When it comes to escaping the sun, there aren’t many places in Texas you can run from it without staying inside. However, nestled in the middle of central San Antonio – where all the madness of Broadway construction remains – you’ll find peace and shade at Brackenridge Park.
As one of the city’s most beloved and historic sites, the 343-acre park at 3700 N St. Mary’s St., San Antonio, TX 78212, offers some of the best relief from the sun thanks to heavily wooded areas and tall trimmed trees, which are going through their own controversy that I’ll later get into. Whether you want to fish, picnic, birdwatch, or hike, Brackenridge Park has something for everybody.
The train at Brackenridge Park is also something every San Antonian and tourist must do.
Priscilla Aguirre, MySA.comThe trails and fun
The park is home to a stretch of the San Antonio River, the Japanese Tea Garden, Sunken Garden Theater, the San Antonio Zoo, Lambert Beach, and Tony “Skipper” Martinez ball fields. It’s a place every local should visit and almost all tourists should know about when in the city.
During my visit, I trekked down the Wilderness Loop around 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 6. Yes, I know to hike early in Texas but it was a late morning for me and I still wanted to get a hike in. While I was nervous about walking in nearly triple-digit weather, the trees on the short but cute 0.7-mile trail offered plenty of protection from the horrible Texas heat.
As I walked around the park, my heart melted with happiness when I saw families fishing in the river, practicing softball, barbecuing burgers on the grill, and enjoying the lovely park. Local Jesus Carrasco told me he and his family were trying to catch some bass as they have before at the park. He said they decided to head to the park to get some sun and peace.
The other trails to check out at Brackenridge are the Waterworks Loop (0.7), South Mulberry Trail (0.4), and the Wildlife Loop (1.0). On the Wildlife Loop, you’ll of course spot the well-known egrets that have taken over the park. For a full map of the trails, click here. If you don’t want to hike or picnic, there are plenty of places around the area you can partake in like the Witte Museum and or the Brackenridge Golf Course, which is the original home of the First Texas Open. Or, ride the Brackenridge train.
An egret taking flight at Brackenridge Park.
Camille SauersThe history of the park
According to the Brackenridge Park Conservancy, the park is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Texas State Antiquities Landmark. The Japanese Tea Garden and the Water Works Pump House No. 1 are also individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Brackenridge Park is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Texas State Antiquities Landmark.
Khainon AdamsFrom the conservancy’s website, the park is named after local philanthropist George W. Brackenridge. He was the owner of the San Antonio Water Works and deeded the original 199 acres to the park on the Eastside of the San Antonio River to the city.
Before Brackenridge, Native Americans and Spanish explorers camped in the area many years ago. The park’s history began thousands of years during the pre-historic and early historic eras which progressed to the Spanish Colonial exploration and settlement, and continued through the years of the Republic of Texas, early statehood, and the Civil War, according to the conservancy.
Today, with only a few exceptions, Brackenridge Park remains remarkably unchanged since the 1940s, which is why many are worried about the park’s future plans.
The Wilderness Loop is short at 0.7 miles but worth the walk thanks to the shady trees.
Priscilla Aguirre, MySA.comThe tree removal concerns
As part of the Brackenridge Park 2017-2022 bond project, the City of San Antonio hopes and plans to remove more than 100 native trees to repair and restore some of the historical features at Brackenridge Park. Those include the Lambert Beach River Walls, the Brackenridge Pumphouse that dates to the 1870s, and the upper labor diversion dam and upper labor acequia that date back to the 1700s.
The city wants to uncover the 1776 Upper Labor Dam, repair and return water flows through a 1700s mission acequia and 1800s raceway and expose arches at the base of an 1870s pump house.
In February, plans derailed for the city after the San Antonio Historic Design and Review Committee requested more information on why the trees must be cut down. In a most recent meeting on Tuesday, August 9, the city committed to cutting down fewer established trees.
According to the San Antonio Express-News, the city increased the number of native trees to be preserved from 121 to 135. The city will hold another meeting to provide an update on the project at 6 p.m. on August 31 at the Witte Museum.
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