SAN ANTONIO – Brackenridge Park holds a special place in the hearts of San Antonians. For many, it’s far more than a city park — it’s a destination, a place to make memories and a backdrop to a lifetime of experiences.
“We love Brackenridge,” said Laura DeLaFuente, a park visitor.
“I brought my kids and now my grandkids,” she said.
That generational connection is exactly what the Brackenridge Park Conservancy works to protect. Through fundraising, advocacy and community partnerships, the organization keeps the park vibrant and accessible for all.
A 2-acre nature playscape is coming
Each year, the Texas Cavaliers select a local organization as their charitable honoree — and this year, the entire city stands to benefit.
The Brackenridge Park Conservancy has been named the 2026 honoree, a partnership aimed at keeping one of San Antonio’s most beloved green spaces thriving for generations to come.
The centerpiece of the Cavaliers’ investment is an ambitious new project — a two-acre nature-inspired playscape set to break ground after Fiesta, with an expected completion of roughly 12 months later.
“We’re building a two-acre nature-inspired playscape, and the nature inspiration is really coming from Brackenridge Park itself,” said Chris Maitre, chief executive officer of the Brackenridge Park Conservancy.
The playscape will celebrate 11 different elements of the park.
“We’re celebrating 11 different elements of the park — the forest, we’re going to have places where kids climb a tree house, mix in the water,” Maitre said. “We’re going to have recreations — an upwelling of the Blue Hole, which is iconic because it really is where the San Antonio River got started. We’ve got an indigenous campground, an archaeology dig site, and a host of other spaces in this two-acre site that will make it a destination playground.”
Families will even have the opportunity to leave their own permanent mark on the space.
“What we’re asking people to do is buy a brick to memorialize their family, their loved ones in the nature playscape — which will be iconic,” Maitre said. “So this brick will be there every time they bring their kids and future grandkids to the site.”
6 generations, 1 park
For Leticia Van de Putte, vice chair of the Brackenridge Park Conservancy Board, the park is personal.
“I give thanks that we have Brackenridge Park,” she said. “Six generations of my family have enjoyed this park, and our family is not very different from many of San Antonio’s families that hold this park so dear to their hearts.”
Van de Putte, a longtime public servant, has no shortage of memories tied to the park — including a few she’ll never forget.
“My first kiss was actually here at this park,” she said with a laugh.
Others are a little more dramatic. When she was about 5 years old, a picnic near Lambert Beach took an unexpected turn.
“Our family was picnicking near Lambert Beach — I was about 5 years old and apparently jumped in the water because I was trying to get to the ducks,” she recalled. “My grandpa had to rescue me, and the joke in the family is Leticia just always wants to jump in the river at Brackenridge Park.”
Inclusive, accessible, welcoming
For decades, families have camped out at Brackenridge for Easter weekend — a tradition rooted in accessibility and community.
“It was so important because it was free, it was safe, it was always welcoming and it was well kept,” Van de Putte said. “You knew that if you were coming to Brackenridge as a Hispanic family, no one was going to make fun or shove you off.”
The new playscape will continue that tradition of inclusion, designed to accommodate those with disabilities and mobility challenges.
In the meantime, there’s still plenty of reason to visit.
“Being able to see all the animals, get a little bit of nature while we’re here in the city — that’s a little bit of what we get to enjoy, and be a part of what makes the city special,” said one park visitor.
They are expected to break ground on the project in May, and it will take a full year of construction.