We already love San Antonio, and it seems like it’s getting better all the time. To share our excitement, here is a list of shops, restaurants, attractions, and more that are coming to San Antonio in 2017 and beyond.
Retail
Bookshelves, bedrooms, toys, meatballs…what has inspired you to drive a hundred miles to Round Rock, currently the closest IKEA store? Yes, assembling IKEA items requires patience, teamwork, squinting, and tiny tools, but the low-cost, stylish results are worth it. Just look at Amanda‘s amazing studio, with an IKEA desk and chair.
Good news: in late 2017, an IKEA store will break ground in Live Oak, off Loop 1604 near I-35, with an expected opening date in 2019. I can already smell the particle board. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; The Rivard Report; KSAT.
Buc-ee’s is coming to I-10 in Boerne. Many road-tripping families have already experienced this legendary pit stop in New Braunfels, Luling, or elsewhere in Texas. The bathrooms win awards, and the food (e.g., Beaver Nuggets) and tchotchkes have a fanatical following. Construction may begin in 2018 with an opening in 2019. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; KSAT.
Urban Air Trampoline Park will open a northwest location to complement their Windcrest location, which opened in late 2016.
Southtown’s Lone Star Brewery is becoming a retail/work complex with a movie theater and more. Construction is expected to begin in 2017, and the first phase should be ready in 2018. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; The Rivard Report.
By 2018, visitors to the San Antonio Airport will be able to rent a car on site. The end of construction on the consolidated car rental facility should also make it easier to park at the airport. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
A Tesla showroom may arrive on the I-10 corridor. They have LATCH connectors, too, right? Hey, a mom can dream! Read more: San Antonio Express-News; San Antonio Current.
Food
A Snooze restaurant is coming to Alamo Quarry Market in north central San Antonio. They will serve their legendary breakfasts from 6:30 A.M.–2:30 P.M. daily. No word on an opening day, but renovations are already underway. Read more: San Antonio Business Journal; San Antonio Express-News.
Local restaurateurs Stefan Bowers and Andrew Goodman, known for Feast and Rebelle, will soon open Battalion in a historic firehouse in the King William area. The restaurant will offer Italian and Italian-American dishes. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; San Antonio Current.
Chef Johnny Hernandez will soon open two new restaurants in Southtown: Villa Rica (seafood) and Burgerteca (burgers). Also, he is adding Taquería La Gloria inside El Machito at the Quarry. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; San Antonio Current.
The Pearl is adding a food hall—sort of a gourmet food court, or new-restaurant incubator—in the Bottling Department building, above Jazz, TX. Read more: Express-News.
La Panaderia, a versatile bakery, will soon open a second location downtown in the Vogue building at 600 Navarro. Their road map also includes an Alamo Ranch location later in 2017. Read more: San Antonio Business Journal.
Chef Andrew Weissman is planning a 24-hour diner in a renovated office tower near Travis Park. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
The Good Kind from Tim McDiarmid (of Tim the Girl catering fame) will bring an affordable, clean eating cafe to the Pearl. Their meal delivery option is available now.
Local Coffee is adding a Shavano Park location in early 2017. Rosella Coffee is opening a shop in the Rand Building soon; read more at Rivard Report.
Attractions
Have you seen those egg billboards around town? The Witte Museum will hatch a set of new galleries on March 4, 2017. Visitors will enter through the H-E-B Lantern under the soaring wings of a giant Quetzalcoatlus northropi. Dinosaurs that lived in Texas millions of years ago will dominate the Naylor Family Dinosaur Gallery. Visitors can study the life and art of regional ancient peoples in the Kittie West Nelson Ferguson People of the Pecos Gallery. New generations can appreciate diverse ecosystems in the McLean Family Texas Wild Gallery. Improvements on the grounds of the museum will help visitors understand the role of water in the development of San Antonio and the Witte’s riverside site in particular. Spring Break campers will be among the first to experience the new galleries. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; The Rivard Report.
Morgan’s Inspiration Island, an all-accessible water park, will open at Morgan’s Wonderland for the 2017 season. In addition to water play areas with cannons, waterfalls, and jets, the River Road Adventure will give some special-needs riders their first ever experience with a water attraction. Read more: KSAT; The Mighty.
The San Antonio Botanical Garden‘s expansion project is underway and will open in 2017. The new facilities will include an outdoor kitchen and a family adventure garden. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; The Rivard Report.
Sea World San Antonio will open a new roller coaster, Wave Breaker: Rescue Coaster, at the beginning of the summer 2017 season. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; San Antonio Business Journal.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas will open a new ride, the Thunder Rapids rocket blast water coaster, for the 2017 season. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
The McNay Art Museum‘s upcoming exhibition, Monet to Matisse: A Century of French Moderns, will run from March 1 to June 4, 2017. At the San Antonio Museum of Art, an exhibition of Aboriginal art is coming to the Cowden gallery.
Opening in 2017, Culinaria San Antonio‘s farm will be a center for teaching foodies of all ages how to grow and cook food in healthy, sustainable, high-tech ways. The location is still to be announced. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; The Rivard Report.
A new type of barge is running on the San Antonio River. A prototype barge is already afloat; the roll-out of the new fleet will begin in March 2017 and should be complete by 2018. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; San Antonio Current; The Rivard Report.
San Pedro Creek, as it runs through downtown, is being redeveloped into a linear park. The first phase is expected to be complete in time for the Tricentennial celebrations in 2018. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; KSAT.
