San Antonio is bursting with fresh new attractions for visitors of all ages, a dynamic art scene and one-of-a-kind chef-driven culinary experiences coupled with history and heritage around every corner. Come and experience the new energy and excitement that awaits you in San Antonio.
Meerkats Are Back!
After a 27-year hiatus, meerkats have returned to the San Antonio Zoo! Also known as Suricata suricatta, these beautiful animals come from the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa and belong to the playful mongoose family. Come see a lively family of five adorable meerkats living in a social group called a “mob.”
Discovery PLAYce
Discovery PLAYce is a whimsical and immersive interpretation of some of South Texas’ favorite play spaces for 0-5 years olds, including Polywog’s Pond, Hawk’s Rock, Possums Passage, Beetle’s Courtyard, and more! Crawlers, wobblers, and walkers will explore spaces designed with love and intention that foster nature fluency, support risky play, test boundaries, and build confidence in interacting with elements of nature that all contribute to vital learning skills. Entry to Discovery PLAYce is included with admission and free for San Antonio Zoo Members!
Catapult Falls Arrives Summer 2023
This year, SeaWorld & Aquatica San Antonio welcome Catapult Falls, the first launched flume coaster in the world complete with world’s steepest drop in a flume ride! Feel the thrill as you are launched at speeds of 30 feet per second as you make your way high above the park before free falling into the steepest drop!
The All-New Kata’s Kookaburra Cove At Aquatica San Antonio
Cool off at the All-New Kata’s Kookaburra Cove At Aquatica San Antonio, a 3,000-square-foot water playland, imagined and created exclusively for the pre-school crowd and their parents. Named after the Australian bird with a call that sounds like laughter, this quirky cove is perfect for guests with children who may be a bit on the small side to enjoy the larger thrills in other areas of the park.
KID FLASH™ Cosmic Coaster Coming Summer 2023
Opening this summer KID FLASH™ Cosmic Coaster will run two trains, on two parallel dueling tracks, simultaneously allowing guests to compete and race to the finish.
esix Gaming powered by Coca-Cola™ Has Arrived
Enjoy Six Flags Fiesta Texas’ state-of-the-art esports competitive gaming campus! Complete with the newest high-tech equipment and the industry’s biggest titles, get ready for an unmatched gaming experience!
In partnership with Spain’s El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, El Camino de San Antonio Missions is now open. El Camino de San Antonio Missions is a centralized hub for pilgrims seeking more information on the San Antonio Missions while supporting pilgrimages to the San Antonio Missions with resources for many different groups and people of all ages.
Adding yet another incredible walking tour option to their already impressive line-up, Mission Adventure Tours now offers a “History Through Art” walking tour that offers locals and visitors alike the opportunity to see and learn more about some of San Antonio’s greatest public art installations and historic sites, including San Pedro Culture Creek.
Lace up your walking shoes and book your tour today!
Looking for a new place to hear your favorite band under Texas’ stars at night? Head over to the new outdoor performance venue, the Espee, in the historic Sunset Station – the former train station at St. Paul Square which served as a central connection to multiple states such as California, Missouri or Louisiana!
Rosario’s Comida Mex has opened its new location on St. Mary’s Street. Stop by to enjoy the new rooftop terrace and bar, and a much larger restaurant space. Rosario’s food style combines traditional south-of-the-border dishes with authentic house specialties, all prepared with a contemporary twist.
Visitors to the Alamo can now get an in-depth look into an excavation unit and the history of how the Long Barrack has been used since 1724. Open now, the Alamo Archaeology exhibit is the third exhibit added to The Alamo grounds in the last 11 months, joining the outdoor Palisade and 18-Pounder exhibits as major additions to the visitor experience. These exhibits are free and do not require a timed-entry ticket.
Additionally, the brand-new Alamo Collections Center now welcomes visitors to explore it’s new facilities which houses the Phil Collins collection among the pieces available to view.
Hemisfair is becoming quite the scene for incredible restaurant options. Check out what new restaurants are joining an already robust lineup of culinary options.
Künstler Tap and Braut-haus
Künstler Brewing will soon have a second location at Hemisfair, in the historic 1883 Pereida House! This is the place to be for Künstler’s award-winning beers along with bratwurst and other German favorite dishes that include quick bites and to-go foods packaged for picnicking in the adjacent Yanaguana Garden.
Bombay Bicycle Club
Bombay Bicycle Club will also welcome second location later in the year with a menu that features globally inspired empanadas and famous burgers. Known for its laid-back atmosphere, margaritas and classic American menu, the restaurant and bar will open in the historic Espinoza House at Hemisfair’s Yanaguana Garden.
