Japanese Tea Garden

A beautiful garden in a former quarry in Brackenridge Park, about four miles north of downtown. Stone paths wind through a landscape of koi ponds, wisteria arbours, stone bridges, a pagoda, and a 60-foot waterfall fed by a natural spring. The rock walls of the original quarry form the backdrop, draped in ferns and covered in moss.

Free to enter, open daily from dawn to dusk. The adjacent tea house serves light refreshments and has a pleasant terrace over the ponds. Combine with a visit to the San Antonio Zoo, directly next door, if you have children. The park is a good cycling destination from downtown on the River Walk.

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A story
The Tea Garden was built in 1917 inside an exhausted limestone quarry — the quarry that had supplied the stone for many of San Antonio's buildings. It was leased to a Japanese immigrant family, the Jimas, who turned it into a thriving attraction. In 1942, following Pearl Harbor, the family was evicted and the garden was renamed the Chinese Tea Garden. The Jima family received a formal apology from the city in 2008, and the Japanese name was restored.

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