Brackenridge Park, San Antonio

The largest park in the city, Brackenridge sprawls across 433 acres shaded by majestic live oaks.

A popular picnic destination, the park is also home to the San Antonio Zoological Garden and Aquarium (3903 N. St. Mary's St., 210-734-7183), widely considered one of the best zoos in the nation. Housed in a former rock quarry, the exhibits here are tucked back beside limestone cliffs and fed by artesian springs. The zoo spans 25 acres and holds the distinction as the only zoo in the country to exhibit the endangered whooping crane.

The park is also home to a miniature railroad (3810 North St. Mary's Street, 210-736-9534) which runs 3.5 miles through the park. The train is a replica of an 1863 C. P. Huntington steam locomotive. Kids also love the carousel (3910 North St. Mary's Street, 210-734-5401).

Your best view of the park comes aboard the Skyride (3910 North St. Mary's Street, 210-299-8480). You can hop a ride on the bubble-shaped cars near the zoo entrance.

One of the park's most beautiful areas is the Japanese Tea Gardens (3800 North St. Mary's, 210-299-3000). San Antonio's semitropical climate encourages the lush flowers, climbing vines, and tall palms found inside this quiet, serene place. The ponds, with beautiful rock bridges and walkways, are home to numerous koi.

This limestone quarry was transformed into a garden in 1918, when fish ponds and a palm-thatched arbor were featured in the development. Later, a pagoda was added and a Japanese-American couple operated a tea room nearby. In World War II, public pressure forced the family to move, and the tea room was taken over by a Chinese family. The attraction was renamed the Chinese Tea Gardens. In recent years, descendants of that Japanese-American couple, along with the Japanese ambassador to the United States, were hosted as the gardens were officially renamed the Japanese Tea Gardens.

Also see: History of Brackenridge Park

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