What could be better on a hot summer’s day in Texas than taking the kids to a water park and then exploring an amusement park? This combination can be found perfectly at SeaWorld & Aquatica San Antonio. Having previously explored SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego, we were excited to see what we could experience here.
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SeaWorld and Aquatica San Antonio (Texas)
SeaWorld San Antonio and the adjacent Aquatica water park together form one of the largest leisure and adventure centers in the south of the USA. SeaWorld San Antonio, which opened in 1988 and is the largest marine theme park in the world with an area of around 100 hectares, combines animal encounters, spectacular roller coasters and educational shows that fascinate visitors of all ages. Right next door, Aquatica San Antonio – in operation since 2012 – offers tropical vacation flair with over 50 water attractions, including action-packed slides, a wave pool and lots of child-friendly play areas.
Together, the two parks provide a perfect combination of thrills, water fun, animal experiences and nature-based learning – ideal for an unforgettable family day out in the Texan summer 🌞
Opening hours, admission & parking
In contrast to the SeaWorld theme parks in Orlando, the opening times of SeaWorld and the Aquatica water park in San Antonio vary depending on the season. In the summer months, the park is open every day, but from August only from Thursday to Sunday. The same applies to the Aquatica. The official season starts here in March, often to coincide with the spring break, and ends towards the middle to end of October. In the transitional period, around March/April, Aquatica is usually only open at weekends, before opening daily in the hot summer months. Finally, from August, there will be a reduced weekend operation or a complete seasonal break. The same applies to the time. Here, too, there are seasonal differences for both parks.
Parking costs from 36 USD for the day, up-close parking spaces are around 45 USD and covered VIP options cost around 55-65 USD. You can find more information here.
There are also various options for admission prices. 1-day tickets cost from $50 per day for both parks with good online deals. We found a ticket for 2 days for $62. In any case, it is always worth visiting the official website.
Aquatica San Antonio
Things to know about the Aquatica San Antonio water park
Aquatica San Antonio is a tropically designed water park located right next to the SeaWorld park in San Antonio. Since its opening in May 2012, it has been one of the most significant additions to the leisure complex. Visitors will find a variety of attractions on an area of around 20 hectares – including fast water slides, a spacious wave pool with waves up to 1.5 meters high and a relaxing lazy river called Loggerhead Lane. Particularly noteworthy is Stingray Falls, a unique rafting attraction where visitors float through an underwater tunnel with real rays and colorful tropical fish. This experience is complemented by the Ke-Re Reef, an interactive animal encounter with feeding opportunities. For adrenaline lovers, there are also spectacular slides such as Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, Walhalla Wave and the colorful double run Riptide Race.
Aquatica is also ideally equipped for families with children: Interactive water playgrounds such as Walkabout Waters, the multi-storey Tikitapu Splash with slides, spray stations and water buckets as well as shallow pools for toddlers ensure a variety of bathing fun. Those who prefer a quieter pace can relax on the spacious sandy beaches or rent a private cabana. A special highlight is the Stingray Encounter, where visitors have the opportunity to pet and feed stingrays – a rare animal experience in a theme park.
Map of the Aquatica San Antonio
On the following map you can clearly see the size and the different areas of the Aquatica water park. This map can be downloaded here free of charge as a .pdf version.
A map of the Aquatica San Antonio
The different themed areas
We chose a lounger at Tikitapu Splash and explored the whole water park from there. However, our kids found the Tikitapu Splash almost the best, as it is particularly suitable for small children with lots of shallow areas. But of course we also enjoyed a refreshing dip in the wave pool at Big Surf Shores or a relaxing ride on the Lazy River Loggerhaid Lane.
Here are the individual areas of the water park and their attractions:
Our kids also loved the Stingray Encounter, where you could watch and even feed stingrays. Of course, there are also various restaurants in the park, such as the Waterstone Grill, Surfside Chicken Hut, Motu’s Pizzeria or “Papa’s Papas. Here you can find everything from burgers and wraps to pizzas, fries and desserts. By the way, we had an “All-Day-Dining-Pass” with which we could order meals and drinks every 90 minutes 🙂
In total, we were at Aquatica for almost 5 hours from 11 am to 4 pm.
SeaWorld San Antonio
Things to know about SeaWorld San Antonio
SeaWorld San Antonio is one of the largest marine parks in North America. The park covers more than 250 hectares and offers an impressive combination of thrilling roller coasters, water attractions and fascinating animal shows. Visitors can experience spectacular shows here, while at the same time a variety of aquariums with sharks, rays and penguins present the marine world close enough to touch. The park attaches great importance to nature conservation and education. Special programs and events inform guests about the importance of protecting the oceans and their inhabitants.
Welcome to SeaWorld San Antonio
Map of SeaWorld San Antonio
On the following map you can see the size and the different areas of SeaWorld San Antonio. This map can be downloaded here free of charge as a .pdf version.
Map of SeaWorld San Antonio
Our tour through the park
As we were in the Aquatica water park until 4pm, we unfortunately didn’t have much time to explore the whole of SeaWorld Park. The kids are simply too exhausted after such a long day in the water 😉
So we concentrated on a quick tour of the park and tried to take in as many attractions as possible. Of course, what immediately stands out in such an amusement park are the huge roller coasters and wild water rides. There are 10 of them in the leisure park. Highlights include the Steel Eel roller coaster, The Great White (an inverted coaster with five inversions) and Texas Stingray, the fastest and longest wooden roller coaster in Texas. In the water area, Catapult Falls, the world’s first white water ride with a horizontal launch and vertical elevator, is particularly exciting. The whole experience is complemented by Journey to Atlantis, a family-friendly water ride with reverse elements.
Good to know: SeaWorld has been committed to the rescue and rehabilitation of animals for more than 50 years. From habitat protection and supporting ocean health initiatives to numerous rescue and rehabilitation efforts, SeaWorld is part of conservation projects around the world. In that time, SeaWorld’s rescue teams have helped more than 40,000 sick, injured and orphaned animals in need and given them a second chance at life. In doing so, they are on duty around the clock, 365 days a year, working with various agencies to rescue and help animals.
We also liked the Sesame Street Party Parade.
Pacific Point, where you can feed the seals, was a nice end to the tour. Our kids really enjoyed it. We ended up using our All-Day-Dining-Pass to get a delicious pizza and were back at our accommodation by 8pm.
Round trip through Texas - Our travel route & reports
We did a lot of research for our round trip through Texas and in the end we probably put together a "typical" round trip where you explore the best-known cities and regions. We started our trip in Dallas and Fort Worth, then went on to the capital Austin, then to Fredericksburg and San Antonio, from there to the Gulf Coast to Galveston and finally we visited Houston. All in all, a really beautiful and varied route that you can do very well in 3 weeks with 2 small children 🙂
Our itinerary & travel reports:
➥ Dallas - Sights, Attractions & Photo Spots
➥ Fort Worth - Cowboy feeling in the Wild West
➥ Fossil Rim Wildlife Center - A safari in Texas by car
➥ Austin - Sights of the Capital of Texas
➥ Fredericksburg - The most German city in Texas
➥ San Antonio - Top 10 attractions: River Walk, Alamo & more
➥ San Antonio - SeaWorld & Aquatica Water Park
➥ San Antonio - Mission (UNESCO World Heritage)
➥ Galveston Island - relaxing on the Gulf Coast
➥ Houston - Our highlights and activities
➥ Houston Space Center - Dive into the world of space travel