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San Antonio Zoo breaks ground on The Ralston event center overlooking new gorilla habitat, downtown

The Ralston will open in late 2025

The Ralston at the San Antonio Zoo is slated to open in late 2025. (San Antonio Zoo)

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Zoo broke ground Monday on an event center that will overlook the new gorilla habitat, other exhibits and the downtown skyline.

The Ralston will host galas, fundraisers, weddings and other celebratory events when it opens in late 2025.

The event center will sit on a quarried cliff wall at the San Antonio Zoo, with an indoor capacity of up to 500 people and a covered patio for more than 600 guests.

A news release states The Ralston will overlook the new Congo Falls gorilla habitat, the African Savanna and lions.

The Ralston at the San Antonio Zoo is slated to open in late 2025. (San Antonio Zoo)

It is named after Shannon Ralston, who donated $10 million from The Ralston Family Charitable Foundation to the Generation Zoo capital campaign. That donation was the largest in the San Antonio Zoo’s history.

“Shannon’s unwavering commitment to animal conservation is what brought this incredible moment to fruition,” zoo President and CEO Tim Morrow said in the release. “Her gift, the largest in San Antonio Zoo’s history, is making The Ralston possible, and proceeds from events hosted will help conserve animals in the wild.”

Congo Falls is also slated to open in 2025.

When it opens, the two-acre habitat will allow the zoo to house gorillas for the first time in more than 30 years.

The gorillas will have space to roam and will even have a view of the event center and the San Antonio skyline with a 60-foot gorilla tower that will be called Mays Family Silverback Peak. Zoo officials said the feature is the first of its kind in the world.

Read more about Congo Falls here.

The Ralston at the San Antonio Zoo is slated to open in late 2025. (San Antonio Zoo)
The Ralston at the San Antonio Zoo is slated to open in late 2025. (San Antonio Zoo)
The Ralston at the San Antonio Zoo is slated to open in late 2025. (San Antonio Zoo)

About the Author
Rebecca Salinas headshot

Rebecca Salinas is the Digital Executive Producer at KSAT 12 News. A San Antonio native, Rebecca is an award-winning journalist who joined KSAT in 2019.

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