8 minute read
Family Fun
N OW By Janis Turk D 16 RIO Magazine
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thesanantonioriverwalk.com N
OT Some 57 years later, the words remain truer than ever: Downtown is still the best place to go in search of bright lights and big city fun. Today, San Antonio’s downtown offers attractions no one could have dreamed of decades ago. Here are just a few of the fun things waiting for you. COOL FISHY FUN The new SEA LIFE Aquarium at the Shops at Rivercenter is an exciting, bright, colorful, cool, air-conditioned spot for August adventures and family fun all year long. Opening just this past spring, the 33,000-square-foot aquarium covers two levels in the mall and Kayaking on the River Walk boasts San Antonio’s only “Ocean Tunnel.” With 10 interactive exhibits to explore, including Touch Bay, Stingray Bay, a “Pirates of the Caribbean”-type Shipwreck exhibit, a Seahorse exhibit, a Mangrove exhibit and more, SEA LIFE boasts “160,000 gallons of wow!” With 250 species and 3,000 sea creatures (including sharks!), families can come “face to fin with local, native-to-Texas creatures in a freshwater habitat,” as the SEA LIFE team likes to say. Located in the heart of downtown in the Shops at Rivercenter next to LEGOLAND® Discovery Center, parents and kids can be thrilled and educated together as they explore this colorful underwater world of sea creatures and plant life. A favorite part (besides the huge tunnel where fish swim overhead) is the interactive Rockpool, where kids can actually touch starfish and sea anemones and then enjoy a submarinethemed play area. What a cool way to spend a hot afternoon. RIO Magazine 17
In 1964, a song called “Downtown” was a hit on billboard charts across the United States and abroad, not just because it had a catchy tune, but because its lyrics rang true.
ICE COLD IN AUGUST
After such exciting encounters with sea creatures, why not pop over to Justin’s Ice Cream Company, also located at the Shops at Rivercenter, to give the kids a true taste of authentic Italian-style ice creams on a hot summer day? Justin’s Ice Cream remains a family-owned San Antonio classic, just as it has been for more than 40 years. Justin’s Ice Cream has made a big name for itself by serving small-batch, homemade ice cream to its valued guests. Founded in 1981 by Justin Arecchi, a man with a passion for Italian ices, gelato, ice cream and creative flavors like nothing San Antonio had ever known, his desserts quickly became a favorite among locals and tourists alike. Today, Justin’s Ice Cream Company is owned by the Rita family, and each day their chefs still make fresh, in-house ice cream, sorbets and gelatos. The family understands N that fine attention to detail and the use of the highest-quality ingredients set Justin’s Ice Cream apart from franchise and chain ice cream shops around town. Next door, don’t forget to stop at Bonitarita’s where the kids can enjoy their ice cream while shopping for coonskin caps, T-shirts and other trinkets to remember this day of special family fun downtown. RIDE, FAMILY, RIDE! After such sweet treats, you may want to burn off some calories by riding a bike and enjoying more of what San Antonio offers downtown. Don’t want to haul bikes around in the back of your car? No problem. Turn to San Antonio Bike Share, designed for
...everything’s waiting for you
The Buckhorn Saloon
click on this:
SEALIFE SAN ANTONIO www.Visitsealife.com
JUSTIN’S ICE CREAM COMPANY
www.Justinsicecream.com
BIKE SHARE SAN ANTONIO
www.Sanantonio.bcycle.com
BUCKHORN SALOON
www.Buckhornmuseum.com
CARRIAGE RIDES DOWNTOWN
www.Bluebonnetcarriage.com www.Lollypopcarriage.com www.Lonestarcarriage.com www.Yellowrosecarriage.com short trips and quick adventures around town. Bike Share SA differs from a traditional rental program because families can dock the bike at any B-station and grab another when they’re ready to ride again. With individual ride times up to an hour, it’s easier than ever to explore downtown. Bikes are available from 6:00am to 11:00pm daily. Riders can purchase a day access pass, monthly or annual memberships. Day access and monthly pass rides are subject to 60-minute check-ins to avoid usage fees. Currently, unlimited 60-minute trips are just $11, and one trip for up to 30 minutes is only $3.75, so your family can have an early-morning bike ride to beat the heat, or enjoy a cool breezy evening bike ride. See the Alamo, La Villita Historic Arts Village or visit fun places like the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum, which is where I’d suggest heading next after peddling up an appetite.
MOSEY ON OVER TO THE BUCKHORN SALOON
Most folks think of the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum as a family fun stop because of all the museum offers, and surely the attractions there are worth seeing. However, some forget that it’s also a good place to feed your posse at the Buckhorn Saloon and Bar. With burgers, chicken fingers, salads and sweets, plus icy prickly pear margaritas or draft beers for mom and dad and sodas, iced tea and lemonade for kids, this is a fun stop. The atmosphere is kitschy and Texan and fun, but it’s also historic, as the Buckhorn Saloon is where Teddy Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders and it’s rumored that Pancho Villa planned the Mexican Revolution. Many original furnishings still adorn the Buckhorn Saloon, including the back-bar that was handcrafted of marble and cherry wood. Give kids a fun and interesting look at the past while feeding them kids’ favorites of today.
HORSE AROUND
What’s the best way to end the perfect downtown day? Why a horse-drawn carriage ride, of course; there’s nothing more thrilling for kids or more romantic for mom and dad. See the downtown from an entirely different perspective in one of the lighted carriages waiting for your family near Alamo Plaza and beyond. Clippity-clop along the historic streets of the city, see the Alamo in the moonlight and view the River Walk below from a bridge. By night, the city sparkles.
As the song says, “the lights are much brighter there, you can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares, so go downtown. Everything’s waiting for you.”
WRITERS BIO
Janis Turk is a travel writer, photographer and author who has penned guidebooks to San Antonio, Austin, all of Texas and New Orleans. See Turk’s travel photos and stories at TurkTravels.com
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VOYAGE INTO THE DEEP • MAY 8TH - SEPT 25TH
Explore the world below the waves! Based on the classic novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, “Voyage to the Deep” brings to life the deep-sea adventures of Captain Nemo, his Nautilus submarine and the mythical world he inhabited.
