San Antonio Travel and Leisure Guide 2008 - (Page 32) Texas-Sized Thrills Clockwise from top left: Krypton coaster at Six Flags® Fiesta Texas, underwater viewing of hippos in the zoo’s Africa Live! exhibit, San Marcos River and Schlitterbahn Waterpark. heme parks such as SeaWorld® San Antonio and Six Flags® Fiesta Texas combine thrilling rides with award-winning shows. The Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort reigns as one of the nation’s most popular water parks for good reason: 65 acres of wet fun for everyone in the family. Area dude ranches take you back to the days of the Wild Wild West with horseback rides through rolling countryside. And the world-famous San Antonio Zoo delights kids of all ages. Get ready to come out and play the Texas-sized way! T countrywestern, rock, pop and Latin music blockbuster shows, or enjoy water-soaked fun at White Water Bay in summer. More big water adventure awaits at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, located on the banks of the Comal River about 30 miles north of town. Thrill-seekers get three miles of tubing adventures, 17 water slides, the world’s first surfing machine and three uphill water coaster “blasters.” Kids have seven of their own water playgrounds, and everyone can chill out at relaxing pools, lazy rivers, hot tubs and swim-up bars. Whatever your age, a watery wonder world awaits at Schlitterbahn – voted the “World’s Best Water Park” by the Golden Ticket Awards. IF YOU GO (as referenced in text) Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, 830-625-2351, schlitterbahn.com SeaWorld® San Antonio, 800-700-7786, seaworld.com/sanantonio Six Flags® Fiesta Texas, 210-697-5000, sixflags.com/fiestatexas For complete listings, visitsanantonio.com Faces of San Antonio When Brian Vauter peers at the fantastic formations inside Natural Bridge Caverns, one of the state’s most spectacular natural wonders, the cave geologist sees miracles in the making. “Natural Bridge Caverns is called a living cave because the cave formations are still being formed by dissolving rock,” he explains. The complex process that created the icicle-like stalactites on the ceiling and pillar-like stalagmites on the floor adds about an inch to the formations every 100 years. Visitors get to glimpse that living history literally in a new light. In March 2008 the caverns opened a new illumination tour that is one of Brian’s favorites. “The new lighting we put in is really dramatic,” he says. “The interplay of light and darkness enhances the formations beautifully.” Brian, who has worked at Natural Bridge Caverns since 1986, loves San Antonio’s friendliness and communicates that when he occasionally leads tours himself. “We’re in the business of being friendly and giving everyone a good memory of their visit,” he says. THEME PARKS & WATER RESORTS Shamu and friends put on one of the most spectacular shows in Texas at SeaWorld® San Antonio, which celebrates its 20th birthday this year. Take a dip with a sea lion and come face-to-face with a beluga whale. Feed the friendly dolphins, witness sharks swimming in a coral reef, encounter penguins and flamingos, and gawk at the gators in Alligator Alley. Then take to the water yourself at Lost Lagoon water park. With eight roller-coasters, awardwinning shows, Looney Tunes characters and a free water park, Six Flags® Fiesta Texas delivers super-sized thrills and fun. It also celebrates the culture and history of Texas through four themed areas: a recreated Mexican town, German village, cowboy boom town and a small Texas community in the rock ‘n’ roll 1950s. In spring 2008 the park unveiled its ultimate inverted coaster, Goliath, which blasts through hairpin turns, vertical loops, corkscrews and a zero-gravity heartline spin. Groove to ZOOS & CAVES There’s so much to see at the San Antonio Zoo and Aquarium, one of the nation’s largest zoos with more than 3,500 animals of 750 species. The zoo has won international acclaim for its conservation programs with the flamingo, white and black rhino, snow leopard, whooping crane and other species. Located in wooded Brackenridge Park, the zoo houses animals in natural-looking settings, such as a cave-like exhibit with underwater continued on pg. 34 32 VISITSANANTONIO COM O. http://schlitterbahn.com http://seaworld.com/sanantonio http://sixflags.com/fiestatexas http://visitsanantonio.com http://visitsanantonio.com
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