15 Best Things To Do in San Antonio For Couples (2023)

The city of San Antonio unites seven of Texas’ Hispanic cultural landmarks, five Spanish missions — including the iconic Alamo — and beholds a global treasure, the River Walk. That’s ample reason why it’s among the most visited cities in the country, yet there’s more than meets the eye. Things To Do in San Antonio For Couples

It’s the type of location where you can browse through lavender fields or circle the loop on some rollercoasters; study about the Old West or investigate strange facts; stroll through centuries of building or float peacefully down a gorgeous natural river.

Whether you’re searching for a historical road trip or even some adventure with Spanish or European flavor, San Antonio is filled with intriguing activities and sights to explore. It has brilliant colors, wonderful cuisine, subtropical temperature and a whole lot of variety — and we’re here to run down all of the exciting things to do where Texas’ legacy unfolds.

So, what are you waiting for? If you’re seeking for entertaining things to do in San Antonio, look no further. This time to start thinking about your San Antonio trip!

Table of Contents

15 Best Things To Do in San Antonio For Couples

1. The Alamo

The Alamo is a historic Spanish mission & fortress compound established in the 18th century by Roman Catholic missionaries now known as San Antonio, Texas, United States. It was the location of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, a major episode of the Texas Revolution wherein American folk heroes James Bowie & Davy Crockett died. Today it is a museum inside the Alamo Plaza Historic District or a component of the San Antonio Missions World Heritage Site. Originally called the Misión San Antonio de Valero, it was among the early Spanish missions in Texas, founded for the instruction of indigenous American Indians after their conversion to Christianity.

This mission was secularized in 1793 and eventually abandoned. Ten years later, it became a stronghold housing the Second Flying Company de San Carlos de Parras military unit, who undoubtedly gave the mission the name Alamo. During the Texas Revolution, Mexican General Martin Perfecto de Cos abandoned the fort to the Texian Army in December 1835, concluding the Siege of Béxar. A relatively small group of Texian soldiers then held the complex for several months. The defenders were wiped out during the Battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836.

Address: 300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 225-1391
Built: 1718
Area: 5 acres
Year: 1836 thealamo.org
NRHP Reference Number: 66000808
Added to NRHP: October 15, 1966

2. San Antonio River Walk

The San Antonio River Walk is a city park and special-case pedestrian path in San Antonio, Texas, one level below from the automotive street. The River Walk winds and loops under bridges as two parallel sidewalks lined to restaurants and shops, connecting the major tourist draws including the Shops at Rivercenter, the Arneson River Theatre, Marriage Island, La Villita, HemisFair Park, the Tower Life Building, the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Pearl,

or the city’s five Spanish colonial missions, which have been named a World Heritage Site, which includes the Alamo. During the annual springtime Fiesta San Antonio, this River Parade displays floral floats that float down the river. The region within the ring of the River Walk is the center of the original 1700s Valle del Bejar outpost, which would later become the City of San Antonio.

Address: 849 E Commerce St, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 227-4262
Length: 15 miles long

3. San Antonio Zoo

The San Antonio Zoo is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoo in Midtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is located in the city’s Brackenridge Park. San Antonio Zoo is a 50+ acre zoo home from over 750 species, some of which are endangered or extinct in the wild, with an annual attendance of more than 1 million.

It also operates non-animal attractions, like the 2 ft narrow gauge San Antonio Zoo Eagle train ride, which initially opened in 1956 and features three Chance Rides C.P. Huntington engines. The Richard Friedrich Aquarium was opened in 1948. It was the sole aquarium in the city until SeaWorld San Antonio was established in 1988.

Located in: Brackenridge Park
Address: 3903 N St Mary’s St, San Antonio, TX 78212
Phone: (210) 734-7184
Notable animals: Boo (Asian elephant), Nicole (Asian elephant), Karen (Asian elephant), Lucky (Asian elephant)
Exhibits: Lory Landing, Kronkosky’s Tiny Tot Nature Spot, MORE
Area: 35 acres
Opened: May 13, 1914

4. San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is indeed a National Historical Park and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site protecting four of the five Spanish frontier missions in San Antonio, Texas, USA. These outposts were created by Catholic religious organizations to propagate Christianity among the local people. These missions constituted part of a colonial system that spanned over the Spanish Southwest in the 17th, 18th, & 19th centuries. In geographic order from north to south the missions were Mission Concepción, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan, & Mission Espada.

The Espada Aqueduct, likewise part of the Park, located due east of Mission San Juan, from across river. The fifth mission in San Antonio, the Alamo, is indeed not part of the Park. It is located upstream from Mission Concepción, in downtown San Antonio, but is owned by the State of Texas. The Alamo was administered by the Daughters of the Texas until July 2015, after custodianship was turned to the Texas General Land Office. By July 5, 2015, the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, together with the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, was awarded a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Address: 6701 San Jose Dr, San Antonio, TX 78214
Phone: (210) 534-8875
Established: April 1, 1983
Area: 1.481 mi²
Management: National Park Service
Added to NRHP: November 10, 1978

5. Six Flags Fiesta Texas

Six Flags Fiesta Texas, originally known simply as Fiesta Texas, is indeed a theme park located in Northwest San Antonio. It debuted on March 14, 1992, in the La Cantera master-planned development & district as the first company in that development. Spanning 200 acres, the park was originally planned to become a tourist musical entertainment park with its concentration on the musical culture of the state of Texas. The park was bought by Time Warner in 1995, and marketed as a Six Flags park for the 1996 season.

