Aquatica San Antonio is the tropical-themed water park next door to SeaWorld San Antonio, home to the tallest drop slide in Texas and the only underwater stingray raft ride in the world. It’s a separate, standalone attraction with its own gates, ticket prices, and operating season, which trips up a lot of first-time visitors trying to plan a trip.
This guide covers everything you need before you go: current hours and season dates, ticket and season pass prices, a full breakdown of every slide and its height requirement, parking and cabana options, and the AquaGlow nighttime event, plus quick answers to the most common questions.
Quick Answer
Aquatica San Antonio is an 18-acre water park in San Antonio, Texas, operated by United Parks & Resorts. It’s open seasonally (roughly March through October), single-day tickets start around $37.99, and it’s ticketed separately from SeaWorld San Antonio next door, so you don’t need a SeaWorld ticket to visit.
Hours and 2026 Season Dates
Aquatica San Antonio is a seasonal park, typically operating from early March through mid-October, with the busiest and most consistent daily hours running from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Outside of peak summer, the park is usually open on weekends and select weekdays rather than every day of the week.
Daily hours vary by date, commonly opening between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and closing anywhere from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. depending on the season and crowd levels. Because the schedule shifts month to month, always check the official park-hours calendar for your specific visit date before heading out, especially for spring and fall trips.
Tickets and Prices
Single-day, single-park tickets to Aquatica San Antonio start at around $37.99 for ages 3 and up when purchased online in advance; buying at the gate typically costs more. An all-day dining option can be added to a ticket for roughly $63 total. Children under 3 get in free.
For guests who want to see both parks, 2-park flex tickets covering Aquatica and SeaWorld San Antonio are sold as 2-day or 3-day passes, which work out cheaper per day than buying two separate single-day tickets. Frequent visitors can also buy a combined SeaWorld + Aquatica season pass (around $99.99) or step up to Silver, Gold, or Platinum annual passes that add perks like free parking, guest discounts, and admission to additional United Parks & Resorts properties. As with hours, ticket pricing changes with demand and season, so treat these as a starting-price guide rather than a locked-in rate.
Every Slide and Ride, With Height Requirements
Ihu’s Breakaway Falls is the headline attraction: a trio of body slides that climb to nearly 80 feet, the tallest drop slide in Texas, with a 48-inch height minimum and solo riding required. Taumata Racer sends six lanes of riders down a 55-foot headfirst mat-racer in under 10 seconds (42-inch minimum), while Riptide Race offers a dueling tube-racer format for families and groups.
Stingray Falls is the park’s signature ride and the only one of its kind in the world, floating four-person rafts through an underwater grotto where riders come face-to-fin with real stingrays and tropical fish; at a 36-inch minimum, it’s accessible to most younger kids. Walhalla Wave and Tonga Twister both use clover-leaf tube rafts and a zero-gravity wall for a weightless moment mid-ride (48-inch minimum each), and HooRoo Run and Tassie’s Twisters add enclosed, twisting single- or double-tube descents from a shared 48-foot tower (42- to 48-inch minimums). Kiwi Curl rounds out the body-slide lineup with two 450-foot-plus racing lanes.
For non-thrill guests, the park has a large wave pool, a sandy-beach lazy river, and Walkabout Waters, a multi-level interactive play structure with dumping buckets and more than a dozen small slides aimed at younger children.
Parking, Cabanas, and Upgrades
Parking is not included with a standard single-day ticket; the park sells general, up-close, and covered VIP parking tiers at the gate, with pricing that varies by demand. Guests on Silver, Gold, or Platinum annual passes typically get free parking as a pass benefit.
Private Suite Cabanas are available near the Whanau Resort Pools, seating up to four guests (six for an added fee) with an in-pool seating ledge; cabana rentals are booked separately from park admission and priced by season and location. Quick Queue upgrades, which reduce wait times on the major slides, are also available as an add-on for guests who want to maximize ride time in a single visit.
AquaGlow: The Nighttime Event
On select Friday and Saturday nights each summer, Aquatica San Antonio stays open late for AquaGlow, a glow-in-the-dark after-hours event with lighted slides, music, and entertainment. It runs on a limited schedule roughly from early June through early September, with separate tickets (starting around $29.99, with discounted rates for pass members and larger groups) and pricing that does not include parking or regular daytime park admission.
History and Growth
Aquatica San Antonio opened May 19, 2012, on the site of the former Lost Lagoon water park, which had operated at SeaWorld San Antonio since the early 1990s and closed on Labor Day weekend 2011 to make way for the new park. SeaWorld announced the project in May 2011, construction began that October, and the park opened the following spring as a companion to the original Aquatica in Orlando.
Since debuting, the park has kept expanding its slide lineup, adding Tonga Twister in 2020 and the dueling racer Riptide Race in 2022, reflecting United Parks & Resorts’ ongoing investment in Aquatica as a standalone ticketed destination separate from the main SeaWorld gates next door.
Aquatica San Antonio water park guide FAQs
When does Aquatica San Antonio open and close for the season?
Aquatica San Antonio typically runs from early March through mid-October, open daily during peak summer and on a reduced weekend schedule in the spring and fall shoulder seasons. Always check the official hours calendar for exact dates, since the schedule shifts year to year.
How much are tickets to Aquatica San Antonio?
Single-day tickets start around $37.99 when bought online in advance, with 2-park flex tickets and a combined SeaWorld + Aquatica season pass (around $99.99) available for guests planning multiple visits or wanting to see SeaWorld too.
Do you need a SeaWorld ticket to visit Aquatica San Antonio?
No. Aquatica operates as a separate ticketed park next door to SeaWorld San Antonio, so guests can buy admission to Aquatica alone without ever needing a SeaWorld ticket.
Is parking free at Aquatica San Antonio?
Not with a standard single-day ticket. The park charges for general, up-close, and covered VIP parking, though free parking is typically included as a perk with Silver, Gold, and Platinum annual passes.
What is the height requirement for Ihu’s Breakaway Falls?
Riders must be at least 48 inches tall and ride solo on Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, the park’s nearly 80-foot signature drop slide and the tallest of its kind in Texas.
What is the tallest slide at Aquatica San Antonio?
Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, at nearly 80 feet, is the tallest drop slide in Texas and the highest point in the park.
What is AquaGlow at Aquatica San Antonio?
AquaGlow is a glow-in-the-dark, after-hours event held on select summer weekend nights, featuring lighted slides and entertainment. It requires a separate ticket from regular daytime admission.
When did Aquatica San Antonio open?
Aquatica San Antonio opened on May 19, 2012, replacing the earlier Lost Lagoon water park at the SeaWorld San Antonio property.
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