Parks & Open Spaces

Currently San Antonio is being presented with three potential plans to change the looks of Main Plaza, also called "Plaza de las Islas" in honor of the Canary Islanders who arrived in A.D. 1731. Mayor Phil Hardberger is proposing that the city make the square a friendlier, quieter, more useful public space.

I do not wish at this time to get into these proposed plans, other than to say I enthusiastically support aspects of the plans that would enhance the landscaping and appearance of this plaza, and I vigorously oppose the closing of any streets surrounding it.

What I do wish to do here is celebrate San Antonio's public parks and open spaces. My "top ten S.A. parks", not necessarily in order of preference, are:

1. Brackenridge Park. One of the oldest and largest, featuring the headwaters of the San Antonio River, the nationally-acclaimed San Antonio Zoo, a "miniature" train ride, a large undeveloped area, picnic shelters, playgrounds, and the adjacent Witte Museum and Japanese Gardens.

2. San Pedro Springs Park. This is not only the oldest S.A. park, but the second oldest public space in these United States, exceeded only by Boston Common; in addition to the springs, it has a swimming pool, picnic tables, tennis courts, a branch of the library and a playhouse.

3. Milam Park. On West Commerce between El Mercado and Santa Rosa Hospital, it sits on the location of the first cemetery, with a monumental statue of Texas Revolution hero Ben Milam, an old-fashioned bandstand or gazebo and playgrounds.

4. HemisFair Park (or Plaza). Between Alamo Street and IH-37, it's the former grounds of HemisFair 1968, S.A.'s World's Fair of that year; featuring a rustic playground, old and restored cottages, the Tower of the Americas and the Institute of Texan Cultures.

5. Mission Park(s). By this I refer to the riverside linear green space south of downtown, with bicycle and walking trails leading to the old Franciscan missions, and I include Padre Park and the other park stretching away from the river itself & containing athletic grounds and picnic facilities.

6. Rosedale Park. At Martin St. and Gen. McMullen on the Westside, it has shelters & playgrounds, and is site of the Tejano Conjunto Music Festival and other Chicano celebrations thru'out the year.

7. Guadalupe Plaza. Between Guadalupe and El Paso streets in the near Westside, it's not actually a plaza or a square, & with very little grassy area doesn't exactly fit one's concept of "park" either, yet it hosts many open-air events for the Westside.

8. Alamo Plaza. The remaining buildings (church and the "long barracks") of The Alamo edge this plaza, which has the Alamo Cenotaph at the north end and a bandstand or gazebo at the south end.

9. Main Plaza. It needs improvement on landscaping, lighting and other features to make it a more inviting space. But even now I enjoy going there.

10. Roosevelt Park. On Roosevelt Street near where it originates out of South St. Mary's St., it has a swimming pool and is near the San Antonio River.

Other parks I'm familiar with are Travis Park, Maverick Park (each of these two downtown spaces is a simple city block with trees and grass, walks and either a monument or a shelter), Northridge Park (within walking distance of my room), MacArthur Park (a small but inviting park with playground & picnic shelter, on Loop 410 Northeast), Olympia Park (across Basse Road from a laundromat I use frequently; after putting the clothes to wash I go across to swing or just enjoy the quiet, open ambience), Mahnke Park (stretching from Broadway across from Brackenridge Park uphill to the Botanical garden, the uphill half of it is ablaze with wildflowers in the Spring, if we've had sufficient rain), Olmos Basin Park (behind Olmos Dam built as flood control for the San Antonio River drainage, it has huge trees, picnic shelters, open picnic tables, athletic fields), Woodlawn Park (around Woodlawn Lake & site of a major Independence Day celebration), and Comanche Lookout Park (in far northeast S.A. it has the third-highest landform in the county, walking trails and a brand new & ecologically-friendly branch library).

And there are other popular parks, to which I've never been. A couple I'd really like to go to some day are: Comanche Park on the East Side, MacAllister Park on the North Central side, and Camargo Park in the southwest near Nelson Wolff Stadium (S.A. Missions baseball). Speaking of which, I ought to include such great open spaces as the baseball stadium just mentioned, and our two theme parks: Sea World and Six Flags Fiesta Texas. S.A. has well over 100 parks & similar open spaces in total!