoSeumWe are dedicated to providing engaging hands-on experiences where Kids Play to Learn and Adults Learn to Play. Through interactive play, we inspire a journey of life-long learning, ultimately enriching lives and positively impacting the community.
Favorite Nature Center
Natural Bridge Wildlife RanchMeander through 400 acres of rolling hills, creek beds, and magnificent live oak trees and witness the behavior of over 500 animals from 40 exotic, native and endangered animal species worldwide.
Favorite Kid-Friendly Farm
Graff 7A Ranch / South Texas MaizeThe Graff 7A Ranch is a 5th generation farm and ranch in Hondo, Texas. Our flagship event is our fall corn maze taking place from mid September to late November. Since 2001 we’ve been getting folks lost in our 7 acre maze carved into stalks of corn that tower over your head. A patron’s admission includes the hay ride, the Twin Cow Train, the Matter Corn Slide Mountain and several other family friendly activities. Find the perfect fall pumpkin, during the month of October, in our pumpkin patch. Day or night, the Graff 7A Ranch is a great family outing that's sure to please everyone!
Favorite Sports Team
San Antonio Spurs5-Time NBA Champions: 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
Favorite Arts Education
Witte MuseumThe Witte Museum is Where Nature, Science and Culture Meet. Discover Texas Deep Time in spacious galleries located on a beautiful, riverside campus. Explore dinosaurs, Chili Queens and cattle kings, original Gallery Theater plays and so much more. Come discover YOUR Witte Museum.
Favorite Sports Education
YMCA of Greater San AntonioThe Y focuses on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility, and incorporates the core values of caring, honesty, respect, responsibility, and faith into all we do. The Y is more than a gym. We are a community with something for everyone in your family regardless of age, income, ability, ethnicity, or faith. When youth play sports at the Y, they gain more than just exercise. They learn what it takes to be a leader in sports and in life. Youth learn the fundamentals of the game while building character, developing self-confidence, and creating healthy relationships.
