Converse City Park

Location: 307 School St. Converse, TX 78109

Amenities: baseball, volleyball, playgrounds, walking trail, bathroom, pool, pavilion, bbq, sand box

Ground cover: wood chips, poured rubber, sand

This was our first visit to Converse City Park.  We definitely did not get to see it all!  This place is enormous, and loads of fun.  The highlight for my 2 year old was the "old school" playground, with plenty of swings and a stand-alone slide.  She had never seen one before and was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.  We tried out just about all of the playground equipment.  There are two playground areas, the "old school" one near the pavilion and a brand new one at the south end of the park.  If you prefer the newer playground, there is parking available from an entrance off of 78.  It was a bit of a trek between the playground areas, but definitely manageable (probably even more manageable if someone hadn't insisted on being carried).  It was overcast on our visit, but I imagine on a sunny day it could be pretty hot, as there's not much shade.  There are many trees, just not in a position to shade the playgrounds.  However, the toddler playscape is covered. 

 There are SIX bucket swings!  Several of them need some repair, but I was still pleased with how many they are.  Definitely didn't have to wait our turn!

 Sling swings, stand-alone metal slide, and monkey bars.  This area has wood chips.

Pretty sure this was her favorite part.  I don't often see these slides, which were so common in my childhood, so I'm glad my daughter could experience it.

As you can see, there are plenty of sling swings as well. 

 Here's the pavilion.  There are plenty of picnic tables both under the pavilion and throughout the park. 

 Near the swings is a small toddler playscape, with sand underneath.  There is an additional sandbox elsewhere in the park that I did not photograph.

 This is the second, newer, playground. I love these climbing rocks but could not convince my daughter to try them out.  Springy poured rubber underneath.  It's nice to have a break from wood chips (keeping them out of shoes...and mouths)!

 Here is the rest of the playground

 From all the angles

There is a walking trail through the woods that we did not explore. 

Woodland Oaks Park

Location: Grove Park, Schertz, TX 78154

Amenities: play structure, gazebo, swings, basketball, picnic tables

Ground cover: wood chips

We really enjoyed our visit to Woodland Oaks Park.  It was formerly a neighborhood park, but is now a Schertz park.  There is no parking lot, just street parking on Grove Park.  There's plenty of shade from the trees.  The play structure is small but fun for toddlers and preschoolers, and there is plenty of open space for running and kicking a soccer ball.  The only thing I didn't like about this park is that it is right off Woodland Oaks, which can get pretty busy.  Keep a close eye on kids that might run into the road after a ball.  There is also a basketball court, and sling swings as well as bucket swings. 

 Swings

 The basketball court

The Gazebo.  My daughter had lots of fun running in and out of it.

Schlather Park

Location: 174 Wiedner Rd, Cibolo, TX 78108

Amenities: play structure, paved walking trail, picnic areas, bbq, pavilion, bathrooms,

Ground cover: wood chips

We hadn't been to Schlather park in about a year, and this visit reminded me why.  No, it isn't just these signs:

Although last time I remember a "beware of snakes" sign in front of EVERY parking space.  From a distance I was worried every spot was handicapped parking.  Nope, just wanted to get the message of snakes across.  Message received.  The real issue with Schlather park for us is the playscape.  A year ago, my daughter was content to stay on the small section devoted to toddlers.  However, the majority of the playscape is geared toward older children.  Actually, all of the very best stuff relies on being able to climb a vertical ladder through a hole in the upper deck.  We are so not there yet.  So we had a very brief visit today.  Also, there is no shade, and many of the slides were pretty hot.  The park looks really great, it just isn't the right place for my 2 year old.  She mostly wandered up and down the stairs and across the bridge, insisting that she was having fun and did NOT want to go home.  If you have older children, you should definitely check it out.  I haven't actually been on the walking trail, but I have heard good things.  And the many picnic tables and bbq stands would make it a great place to host a gathering (especially if your kids are old enough to enjoy the playground!)

 Pavilion

 The playscape.  Looks fun, doesn't it?

