Brackenridge Park

It's one of my childhood favorites and still today! Great place to take a walk, have a picnic, or just cruise by and check out the classic cars on Sundays.
They have a playground, softball fields, and the Japanese tea garden. Picturesque for certain. I miss the skyline, though. I was told by conservation society that the traffic will be allowed to drive thru the low water crossing for a short period, to celebrate the 125th anniversary.
That used to be the highlight of my visits to the park as a kid.

I stopped by Brackenridge Park on a Saturday late morning after some brunch at a nearby diner. The park is so huge that I actually didn't know where to park. I didn't really care at the time. I just wanted to park somewhere and do a little exploring of the great outdoors.

I drove down Broadway and then west on Mulberry hoping to find a parking lot. I knew the Japanese Tea Garden was in that direction, but I wanted to find a spot to just take a walk and absorb the beauty of nature.

I parked at what I thought was a designated lot for park tourists, but it was actually for Polo Field Golf Center. The lot is next to the Shop First Tee Golf, and I almost thought I wasn't allowed to park there. But since there weren't that many cars in the lot at the time, I figured I'd be okay just talking a quick walk around the park and be back before anybody noticed I wasn't a golfer.

Oh no, it definitely wasn't a quick walk, as I learned the hard way. There were a handful of trails to take that I'm sure if I got lost, I would have crossed the same path multiple times. There are paths that form an X at the heart of the park, and one of the paths leads to the Brackenridge Statue. However, I just wanted to take a single path trail without having to deal with that X, knowing I could be taking the wrong path.

Starting from the Polo Field Golf Center, I noticed a railroad, which I believe was for the San Antonio Zoo as I would later find on my hike towards the north. I didn't see a whole lot of anything besides trees, shrubbery, and grass, but I did say hi to a few ducks hiding underneath a picnic table. I also saw a couple of monuments, one that looked like a red/orange handbag, and another that looked like a symbol for a river. I believe those are supposed to be markers to tell you where and/or which trail you are on, but I didn't bother to look this up. All I cared about was not getting lost lol.

It's a pretty nice park overall. A great spot for exercise if not for the heat wave that had been plaguing San Antonio, and other parts of Texas for that matter, recently. As I was walking north, I saw across a bridge what looked like a mini amusement park. Turns out it was the San Antonio Zoo! I legit wasn't even planning on visiting the zoo, and I happened to stumble upon it while walking in the park! During my visit to the Japanese Tea Garden, I also stumbled upon the zoo while trying to explore the garden's grounds. Funny how I had no intention of going to the zoo, yet I spot it not once, but twice while visiting different parts of the park!

While many patrons were lining up to get into the park, I noticed a Starbucks just on the other side of the roundabout as well as a public restroom that is accessible to all, even those without admission to the zoo. And remember the railroad I mentioned at the beginning of the review? It ran by that building too. I think that spot marked the end of the train ride because I recalled seeing an EXIT ONLY sign and to direct customers to purchase train tickets at the train station.

After checking out the zoo, I walked back to my car and visited the Japanese Tea Garden, which was also nice to see. Free admission too! I also tried to check out the Sunken Garden theater, but the gate to the theater entrance was locked. I think at the time of my visit, there were graduates dressed in their caps and gowns, and they must have had their graduation ceremony there? If so, I hope they were able to cool off afterwards in this 100+ degree weather!

I wish I was able to explore more of the park, which has a couple other trails, some softball fields, and even a golf course! There are also several other golf courses nearby, so golfers living nearby will have plenty of options to choose from!

If I lived in San Antonio, I would certainly visit this park on a regular basis! I'm glad they were listed on www.visitsanantonio.com as a suggested place to visit, which is how I found out about this park in the first place. Since it was so close to the diner I was at earlier that day, it was convenient enough for me to stop by and get on with my day.

This is a park I used to go to a lot when I was a kid. There were many different trails that you can walk and enjoy nature. They would have maps around area so you knew where you were and couldn't get lost. Also, nice spots you can sit down and eat or relax if you like. You could even grill food there as many areas had grills you can use. It's a very common place I know people like to use for family gatherings and parties. Even had a random squirrel come to our table and was very close to us. It was obvious the squirrel was looking for food and thankfully left when we had nothing but was cool to see it up close.

However, they did have a good amount of the park blocked off for possibly cleaning or fixing something, so I couldn't exactly go to spots I wanted. There were places where trash really needed to get picked up too. Not everywhere but some parts which was a bit disappointing. The park does also have some homeless people staying in there, so be aware. Also if you come here, be aware of the animals. Some are used to people feeding them so it can be a lot for folks if you don't want an animal coming up to you (be safe).

Overall though the park was alright, but I do hope they open up parts of the park again in the future. Would come back maybe in the near future if I'm passing by.

Breckenridge Park in San Antonio is a very beautiful and well landscaped place that includes the San Antonio Zoo and a Miniature Train that will take you on a very long ride around the park. There is a lot to do with the Zoo being the main attraction, but there are the Japanese Sunken Gardens that are close by as well. Just a really nice place to visit to take in and visit. There are plenty of refreshment stands and restrooms throughout the park and Zoo grounds. There are places to just relax with your family, play games, and even have a BBQ!

I'm glad there is this green oasis in the heart of the city. I've known it for years and recently I've returned regularly for quiet walks on the woodsy trails.
It is reassuring to find some comfort in this natural area. It is not perfect, but that is the fault of some inconsiderate person who is blaring unwanted music that no one else wants to hear. Why? This is not the place for that type of annoyance. It's a sign of the world in which we live, where so many people do what they want and when they want, with no regard to others.
The park is generally well kept, although you can come across trash (litter) every time you go.
Having the San Antonio River running through the park is great. The egrets and their foul droppings... not great.

A really nice park if you would like to go think about life, walk around, take your dog for a walk, there's also the zoo by it and you can see the trading passing by through the park it's beautiful!

Walked this park with my best friend after we had dinner at Good Time Charlie's. Our walk was about an hour to and from - the scenery was beautiful. I loved the memorial that was displayed for Uvalde, prayers to everyone. We had a great walk. The weather was beautiful.

Beautiful place.
Family oriented, Exelent to have fun with friends and family, across the San Antonio zoo.

Went on a date and it was so nice! outside, music, food. took us a while to find somewhere on the floor without ants trying to attack us!! such a nice vibe to explore

Great park to visit with lost of activities. The Japanese Tea Garden was my favorite. It's free admission and breathtakingly beautiful, even when some of the plants suffered from the unfortunate Texas freeze. There is a fee to enter the zoo and there is a small amusement park for little kids near the entrance.

There are a couple of geo cache hidden in the park.

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