Follow Ben Franklin’s advice: “A penny saved is a penny earned!”
With grocery and gas prices at an all-time high, FREE is something we can all get behind this summer. Here are my top five FREE things to do in San Antonio:
- Enjoy San Antonio’s City Pools
Is there anything better than cooling off in a swimming pool on a hot day? Jump in for FREE! - Visit San Antonio’s Public Libraries
San Antonio has 30 public libraries that encircle the city. Visit the library nearest you to obtain a library card. With that FREE card, the services the libraries provide to you are robust, and their events calendar is teeming with fun things to do and learn. Their frosty AC also provides a welcome respite from San Antonio’s blistering heat! From downloading ebooks to streaming movies to reading magazines to arts & crafts workshops, mySAPL has you covered. - Soak up San Antonio’s Art Museums
Find inspiration at San Antonio’s amazing museums of art.
San Antonio Museum of Art, FREE on Tuesday evenings from 4 to 7 and Sunday mornings from 10 until noon
McNay Art Museum, FREE on Thursday evenings from 4 to 9 and the First Sunday of every month from noon to 5
Briscoe Western Art Museum, FREE on the first Sunday of every month from 10 to 5
Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, FREE admission
Ruby City, FREE admission
Centro de Artes, FREE admission - Stroll through the Sunken Gardens (Japanese Tea Garden in Brackenridge Park)
This is seriously one of my favorite places in all of San Antonio. Commune with the koi and get your steps in! San Antonio has abundant green spaces, and most all are FREE. - Walk El Camino de San Antonio Missions
San Antonio has the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas, and one of only 26 in the entire United States. If you haven’t explored our beautiful Spanish colonial missions along the San Antonio River, BE ABOUT IT! Admission is FREE.
What are your favorite FREE things to do in San Antonio? Please add yours to the comment section below.
Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., author of “San Antonio’s Passport to Fun” guidebook, has been blogging about San Antonio since June of 2010. Follow her at facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been her home ever since. Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to curate a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!