As Heather explained in her guide to San Antonio parks, park improvements are happening all the time. Here are a few highlights: On the west side, Elmendorf Lake Park has undergone a major transformation—expect a park reopening celebration in 2017; read more in the San Antonio Express-News. Changes are coming to Brackenridge Park, too; learn more about the master plan. On the north side, part of the former Classen-Steubing Ranch will become a park in the Stone Oak area. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
Alamo Plaza may look different in the future, with a restored footprint, more museums, and less traffic. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
Historic Hangar 9 at Brooks City Base is under renovation and is expected to open for events in 2017. When it’s open, it will join a group of military museums. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
The San Antonio Conservation Society‘s Yturri-Edmunds Historic Site, located along the River south of downtown, is a former farm with a cluster of adobe buildings and a flour mill. It is currently closed, but will open again soon for self-guided tours, presenting visitors a glimpse into rural life. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
Ruby City, an exhibition space for the collection of Linda Pace, will open in 2018. Read more: Express-News, Business Journal.
EPIcenter is taking shape at a former power plant south of downtown. Plans include education programs, a museum about the energy industry, and event space. EPIcenter is expected to open in 2020 or 2021. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; The Rivard Report.
The San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology is still in the development stages, but it looks promising. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; The Rivard Report.
The San Antonio Public Library will open a new branch on the east side, the Schaefer Branch Library. Read more: San Antonio Express-News. This will complement the Potranco Branch, which opened in late 2016. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; KSAT.
BiblioTech will open another all-digital library branch at East Meadows. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
Downtown High Rises
San Antonio’s downtown skyline may look quite different in a few years, with the rise of new hotels, office towers, and apartments. Some of the hotels look staycation-worthy, and many will have ground-level restaurants and retail. Here is a roundup of downtown hotels in the development pipeline:
- A Saint Hotel, with the slogan “play naughty, sleep saintly,” is proposed for 151 E. Travis Street. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
- A Canopy by Hilton hotel is planned for 155 E. Commerce Street. Read more: San Antonio Express-News. Also on East Commerce, the Floodgate apartments will have retail and dining space, too. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
- On E. Houston Street, a Hilton Garden Inn is under construction. Nearby, another hotel is proposed for 401 E. Houston Street. Read more: San Antonio Express-News. Farther east, a Tru by Hilton hotel is planned at 901 E. Houston Street. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
- A Thompson Hotel is in development near the Tobin Center. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
Plans for high-rise hotels near Main Plaza, at 100 N. Main Avenue and 114 Soledad Street, appear to be in limbo. Read more: San Antonio Express-News (Main Ave.); San Antonio Express-News (Soledad).
At Hemisfair, the development of the Civic Park will be complemented by hotel, apartment, retail, and parking structures. Read more: San Antonio Express-News (Zachry); San Antonio Express-News (AREA). Local restaurants and businesses will occupy more of the historic homes around Yanaguana Garden, as described in this earlier post.
Frost Bank is planning a landmark office tower for the western side of downtown, near City Hall. Although it won’t be the tallest building on the skyline, I’m hoping it will have fun skydeck or dining options for visitors. Read more: San Antonio Express-News; The Rivard Report.
The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts opened in 2014; in August 2017, it will finally get its own parking garage. This is a good thing, because my favorite surface parking lot is being turned into a hotel—the Thompson, mentioned above. Read more: The Rivard Report.
Schools
IDEA Public Schools is opening three new campuses in 2017: IDEA Brackenridge, IDEA Harvey E. Najim, and IDEA Ewing Halsell. This charter school network is also adding pre-K at several campuses. Read more: Alamo City Moms Blog; The Rivard Report.
Brooks Collegiate Academy will open in 2017 with a sports leadership and management curriculum. It will occupy the former campus of Cornerstone Christian School, which is moving to a new campus farther north.
San Antonio ISD is offering new specialized programs, including CAST Tech high school and a dual language academy at Mark Twain, for the 2017–18 school year.
As more families move to San Antonio, school districts are welcoming new students and building new campuses.
- Southwest Legacy High School will open in Southwest ISD in 2017. Read more: KSAT.
- In 2017, Northside ISD will open Harlan High School and Kallison Elementary School. Three more schools are in development under the 2014 bond.
- Boerne ISD is planning a new middle school and two new elementary schools. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
- Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD is planning a new high school and three other schools over the next 10 years. Read more: San Antonio Express-News.
- New Braunfels ISD is building two new elementary schools for the 2017–18 school year. Read more: Herald-Zeitung.
- Comal ISD is planning two new middle schools. Read more: Herald-Zeitung.
- Southside ISD is considering adding another elementary school. Read more: Express-News.
Zoo School, an early childhood program at the San Antonio Zoo, is moving to a new campus in 2017. Read more about this nature-based program in our earlier post. Little Sunshine’s Playhouse is opening soon; read more in this earlier post. The Primrose School is opening a new location in Schertz.
Last But Not Least
May 6, 2017, will be election day for the City of San Antonio and other municipalities and school boards. Make sure you are registered to vote by visiting Bexar County Elections or VoteTexas.gov.
Google Fiber is in the construction phase; stay tuned for when you can sign up for the high-speed internet service. Read more: Express-News; Rivard Report.
By 2018, San Antonio will have 10-digit dialing and a new area code, 726. Read more: Texas Public Radio; San Antonio Current; KENS5.
One more! BASIS is opening two elementary schools in 2017-18 in its two existing locations in the medical center and across 281 from the airport. The big kids are moving to a high school campus to be located in Castle Hills.