25 Fun Things To Do In San Antonio, Texas (2024)
Want to know all the fun things to do in San Antonio, Texas? We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know!
Fun Things To Do In San Antonio, Texas
There are so many fun things to do in San Antonio, Texas and the surrounding suburbs of New Braunfels and Gruene.
These are our favorites that we recommend visiting when you’re in the area.
1. San Antonio’s Riverwalk
This is one of the most iconic things you can do when you visit San Antonio.
It’s a must-do.
There are plenty of restaurants to choose from and it’s great to visit whether it’s day time or night time.
You can even take a boat tour through the Riverwalk.
2. The Alamo
The Alamo is just down the street and is another one of the most visited places in San Antonio.
You can schedule a guided walking tour through the site in advance for anywhere from $30-$45 depending on your age and eligible discounts.
If you want to just visit the Alamo Church on your own, it’s free, but you still need to schedule a timed ticket for entry in advance.
3. La Villita
La Villita is a small square with shops and restaurants, among other things.
It’s located in the same vicinity as the Riverwalk and Alamo, so it’s easy to do all of these one after the other when you’re in San Antonio.
4. Japanese Tea Garden
This place is completely free to visit, which makes it a great place to take kids!
We took lots of pictures and videos while we were there and the kids loved all the different flowers and the ducks.
This is a wonderful hidden gem in San Antonio that you don’t normally hear about.
Attractions You Can Bundle With A San Antonio GoCity Pass
The following attractions you can buy individual admission tickets for, but to really get the most bang for your buck, I highly recommend the San Antonio GoCity Pass.
GoCity attractions cards offer included admission to over 400 top attractions, activities, tours, and museums for one low price!
Save up to 50% compared to buying separate tickets at the attractions and receive a free full-color guide book with your purchase.
Choose from two options: Go City’s All-Inclusive Pass offers admission to top attractions and activities for one low price with a savings of up to 50%.
Build Your Own Pass allows you to customize a pass and save up to 20% on top attractions.
All of the following attractions are included!
👉🏼 Click Here To Book Your San Antonio GoCity Pass Today!
5. San Antonio Zoo
Right next to the Japanese Tea Garden is the San Antonio Zoo.
It’s usually open from 9 am – 5 pm during the week, but on Saturdays has been known to stay open until 10 pm.
You can feed giraffes, ride the train and carousel, visit the Butterfly Rainforest, and see all the typical zoo animals.
👉🏼 Click Here To Book Your San Antonio Zoo General Admission Ticket Today!
6. SEA LIFE Aquarium
Back in the downtown area is SEA LIFE Aquarium.
My niece got to go here on a field trip when she was in first grade and absolutely loved it.
They have an underwater ocean tunnel where you can get an up close view of a variety of fish and sharks.
If you’re more of a hands-on person, the touch pool has a variety of sea stars and anemones that you can feel.
👉🏼 Click Here To Book Your SEA LIFE San Antonio Admission Ticket Today!
7. Sea World San Antonio
Similar to the Sea World amusement parks in Orlando and San Diego, San Antonio has one of their own too!
Sea World San Antonio is a premier marine-themed park that offers a combination of thrilling rides, captivating shows, and unforgettable animal encounters.
Experience the excitement of roller coasters, meet fascinating marine creatures up close, and be entertained by live performances that showcase the beauty and intelligence of these animals.
8. Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Another amusement right in San Antonio is Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas offers a wide range of thrill rides, roller coasters, and entertaining shows for all ages.
A visit to Six Flags Fiesta Texas is a must for thrill-seekers and families alike, providing an unforgettable experience filled with excitement, laughter, and lasting memories in the heart of San Antonio.
9. San Antonio Missions
The San Antonio Missions are a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of four Spanish colonial missions: Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada.
Visitors should explore these historic sites to delve into the rich history and cultural heritage of the region, admire the beautiful architecture, and learn about the significant role these missions played in the development of Texas.
10. Natural Bridge Caverns
Natural Bridge Caverns is an impressive underground cave system located just outside of San Antonio, Texas.
