Best Ways to Get Moving Outdoors with the Family in SATX

December 22, 2022
| 10:40 AM

As a new year is upon us, you may be trying to find ways to incorporate the whole family into more outdoor activities. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to get the whole fam-bam moving and grooving outdoors this year and for years to come. San Antonio is the second-largest city in Texas and offers plenty of parks, green spaces, and a plethora of outdoor activities. Below is a list of some of our favorite activities to do outdoors with the family.

Walk the Mission Trail

outdoors with the family at Mission Trail

📸: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

San Antonio is known to be the home of the Alamo, but there are four other Spanish missions that are just fantastic to look at. While the Alamo is the most famous, there are four other Spanish missions in San Antonio. These missions united Catholic missionaries and Native Americans against other Indigenous tribes and French explorers who wanted to control this region. The Missions Trail connects to all these historical sites and stretches from Mission Espada to the Alamo, and loosely follows the San Antonio River Walk. The whole trail is estimated to be in the mostly gentle (5% or less) grade category. There are plenty of benches and picnic tables along the route if you need a rest or a snack break. You can also use BCycle to make the trail go by a little faster.

Explore the Trail

Explore the River Walk

📸: The San Antonio River Walk Association

While it may seem touristy to do, when you actually walk and explore the River Walk, you may find yourself enjoying the beautiful green spaces, picturesque hotels, and the delightful smells coming from the restaurants that line up the River Walk. You can start your journey in the heart of the Rivercenter mall and work your way up to the Museum Reach area where the traffic on the walk is calmer. If you keep going past the Museum reach, you’ll end up at the Pearl, which is also a great area to walk around and enjoy the little local shops and such.

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Hike through Government Canyon

📸: Government Canyon Natural Area

Government Canyon Natural Area is a massive 12,244 acres of rugged hills and canyons right here in San Antonio. Government Canyon is a great place to take nature photos of the native plants, birds, and other critters walking around. There’s also a great playscape for the little kids and a discovery trail where they can use their free Junior Ranger Activity Journal. This is also home to real life dinosaur tracks that scientists think were left by Acrocanthosaurus and Sauroposeidon dinosaurs nearly 110 million years ago. This is a good option to get the whole family outdoors and away from the phones for a day or a weekend.

Take a Hike

Go on a Scavenger Hunt

📸: Let's Roam

Let’s Roam created an interactive way for tourists and locals to connect to the city that they’re in and San Antonio is one of those cities. Through their four different scavenger hunts, you can find hidden gems, bars, restaurants, and art that you may not have been able to find on your. Their art walk scavenger walk is a great way to get your family moving and discovering new and local art and artists. On this art walk, we’ll be canvassing all corners of San Antonio to discover the city’s most intriguing murals. They also have a Winning San Antonio scavenger hunt that gives you the opportunity to explore all the iconic landmarks and hidden gems around San Antonio.

Happy Hunting

Get out of your comfort zone at Natural Bridge Caverns

📸: Natural Bridge Caverns

Natural Bridge Caverns is located just outside San Antonio and is a really great way to get your young and old explorer spirit out. You can take a guided tour 180 ft below the surface of the earth and experience amazing underground chambers and formations. If your group isn’t into cavern tours, no worries! Natural Bridge Caverns also is home to the Twisted Trails, the World’s largest zip rails and ropes course. For the smaller ones, they have the Twisted Tykes, which is a lower ropes and zip rails course designed for small kids. They also have a designated place for the whole crew to pan for gems and fossils in a real working sluice at the Discovery Village Mining Company. You can also take on the challenge of the AMAZEn’ Ranch Roundup, a 5,000 square-foot outdoor maze. There’s a little something for the entire family!

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Curated by

Amanda Jauregui | Visit Profile >

Best Ways to Get Moving Outdoors with the Family in SATX

Walk the Mission Trail

📸: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Explore the River Walk

📸: The San Antonio River Walk Association