San Antonio Zoo

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San Antonio's first zoo consisted of a collection of animals assembled in San Pedro Park in the 1800s. In 1914, Colonel George W. Brackenridge, one of the city's leading citizens and founder of the San Antonio Express-News, placed buffalo, elk, deer, monkeys, a pair of lions, and four bears on land he had deeded over to the city in what is now known as Brackenridge Park.

This collection became the San Antonio Zoo. In November 1929, two of the first cageless exhibits in America--the Barless Bear Terraces and the Primate Paradise--opened, offering visitors unprecedented views of animals. When the Richard Friedrich Aquarium was dedicated in 1948, it was described in the local press as "the world's greatest." The Hixon Bird House, funded through the efforts of Colonel Frederick C. Hixon, opened in 1966, featuring a simulated tropical rain forest and free-flying birds. The Zoo's bird collection is now one of the world's largest.

Hixon understood well, as have the Zoo's many benefactors over the years, that great zoos are far more than collections of exotic animals; they are also centers for world-class research, education, and conservation. Much about the San Antonio Zoo has changed since Colonel Brackenridge assembled his collection of animals in 1914. For 90 years, the collective efforts of dedicated individuals have helped the San Antonio Zoo become one of the best in the nation with Africa Live, African Plains Amazonia, Butterflies! Caterpillar Flight School, Cranes of the World, Gibbon Forest, Hixon Bird House, Kronkosky's Tiny Tot Nature Spot, Lory Landing, Prarie Chickens, Prarie Dogs, Reptile House, Richard Friedrich Aquarium and Rift Valley.

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Marriott San Antonio Riverwalk
… mall and one block from the henry b
gonzalez convention center. Just three blocks from …
0.7 miles (1.1 km) from San Antonio Zoo
 

Riverwalk Vista
… in downtown san antonio, texas. The san antonio
river walk and the alamo are one …
1.1 miles (1.8 km) from San Antonio Zoo

Distances are calculated as the crow flies, and are provided as an aid in planning only.

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