Visitors should explore these stunning caverns to witness incredible natural formations and experience the thrill of underground adventure through guided tours.
It’s a unique and awe-inspiring attraction that offers a memorable and educational experience for visitors of all ages.
👉🏼 Click Here To Bundle Your Natural Bridge Caverns Tour With Your San Antonio GoCity Pass Today!
11. LEGOLAND Discovery Center
LEGOLAND Discovery Center in San Antonio is a must-visit attraction for LEGO enthusiasts of all ages.
With interactive exhibits, themed rides, and creative building experiences, it offers a fun and immersive environment where visitors can unleash their creativity and embark on exciting LEGO adventures.
Whether you’re a fan of LEGO or simply looking for a family-friendly activity, LEGOLAND Discovery Center guarantees hours of entertainment and imaginative fun.
12. Schlitterbahn Water Park
Did you know Schlitterbahn has been consistently rated the #1 water park in the US for years?
Even above the Disney World water parks which are not even in the same universe as most other theme parks in the country.
Schlitterbahn Water Park in New Braunfels is a thrilling water oasis that offers exhilarating water slides, lazy rivers, wave pools, and splash zones for all ages.
With its wide range of attractions and rides, including the iconic Master Blaster uphill water coaster, it provides a perfect escape from the Texas heat.
Fun Restaurants In San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio offers a variety of cuisines for every palette.
Obviously Mexican, Tex-Mex, and BBQ places are hugely popular here and they are must visits, but there are plenty of others to choose from too.
13. Mad Dogs British Pub
Mad Dogs British Pub is located along the San Antonio Riverwalk.
I recommend starting with the Scotch Eggs appetizer.
It’s hard-boiled eggs wrapped in-house with fresh ground pork, and panko breadcrumbs, fried to crispy perfection, and served piping hot with Honey Dijon dressing.
For entrees they serve a variety of burgers and pub classics like fish and chips.
The Bread and Butter Pudding is the best dessert.
It’s layered bread with whiskey soaked raisins mixed in, served with sweetened whipped cream and caramel sauce drizzled over top.
14. Bill Miller BBQ
You’ll see these all over San Antonio and they serve all the typical BBQ foods and sides you’d expect.
When we went we got our food to go, so we don’t have pictures of our meal, but we did get some Pecan Pie for dessert that was delicious.
15. Waxy O’Connor’s Irish Pub
Waxy O’Connor’s Irish Pub is another restaurant on San Antonio’s Riverwalk.
We stuck with the typical pub food of fish and chips as our meal, but started with a caesar salad.
To finish off our night, since it was a little cold, we also had some Irish Coffee.
16. Chart House (at the top of Tower of the Americas)
Chart House is a nice restaurant located at the very top of the Tower of the Americas in Downtown San Antonio.
The restaurant rotates so you get views around the city all night.
It’s very popular, so I recommend getting reservations well in advance.
If you want to spend a little more time up there, I recommend getting drinks at the bar early while you wait for your reservation time.
We’ve tried their martini, old fashioned, and white sangria.
You can request a table by the window, but it’s not guaranteed.
I’m not a huge fan of heights so I didn’t request it, but we still got a window table.
If you’re able to get a reservation where you can watch the sunset I highly recommend it so you can see the city in the day time and night time.
Chart House has a ton of great food, so it’s hard to choose just one thing for dinner.
I love a good Swordfish so we splurged a little for that and I love pasta, so we also tried their shrimp pasta.
For good measure, we also got a side of mac n cheese because it’s my favorite.
But we started our dinner with a yummy Lobster Bisque.
Dessert is also very important.
I recommend the Chocolate Lava Cake and the Key Lime Pie.
17. Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas in another restaurant on San Antonio’s Riverwalk.
We started with this cute Margarita in a cactus glass.
For lunch we had Flautas and Enchiladas.
The Flautas were more like Taquitos, but they were still good.
18. Augie’s BBQ
This place has tons of outdoor seating at picnic tables and seating around a stage.
