Japanese Tea Garden

San Antonio turned an abandoned limestone quarry into a garden of koi ponds, stone bridges, shaded paths, and a 60-foot waterfall. Parks commissioner Ray Lambert directed the work between 1917 and 1918, using prison labor and about $7,000 to shape the old quarry into a municipal lily pond and Japanese garden.The Jingu family lived and worked at the garden from 1926 until 1942, when anti-Japanese wartime sentiment led to their eviction. The site was called the Chinese Sunken Garden for decades. San Antonio restored the Japanese Tea Garden name in 1984, and a 2007-08 rehabilitation repaired the ponds, waterfall, paths, walls, and water systems.Admission is free. The garden is open daily from sunrise to sunset and is wheelchair accessible, though wet stone, stairs, heat, and elevation changes can affect some routes. Professional photography sessions require advance scheduling. More

San Antonio turned an abandoned limestone quarry into a garden of koi ponds, stone bridges, shaded paths, and a 60-foot waterfall. Parks commissioner Ray Lambert directed the work between 1917 and 1918, using prison labor and about $7,000 to shape the old quarry into a municipal lily pond and Japanese garden.The Jingu family lived and worked at the garden from 1926 until 1942, when anti-Japanese wartime sentiment led to their eviction. The site was called the Chinese Sunken Garden for decades. San Antonio restored the Japanese Tea Garden name in 1984, and a 2007-08 rehabilitation repaired the ponds, waterfall, paths, walls, and water systems.Admission is free. The garden is open daily from sunrise to sunset and is wheelchair accessible, though wet stone, stairs, heat, and elevation changes can affect some routes. Professional photography sessions require advance scheduling. More