The park’s centerpiece is the Scream drop tower attraction which rises 205 feet tall and can be seen from all over the park as well as outside the property. The brilliant colors of the ride together with the Fiesta Texas banner make it apparent to tourists entering from the crossroads of Loop 1604 and Interstate 10. A major chunk of the park is concealed within the quarry, but, numerous other attractions, including portions of the majority of park’s roller coasters is visible from outside the park.

Address: 17000 W I-10, San Antonio, TX 78257
Phone: (210) 697-5050
Opened: March 14, 1992
Owner: Six Flags
Area: 220 acres
Water rides: 16

6. Seaworld San Antonio

SeaWorld San Antonio is a 250-acre marine mammal park, oceanarium & animal theme campground inside the Westover Hills District of San Antonio, Texas, just on city’s west side. It’s the largest of the three parks in the SeaWorld franchise owned and operated as SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment and is one of world’s largest marine-life theme parks focusing on conservation, education and animal rescue. It is a member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The park offers a variety of marine species, including dolphins, sea lions, & killer whales, as well as other creatures including flamingos, pelicans and alligators. The park features a number of activities and entertainment, including live animal displays, rides, and educational exhibits. Some of the primary attractions are the killer whale performance, “One Ocean”, and the sea lion and otter display, “Clyde & Seamore’s Sea Lion High.”

Address: 10500 SeaWorld Dr, San Antonio, TX 78251
Phone: (210) 520-4732
Notable animals: Unna, Fathom, Neelee, Sakari, Capri, Punta, Juliet, MORE
Opened: 1988
Exhibits: Explorer’s Reef, Pacific Point Preserve, MORE
Area: 250 acres
Elevation: 978′

7. Natural Bridge Caverns

The Natural Bridge Caves are the largest known commercial caverns in the U.S. state of Texas. The name is taken from the 60 foot natural limestone slab bridge that spans the amphitheater settings of the cavern’s entrance. The span was left dangling as a sinkhole collapsed below it. The caves are located near the city of San Antonio, Texas in the Texas Hill Country close to the Natural Bridge Animal Ranch, a drive-through wildlife safari attraction. The caves exhibit various unique speleothems and other geological structures.

The temperature within the cave is 21 degrees Celsius year-round or the humidity rate is a steady 99 percent. The deepest portion of the public tour is 180 feet below the surface, however unexplored areas of the cavern reach depths of 230 feet. The caves are still slowly growing. Due to the porosity of the limestone, rainfall goes downhill through the layers of rock, where it dissolves away calcite, a weak mineral that composes all of the speleothems at Natural Bridge Caverns.

Address: 26495 Natural Bridge Caverns Rd, San Antonio, TX 78266
Phone: (210) 651-6101
Established: July 3, 1964

8. San Fernando Cathedral

San Fernando Cathedral also named the Basilica our Our Lady of Candelaria and Guadalupe is a cathedral of a Catholic Church located in downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States, overlooking the city’s Main Plaza.

It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of San Antonio as well as the seat of its archbishop. Its dome serves as the city of Antonio’s geographical and cultural hub. The cathedral is also known as the Church of Nuestra Señora en las Candelaria y Guadalupe and is listed here on National Register of Historic Places. It is renowned as one of the oldest cathedrals in the United States.

Located in: Plaza de Las Islas Canarias
Address: 115 Main Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 227-1297
Burials: James Bowie
Architect: Francois P. Giraud
Opened: 1750

9. La Villita Historic Village

La Villita Historic Arts Village is an art neighborhood in downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. There are art galleries, boutiques offering souvenirs, presents, handcrafted jewelry, ceramics, and imported Mexican artistic, as well as various eateries in the neighborhood. La Villita links to the San Antonio River Walk and its outdoor stage, the Arneson River Theatre. It is close to the Alamo, the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, Rivercenter Mall, & HemisFair Park. It is within walking distance among most downtown hotels.

Located on the south bank of the San Antonio River, La Villita was among San Antonio’s earliest communities. In 1939, as ground commenced on the San Antonio River Walk development, municipal authorities led by Mayor Maury Maverick sought to preserve this element of San Antonio’s heritage. It was a Native American hamlet and subsequently a group of crude brush huts, called jacales, for the Spanish troops stationed near at the Mission San Antonio del Valero. After a flood in 1819 washed away most of the huts, more sturdy adobe buildings replaced them.

Address: 418 Villita St, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 207-8614

10. Morgan’s Wonderland

Temporarily closed

Morgan’s Wonderland is indeed an accessibility-focused theme park in San Antonio, Texas built in 2010. The park was constructed by Gordon Hartman, a former homebuilder in San Antonio. Morgan’s Wonderland has had over a net million guests since its launch in 2010.