 The toddler section.  I'm going to tag this as toddler and preschool friendly, but really only because of this part.

 Big slide, which requires going up the ladder

 For the more adventurous...

Here is the ladder that leads to basically ALL of the slides.

 Rings and pull up bars.  (I don't remember those houses being there last year!)

 Monkey bars and another big slide

 Sling swings, but no bucket swings

 Here is some of the walking trail

1518 Park

Location: FM 1518 about a mile south of 35 (it does not have a street address) in Selma

Amenities: swings, two play structures, covered picnic tables

Ground cover: wood chips

This little park may not have a lot of amenities (like, a bathroom...don't take your potty training ones here!) but it is a lot of fun.  Both of the play structures were fun for my 2 year old, and the larger structure would appeal to older children too.  There's no shade (except over the picnic tables) so bring the sunscreen!

Both sling swings and bucket swings

Two picnic tables with a bit of shade

 Here's the smaller structure

 From another side

And another side

 And here is the larger structure.  Those monkey bars are even high enough for an adult to use!

There is a smaller, red, double slide on the other side, and some very challenging climbing equipment that I am not even sure what to call. 

San Antonio Zoo

 

Location: 3903 N St Mary's St, San Antonio, TX 78212

Amenities: animal exhibits, children's area, carousel, restaurants, train, gift shops

Hours: 9:00-5:00 every day (even holidays!), you can stay in the zoo until 6:00.

Admission: adults $12, children (3-11) $9.50, children 2 and under free (additional discounts available for military, senior citizens, handicapped); memberships available starting at $80.

If I'm being totally honest here, this is not the best zoo I've ever been to.  However, my two year old LOVES it, and I'm glad that we at least have a zoo to go to.  I also really love the free parking! Now that I'm not used to.  There are quite a few animals that we were accustomed to seeing on our zoo trips before moving to San Antonio that just are not in this zoo (giraffes, polar bears, gorillas, chimps, orangutans).  However, there are tons of monkeys, and what more could a toddler really want?  The children's area is also fantastic.   But I'm pretty sure the highlight of our trips is the carousel (she's a bit carousel obsessed).  While I was a bit disappointed on our first trip, I quickly realized that any zoo is better than no zoo, and a membership is definitely worth it.  I also think the area where you can brush goats and pigs is pretty fun, but we don't always go to that part because some days you just don't feel like walking in goat poop (and then hoping everyone's hands are thoroughly cleaned).  So I don't have pictures of that area. A few things to note: you can't bring in food except water and formula/snacks for little ones, and if you decide to get a membership after you've already been, bring in your receipt and they will allow you to subtract what you already paid from your membership.

The train is actually outside of the zoo entrance and is $3.50.  We still haven't ridden it due to someone having developed an inexplicable train phobia...

She seems to have gotten a bit scared of reptiles too so we didn't go in here (thank goodness! Last time she made us look at every snake). 

Mostly we looked at the monkeys.

 I didn't want to just show you pictures of monkeys though, so here you go.

The carousel is $2.50 a ticket.  Adults have to ride with children under 42 inches, but they do not need a ticket for that (this may be a new policy, the time before this they charged us both)

 This is the children's area.  It is very well done. All of the following pictures are from this part of the zoo.

This is a water play area.  There was a sign when we went in saying that it would not be open today (I'm assuming for water conservation)

 Magnetic fishing

 A water bed for those 2 and under

 Nice, cozy reading area, complete with books

 This is a tunnel that I could not get her to go in.  It offers a unique view of the prairie dog exhibit.

 A less scary tunnel

 Play area for babies

 Wonderful pretend play area

Pretend to be a vet.

 There are a few animals in the outside part of the Tot Spot

We definitely did not see all of the zoo that day.  Even though I mentioned it is not the best zoo I've seen, there are a lot of animals, and I don't think I'd be able to see everything in one visit.  The food is pretty good too.  The newest restaurant (by the carousel) has a much wider variety than your typical zoo fare.  However, last time I ate there it was ridiculously crowded, and the prices are higher than elsewhere.