Brackenridge Park in San Antonio has 126 years of history and the bones of a world-class park.
The heavily wooded area near the headwaters of the San Antonio River north of downtown has seen human occupation for 12,000 years. In 1899, George Brackenridge donated 199 acres to the city.
Over the years the park has grown to 343 acres. The park now includes the zoo, Japanese Tea Garden, museum, and municipal golf course. Walking trails, pavilions, and picnic tables are tucked under the trees along the riverbank. The park’s scenic roads are worth a Sunday drive.
Lynn Osborne Bobbitt from the Brackenridge Park Conservancy recently led a tour of a historic section of the park near the zoo. The conservancy works to preserve, protect, and enhance the park. The walk was punctuated with stories about a bend in the river.
Near the Joske Pavilion, named for the downtown merchant, is an area of the river known as Lambert Beach. From 1915 to the 1940s this was a popular swimming hole. The stone bathhouse was built in 1878 as the first pumphouse for the predecessor of the city’s water system. Now, the water in the river is treated reclaimed water and is not recommended for swimming.
The northern section of the park was donated by Emma Koehler, the widow of the owner of Pearl Brewing. Annoyed by George Brackenridge’s requirement that alcohol not be permitted in his donation, Emma stipulated in her gift that beer be allowed. The zoo now covers much of what was Otto Koehler Park.
Just off of Hildebrand Avenue is one of Dionicio Rodriguez’s trabajo rústico masterpieces. Rodriguez built several concrete structures around town that mimic wood. The concrete footbridge over an old acequia (irrigation canal) is still beautiful.
Brackenridge Park in San Antonio is accessible from Hildebrand or Broadway avenues. There is no admission fee.
1,756th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere: Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.
This article appears in May 30 • 2025.
