When the coronavirus pandemic compelled everybody to remain indoors, many (together with myself) found a love for the outside and nature. Escaping the work-from-home life into trails and recreation actions at San Antonio parks helped maintain people secure from COVID-19 and inspired train.
Inexperienced areas and parks blossomed right into a paramount goal for the group, a lot in order that San Antonio voters accepted that $272 million of 2022’s $1.2 billion bond ought to go to parks.
Utilizing these funds, town’s parks and recreation division has been busy, with tasks similar to increasing the greenway path system and opening section certainly one of Civic Park at Hemisfair.
Because of the rising curiosity, we compiled a number of parks San Antonio loves.
Woodlawn Lake Park
Woodlawn Lake is taken into account certainly one of San Antonio’s city core neighborhoods, bringing collectively the group with its inexperienced house, native occasions, public pool and annual Fourth of July fireworks. The park dates again to the Eighties when builders needed to construct a residential subdivision and noticed the necessity and alternative for parkland on San Antonio’s West Facet.
Dubbed the “most interesting synthetic lake within the south,” the lake and surrounding land had been privately owned till 1918. After being deeded to town, the title modified to Woodlawn Lake, and lots of enhancements occurred on the 62-acre park within the subsequent 79 years.
In March 2023, town applied a brand new service, including kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding leases to the park on the weekends. The service can be out there at Elmendorf Lake.
Woodlawn Lake Park1103 Cincinnati Ave.
Brackenridge Park
Brackenridge Park serves – and continues to serve – generations of locals, providing a golf course, picnics, a miniature practice, entry to the San Antonio Zoo and the Japanese Tea Backyard, trails and fishing. The 349-acre park isn’t the biggest within the metropolis, however it’s one of many inexperienced areas residents struggle for the toughest.
Since 2022, residents have advocated preserving the park’s birds and bushes attributable to metropolis restoration and renovation plans. After a number of conferences, metropolis officers lowered the variety of bushes slated for elimination. Conversations proceed to happen concerning tasks to enhance the park.
Nevertheless, there’s one factor everybody agrees on – how a lot they love the park.
Brackenridge Park3700 N. St. Mary’s St.
Phil Hardberger Park
Bonnie Conner, a real-life Leslie Knope who helped protect almost 20,000 acres in parks, assisted in buying the land on Phil Hardberger Park. Landowners deliberate to promote the property to develop into subdivisions. Fortunately, it changed into an enormous city house for people and wildlife.
Named after former San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger, who labored with Conner and others to safe the land, the 330-acre nature park provides 7 1/2 miles of linked trails. It additionally options sustainability with decomposed granite and paved surfaces.
On the park, you’ll discover the Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge – a 150-foot broad bridge that connects one aspect of the park to the opposite and permits pedestrians and animals to cross above Wurzbach Parkway on the North Facet.
You may also catch spectacular views on the skywalk, which is 1,000 ft lengthy, 6 ft broad and elevated 18 ft off the bottom.
Phil Hardberger Park8400 NW Army Hwy.
Eisenhower Park
Eisenhower Park provides top-of-the-line views of San Antonio and the Texas Hill Nation, due to its 1,280-foot excessive statement tower. This park is primarily for hikers and cyclists; nevertheless, households can take the trek, benefit from the picnic tables or go to the playground.
The 420-acre park is understood for mountaineering, with greater than 6 miles of trails. The park now connects two main greenways, Leon Creek and Salado Creek. With the 2 greenways linking, cyclists can full roughly 40 miles altogether.
Even former Spurs favourite Manu Ginóbili accepted of the brand new bike path after displaying up on the path opening in October 2021.
Eisenhower Park19399 NW Army Hwy.
Confluence Park
Confluence Park is understood for its award-winning sustainable design, making a dwelling laboratory that broadens nature-goers’ understanding of South Texas ecotypes and the influence of city improvement on native watersheds.
The three.5-acre park, opened in 2018 within the Mission Attain space, grew to become the nation’s largest city environmental restoration venture, in line with the San Antonio River Basis. On the park, you may hike, bike or paddle.
Private and non-private applications additionally host particular occasions on the park, similar to pet yoga, out of doors films and festivals.
Confluence Park310 W. Mitchell St.
Pearsall Park
Pearsall Park is San Antonio’s largest park at 505 acres, providing a variety of facilities good for households. Former District 4 Councilman Rey Saldaña spearheaded the mission to remodel the previous landfill into the general public park it’s immediately.
People can benefit from the metropolis’s largest skate park, that includes ramps, rails and bowls appropriate for boarders of all ability ranges. Or, the splash pads, the huge playground (additionally the biggest within the metropolis) and an 18-hole disc golf course.
Along with the various amenities talked about, the park has a 1.5-acre, fenced-in canine park and meals and ice cream vans on the weekends. You may also work in your bodily wellness within the health zone, which features a 5K strolling/working monitor, a zipper line, pull-up bars, and a multi-use train machine.
Pearsall Park4838 Previous Pearsall Highway
