Discover brilliant public art works, historical landmarks, museums, and even a colony Mexican free-tailed bats along this hub of economic and cultural growth.
The Museum Reach includes three miles of pedestrian pathways, multiple water features, and over 70,000 plants. The journey leads you past noted landmarks including the oldest VFW post in Texas, the San Antonio Museum of Art, and Pearl, a culinary and cultural destination at the reimagined historic Pearl brewery.
Cruise the reach on one of San Antonio’s famous river barges. The Lock and Dam complex at Brooklyn Ave raises and lowers barges approximately nine feet to allow travel north to Pearl.
The Museum Reach is alive year-round with unique activities, festivals, and events.
From April to October, a colony of roughly 60,000 Mexican Free-tailed bats reside under the I-35 bridge. Their evening departures are natural spectacle not be missed.
For the month of December, the River Authority illuminates the Museum Reach with The River of Lights. It includes over 100 underwater lights, thousands of LED lights in trees, bridges, light poles, and a 30 foot musical LED light show.
Currently managed by the San Antonio River Authority, the construction of the Museum Reach was funded by the City of San Antonio and Bexar County. The public artwork was funded through private donations raised by the San Antonio River Foundation.
Learn more about the history and the 10th Anniversary of the Museum Reach here.
Be sure to download The River Walk Map to discover more great places along the River Walk ready for you to explore.
Park Amenities:
- 3 miles of Paved Trail
- Public Art
- Restrooms (8AM - 9PM)
- Benches
- Pavilions
- Educational Interpretive Signs
- Wedding Locations
Lock and Dam
Completion in 2009 of the dam and locks at Brooklyn Avenue extended travel farther to the north. The locks are basically enclosures with gates on either end. The gates are opened or closed to raise or lower the water level inside the locks using gravity flow. A boat moving upstream enters the lock at the lower end through open gates. The gates are then closed and valves opened, allowing water to flow into the lock from the upper pool, floating the boat up to the higher level. The upstream gates are the opened, and the vessel moves into the upper pool. On the return trip, the process is reversed.
The Brooklyn Avenue dam and lock system allows passenger barges to move from downtown San Antonio all the way north to Pearl and back. Since there are two locks, boats can move upstream and downstream at the same time.
Park Gallery:
Park Map:
Park Details:
- North of Downtown San Antonio, TX 78216
- Hours: 24/7
- Admission: free
Downloadable Resources:
San Antonio River Basin Guide
A collection of parks, trails, and historic destinations throughout the San Antonio River Basin, including Bexar, Wilson, Karnes and Goliad Counties as well as the San Antonio River Walk (Downtown, Museum Reach and Mission Reach).