It’s located right next to the Japanese Tea Garden and the San Antonio Zoo.
When you go in you order your food at the counter and then take it out to wherever you’d like to eat.
JP’s go-to BBQ food is Ribs, but I personally prefer Pulled Pork sandwiches – always with a side of Mac n Cheese!
We also tried the Baked Beans, Kielbasa, and Potato Salad.
19. Jacked Potato
This is a local spot in Converse, Texas with a build your own baked potato bar.
Who wouldn’t love that?!
20. Tang Street
One of my favorite things about Chinese restaurants is that almost all of them are family owned.
So it’s a little different everywhere you go.
Everyone has their favorite neighborhood Chinese restaurant and this is the one in San Antonio!
We tried their Dumplings, Noodles, Fried Rice, and Wonton Soup which are our go-to orders at every Chinese place.
21. Winery On The Gruene
This is the most affordable wine tasting room we’ve ever been to.
It’s located in Gruene, Texas, near New Braunfels.
It’s a small town spot with a variety of wines, including light and refreshing fruit wines.
The wine tasting is $4 for 4 wines and then $1 for each additional wine you want to try.
For $2 you can also keep your tasting glass.
We bought so many bottles of wine here for ourselves and family because we knew it would be the kind they like.
They’re not like California wines at all, but more just light, fruity, Summer, refreshing type wines.
Our favorite wines were the Green Apple Gewurztraminer, Pomegranate Wildberry Zinfandel, and Watermelon White Merlot.
22. Cantina Del Rio
Cantina Del Rio is also in Gruene, Texas.
We only have videos of our meals, which you can check out in this Instagram Reel.
But I recommend their chicken and steak fajitas and their chicken and beef enchiladas.
Also enjoy the complimentary chips and salsa!
23. Alpine Haus
Alpine Haus is another restaurant where you’ll have to watch our Instagram Reel to see everything we got.
It’s is located in New Braunfels, Texas and it’s an authentic German dining experience!
More upscale than your average Biergarten, but still somewhat casual.
We started off with a chilled sweet red wine.
I’ve found out this trip that of the German wines you really want to stick to the sweet stuff (red or white) because that’s what’s always best!
Complimentary bread service includes rye bread with butter.
As an appetizer I highly recommend the sausage sampler platter.
The one on the left is the Knockwurst which is definitely the most flavorful and was our favorite.
The middle one is a normal bratwurst.
It’s what you would expect it to taste like but it’s great to balance out the spiciness of the Smoked Sausage which is VERY spicy.
It’s served with a German Mustard for dipping.
Entrees you really can’t go wrong with any of them.
We first tried the Sauerbraten which is roast beef.
It is served with Spaetzle and Sauerkraut.
The gravy makes the dish!
Another entree was the chicken Wiener schnitzel.
It is very thinly and evenly breaded to perfection.
The best texture and flavor of any schnitzel we’ve had!
This was served with potato dumplings and sauerkraut.
You can substitute your sides for pretty much any form of potato!
24. Water 2 Wine
Water 2 Wine is a wine tasting room in New Braunfels, Texas.
They serve all Texas grown and made wines!
Again these are quite different from California wines, so don’t expect them to be similar but they’re still definitely good.
What’s also neat is that their wines are low-sulfite, low-histamine and without the heavy preservatives found in other wines.
Fun Places To Stay In San Antonio, Texas
Part of enjoying all the fun things to do in San Antonio is enjoying the hotel you’re staying in.
There’s one above all the rest that we recommend.
25. Club Wyndham La Cascada
This resort is located along the San Antonio Riverwalk.
The rooms are beautiful, including a full kitchen, separate bedroom, and jacuzzi.
👉🏼 Click Here To Book Your Club Wyndham La Cascada Stay Today!
Conclusion: Fun Things To Do In San Antonio, Texas
There are so many fun things to do in San Antonio, including trying the local food and wine.
Whether you’re traveling with kids, solo, as a couple, or multi-generational, there’s plenty of things for everyone.