The Jerk Shack
Caribbean-inspired restaurant the Jerk Shack will open its third brick-and-mortar location in late 2023. Popular items from the original Jerk Shack, including Jamaican favorites braised oxtail and jerk chicken, will feature in the menu of the new spot. New to the mix will be an array of elevated, steakhouse-style items. The downtown location will also be the first Jerk Shack to include a full bar and cocktail program.
Kusch Faire
Coming in 2024, Kusch Faire, will bring bold Asian flavors to Hemisfair in the 19th century Kusch house.
Pearl will transform a nearly 130-year-old building that once housed brewery draft horses into a new live music venue. Stable Hall will seat about 1,000 concertgoers. The facility will showcase national touring artists as well as regional talent from Texas, Mexico and the Americana Music Triangle – encompassing the area between Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans – with an emphasis on local talent. The venue will feature a draped jewel-box stage, with floor and curved balcony seating, wooden floors, hand-painted murals and a restored wood ceiling, as well as state-of-the-art acoustics and lighting. Bars and pre-function areas will surround the performance hall. Be sure to check this out coming Spring 2023.
Hemisfair is excited to open Phase I of Civic Park in the fall of 2023. Looking to be San Antonio’s take on Central Park, Phase I of Civic Park will include five acres of public parkland, shaded areas perfect for San Antonio’s brilliant, sunny weather, a five-pooled water feature, and a great lawn area accommodating of San Antonio’s larger events!
Allora
A stylish, full-service coastal Italian restaurant designed to take diners on a journey through the romantic Amalfi Coast, this restaurant creates Italian reverie with colorfully transportive gathering spaces, one of the city’s largest alfresco dining loggias, and a modern Italian menu crafted by Chef Robbie Nowlin. The menu features small and large plates, including fresh seafood, housemade pasta, plus savory vegetables and meats. A full-service bar offers craft cocktails, spritzers, and Italian wines.
Arrosta
Arrosta is a fast-casual cafe, or tavola, bringing the flavors of Italian street markets to Pearl in San Antonio. The restaurant delivers a bohemian cafe experience, featuring elevated counter service and glass cases filled with baked goods and casual takeaway meals. Patrons can linger over work projects in cozy banquettes or retreat to the lush patio garden for relaxing breaks. Chef Christopher Carlson of Maverick Texas Brasserie delivers a menu of rotisserie meats sold by the pound in bowls, salads, and sandwiches, as well as salumi e formaggi, panini and fritti misto. An all-day bar transitions from coffee drinks in the morning to Italian wines and beers at night.
Three Star Bar
Just a short distance from Pearl is Three Star Bar, a craft cocktail and comfort food bar by cocktail enthusiast and Boulevardier Group Owner Jeret Peña, Chef Josh Calderon and General Manager Rob Gourlay. The bar is located just north of downtown San Antonio near the Pearl district and offers a full bar with handcrafted cocktails and selection of beer and wines. The food menu will offer appetizers such as whiskey and maple glazed meatballs, deviled eggs, burrata, and borracho bean hummus, while the main entrees include a variety of fresh sandwiches filled with cured meats, meatballs, fried mortadella and more, as well as a selection of homemade burgers.
Scarlett Hotel Group and Trailbreak Partners have purchased the former Wyndham San Antonio River Walk and plan a $50 million overhaul will turn the 21-story building into a luxury, full-service, four-star, 390-room InterContinental Hotel. As part of the multimillion-dollar upgrades, the new InterContinental will offer 40,000 square feet of meeting space and nearly 3,000 square feet of dining and restaurant space, as well as luxury rooftop amenities.
The San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, working with GO Rio River Cruises, has launched twice monthly African American history tours focused on San Antonio’s city center. The tours, on the second Sunday and fourth Saturday of each month, will be limited to 30 people per cruise in observance of social distancing. Private group tours also are available. Tickets are available online or at SAAACAM’s location at La Villita.
Morgan’s Wonderland Sports is a 3-acre ultra-accessible™ sports complex, offering fitness and fun for athletes of all abilities. The new $3 million facility in north-central San Antonio provides a home for adaptive and Paralympic-style sports programs for wounded service members and veterans, alongside youth and adults with different abilities. Morgan’s Wonderland Sports is available for private events and features a covered pavilion, tennis courts, football and softball fields and LED field lights to assist guests with visual impairments.
The Land Bridge is the first in the world designed for the safe passage of both wildlife and people. At 150-feet long and 150-feet wide, it is the largest wildlife crossing constructed to date in the United States. Built across the busy lanes of Wurzbach Parkway, the Land Bridge unifies the previously divided 330-acre Hardberger Park located in north central San Antonio. Pedestrians and animals traversing the Land Bridge have the experience of climbing a peaceful hill, unaware of the roadway below. Amenities such as wildlife viewing blinds designed by local artists and a Skywalk that gently climbs through the treetops leading to the bridge offer park visitors unique new ways to connect with nature.