Considering I grew up in San Antonio and have lived here for most of my life, I am always amazed at the things I have yet to discover about our beautiful city. The San Antonio Botanical Garden is little gem that I can’t believe I waited so long to explore.
We won a family membership to the Botanical Garden back in August through a silent auction at the UTSA Alumni Gala and just now finally got around to using it. We fell in love with the place instantly and knew it would be a great family outing to experience in all seasons (except maybe the oppressive summer!).
We spent about an hour and a half at the gardens, which was the perfect amount of time for a three year old and a baby before crankiness set in. If we were kid-free, we could have easily spent several hours exploring. The 38-acre garden is beautiful and expansive with plenty of room for kids to run and play. The birds and squirrels were fun to watch, and there are little treasures to be found all over the gardens in addition to the plants like beautiful statues, fountains, unique benches, huge oversized Adirondack chairs and more.
We visited during the Art with LEGO bricks exhibit, which was a hit with all of the kids we saw. The garden also hosts guided tours, bird walks, native plant walks, fun family events and an annual plant sale.
This was our first outing with Gabriella’s new camera, a Christmas gift to replace my old digital camera she dropped and broke a few months ago. I was looking for a basic camera without a viewfinder (because a three year old can’t really use one) for a decent price and this Vivitar fit the bill. It was pretty neat to see what Gabriella took pictures of. I can see us doing some photo scavenger hunts and making memory books with her photos, and I’m happy to share my hobby with my mini-me.
I love that the Botanical Garden has free, abundant parking and you can bring in snacks or even a picnic. It’s fully wheelchair/stroller accessible, although there are lots of stairs so babywearing would be much easier. And the best part is that family memberships are a steal compared to other local attractions at just $65 per year. We’re already planning another visit next weekend to see more of the grounds and check out the Carriage House Bistro for brunch.
And my absolute favorite part about the Botanical Garden? It’s a photographer’s playground! There were endless photo spots around every corner. I can’t wait to go back!
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