SeaWorld San Antonio facts for kids
| Previously known as Sea World of Texas | |
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| Location | 10500 Sea World Drive San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas United States |
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| Coordinates | 29°27′30″N 98°41′59″W / 29.4584°N 98.6998°W |
| Opened | May 27, 1988 |
| Owner | SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment |
| General manager | Byron Surrett |
| Slogan | "From Park to Planet" (See It Here, Save It There) |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Area | 250 acres (100 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 9 |
| Roller coasters | 6 |
| Water rides | 2 |
SeaWorld San Antonio is a huge park in San Antonio, Texas. It covers about 250 acres. This park is a special place where you can see amazing marine animals. It is also an exciting animal theme park with many rides.
SeaWorld San Antonio is the biggest of the three SeaWorld parks. It focuses on helping animals, teaching people, and rescuing marine life. The other SeaWorld parks are in California and Florida. SeaWorld San Antonio is part of groups that make sure animals are cared for well.
Contents
Discover the History of SeaWorld San Antonio
The park first opened on May 27, 1988. It was called Sea World of Texas back then. Building the park cost about $170 million. On its first day, 75,000 people came to visit! In its first year, over 3 million people visited. This made it one of the most popular places in Texas. When it opened, it was known as the biggest educational marine-life park in the world.
In 1989, the company that owned SeaWorld sold it. Anheuser-Busch bought the park. They made some changes, removing less popular areas. They also added their famous Budweiser Clydesdales horses to the park.
A special event happened on November 26, 1988. A killer whale named Kayla, also called "Baby Shamu", was born at the park. She was the first killer whale born there.
Later, in 2008, SeaWorld was sold again. A company called Blackstone Group bought all the SeaWorld parks.
In 2016, SeaWorld Entertainment made a big announcement. They said that the killer whales currently at their parks would be the last. This means no new killer whales will be brought in. SeaWorld San Antonio currently has 5 killer whales. They also changed the killer whale shows. Instead of theatrical shows, they now have "Orca Encounters." These shows focus more on the whales' natural behaviors. SeaWorld San Antonio's Orca Encounter started on February 22, 2020.
Like many places, the park had to close for a while. It was closed from March to June 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Exciting Rides and Attractions
SeaWorld San Antonio has many fun rides for all ages. You can find thrilling roller coasters and gentle rides.
Roller Coasters and Thrill Rides
| # | Name | Opened | Description | Image |
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| 1 | Texas Stingray | 2020 | This is the tallest, longest, and fastest wooden roller coaster in Texas. | |
| 2 | Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster | 2017 | This coaster launches you twice! It is based on SeaWorld's animal rescue team. | |
| 3 | The Great White | 1997 | This was the park's first big roller coaster. It goes up to 50 miles per hour. It was the first of its kind in Texas. | |
| 4 | Steel Eel | 1999 | This tall coaster is 150 feet high. It goes up to 65 miles per hour. | |
| 6 | Journey to Atlantis | 2007 | This ride is a mix of a roller coaster and a water ride. It was the first of its kind in North America. | |
| 7 | Super Grover's Box Car Derby | 2004 | A fun roller coaster for younger kids. The cars look like race cars. | |
| 8 | Riptide Rescue | 2019 | This is a spinning ride that looks like an airboat. It is themed to animal rescue. | |
| 9 | Sea Swinger | 2019 | A spinning pendulum ride that swings you high in the air. | |
| 14 | Rio Loco | 1993 | A thrilling river rapids ride where you get splashed! |
Live Shows and Animal Presentations
SeaWorld San Antonio offers amazing live shows. You can learn about and see many different animals.
| # | Name | Opened | Description |
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| 16 | Orca Encounter | 2020 (1988) | This is where the park's five killer whales live. The show teaches you about these amazing animals. |
| 17 | Beluga Stadium | 1988 | This stadium is home to beluga whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins. You can watch shows featuring these animals here. |
| 18 | Sea Lion Stadium | 1988 | Watch the funny "Clyde and Seamore" show here. California sea lions and Asian small-clawed otters perform in this show. |
| 19 | Bayside Stadium | 1988 | This stadium hosts exciting water skiing shows. It is also a great spot to watch the park's fireworks. |
| 21 | Sea Star Theatre | 2003 | This theater now hosts fun Sesame Street shows. It used to show 4-D movies and a "Pets Ahoy" show. |
Meet the Animals at SeaWorld San Antonio
SeaWorld San Antonio is home to many different marine animals. The park works hard to care for them.
Killer Whales
The park has 5 killer whales living in Orca Stadium. Most of them were born at SeaWorld. Their names are Takara (F), Sakari (F), Kamea (F), Tuar (M), and Kyuquot (M).
Beluga Whales
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SeaWorld San Antonio has a very successful program for breeding beluga whales. Many belugas at this park were born here. Some belugas at other parks were also born in San Antonio.
A rescued beluga whale named Tyonek now lives here permanently. He was too young to survive on his own. The park was chosen because it has many belugas, including experienced mothers. Tyonek surprisingly became friends with Betty, a Pacific white-sided dolphin!
As of 2021, there are 10 belugas at SeaWorld San Antonio. Their names are Crissy (F), Martha (F), Naluark (M), Luna (F), Atla (F), Pearl (F), Samson (M), Kenai (M), Innik (M), and Tyonek (M).
Dolphins
SeaWorld has 18 bottlenose dolphins. They live in two different areas of the park. Discovery Point is where most female dolphins live. You can see them above and below the water. Zoological Support is a special area for male dolphins and other animals needing care.
Most of these dolphins were born at SeaWorld parks. Four of them were rescued and could not be returned to the wild.
- Discovery Point: Yoyo (F), Ripley (F), Nikki (F), Sadie (F), Neelee (F), Capri (F), Blyss (F), Haven (F), Yuri (F), and Rimmy (F).
- Zoological Support: Notchfin (F), Mattie (F), Brady (M), Alice (F), Cisco (M), Koko (F), Zip (M), and Cooper (M).
They also have 7 Pacific white-sided dolphins at Beluga Stadium. Their names are Betty (F), Piquet (F), Avalon (F), Hailey (F), Ohana (F), Bolt (M), and Ipo (M).
Sea Lions, Seals, and Otters
Besides the sea lions and otters in the shows, you can see many California sea lions and harbor seals. You can even feed them for an extra fee! This SeaWorld park has a special exhibit for Asian small-clawed and African spot-necked otters.
Sea Turtles
The newest animal exhibit opened in May 2019. It features rescued loggerhead and green sea turtles. They live with many marine fish. The exhibit uses a natural system to keep the water clean.
Aquatica Water Park
Aquatica is a separate water park next to SeaWorld San Antonio. It used to be a part of SeaWorld called Lost Lagoon. Lost Lagoon closed in 2011. The new Aquatica park opened in May 2012. It is based on the original Aquatica in Orlando.
Images for kids
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Kyuquot (back) and Tuar (front) perform at Shamu Theater
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Dine with Shamu dining area
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Flamingos at SeaWorld
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Ocean Discovery at SeaWorld
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- SeaWorld San Antonio at the Roller Coaster DataBase
See also
In Spanish: SeaWorld San Antonio para niños