The park has numerous attractions including coasters, playgrounds, gardens, an catch-and-release fishing lake, a special-event center, a 575-seat amphitheater. The park’s focus on accessibility makes it free for handicapped folks to attend the park.

11. Historic Market Square

Market Square is a three-block outdoor plaza surrounded with stores, and restaurants in downtown San Antonio, Texas. Market Square is indeed the largest Mexican market in the United States. The “El Mercado” part features 32 speciality stores while the “Farmer’s Market Plaza” area has 80. “Mi Tierra Cafe Y Panaderia” and “La Margarita Mexican Restaurant and or Oyster Bar” are the principal eateries, while snack and speciality dishes are available at other stores. Market Square is the venue of Cinco de Mayo in downtown San Antonio and many other fiestas throughout the year.

The “El Mercado” structure was created as a Works Progress Administration project between 1938-1939 when the former municipal market house was knocked down. The new facility was initially dubbed the “Municipal Truck Market”, but residents generally termed it the “Farmer’s Market”, as farmers sold their food straight from their trucks inside the open air edifice. In 1975, the final product was sold there, and the market building began remodeling to transform it into an enclosed air-conditioned mercado.

Address: 514 W Commerce St, San Antonio, TX 78207
Phone: (210) 207-8600

12. The Shops at La Cantera

The Shops at La Cantera is an open-air regional retail mall located in La Cantera, San Antonio, between the Texas State Highway Loop 1604 & Interstate 10 intersection, on the city’s Northwest Side. The initial phase of the project opened on September 16, 2005.

The 1,300,000-square-foot complex stands on a 150-acre location in La Cantera, an 1,700-acre master-planned resort development created by USAA Real Estate Company. La Cantera is also home to Six Flags Fiesta Texas, La Cantera Hotel & Spa and two world-class golf courses, Royal Palmer Course at La Cantera and the Resort Course, which was host to the PGA Valero Texas Open. The anchor stores include Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Macy’s, Barnes & Noble, and H&M.

Address: 15900 La Cantera Pkwy Suite 6698, San Antonio, TX 78256
Phone: (210) 582-6255
Owner: Brookfield Properties
Number of stores and services: 194
Number of anchor tenants: 6

13. San Pedro Springs Park

San Pedro Springs Park is situated in the Bexar County city of Antonio in the U.S. state of Texas. Surrounding the source of a springs, the 46-acre park is the oldest in the state of Texas. It is the location of a Payaya Indian settlement known as Yanaguana, and is the original site of a city of San Antonio.

The park is sometimes known as San Pedro Park. The park was named a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1965. It was listed to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Bexar County, Texas on November 1, 1979. Although it is sometimes believed that it is the second oldest municipal park in the United States after Boston Common, it is at most the tenth oldest following Plaza de la Constitución in San Augustine, Florida among others.

Address: 2200 N Flores, San Antonio, TX 78212
Departments: McFarlin Tennis Center
Phone: (210) 732-5992
Area: 40 acres

14. Mission Concepción

Franciscan Friars established Missionary Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña in 1711 named Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de los Hainais in East Texas. The mission was part of the Domingo Ramón-St. Denis expedition and was initially designed to be a base for converting the Hasinai to Catholicism & teaching them everything they needed to know to become Spanish citizens. The friars transferred the mission in 1731 to San Antonio. After its relocation majority of the inhabitants in the mission were Pajalats who spoke a Coahuiltecan language. Catholic Mass is still celebrated at the mission every Sunday.

On October 28, 1835, Mexican forces under Colonel Domingo de Ugartechea and Texian revolutionaries commanded by James Bowie & James Fannin fought the Battle of Concepción here. Historian J.R. Edmondson described the 30-minute fight as “the first significant conflict of the Texas Revolution.” Mission Concepción is indeed the oldest unrestored stone church in America. it was declared a National Historic Landmark of April 15, 1970 and is part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

Address: 807 Mission Rd, San Antonio, TX 78210
Phone: (210) 534-1540
Opened: 1731
Architectural style: Spanish Colonial architecture
Area: 11 acres
Affiliation: Roman Catholic

15. Texas Transportation Museum

The Texas Transportation Museum is indeed a transportation museum situated in San Antonio, Texas. It was built in 1964 to assist preserve artifacts and knowledge about San Antonio’s transportation heritage. TTM runs as much of its collection as possible, including many railroad locomotives on its own heritage line, the Longhorn and Western Railroad, various model train layouts, and many antique automobiles. TTM’s mission is to deliver an informative and engaging experience which analyzes how innovations in transportation technology affected and continue to impact daily life.

The museum was previously housed at the Pearl Brewery in Downtown San Antonio and had used the lines of the Texas Transportation Company. In 1967 the museum was granted use of around forty acres of what was known as the Northeast Preserve, now McAllister Park, immediately north of the San Antonio International Airport on Wetmore Road. The museum organizes three major events annually, an Easter egg search in April for Easter, “Spook-Track-Ula” on October for Halloween, & “Santa’s Railroad Wonderland” in December for Christmas.

Address: 11731 Wetmore Rd, San Antonio, TX 78247
Phone: (210) 490-3554
Founded: 1964