Last month, when a friend and I visited Austin, Texas we wanted to visit Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio to check out the world’s first Ultra-Accessible family fun park.  We were wondering what would be the best way to get from Austin to San Antonio and ultimately decided that renting a car would be the best option.  Our plan was to also visit the Alamo.

Getting There

Staying at Hilton Garden Inn Austin Downtown/Convention Center, it is about a 90 minute drive from our hotel.  My friend booked a rental car a day in advance on the Hertz website for a Saturday morning pick up at the Hertz office by our hotel, but when we showed up, there were no cars available for us even though we got a confirmation email.  Lucky the Avis next door had a guaranteed car for us the next day.

We thought visiting the Alamo first would be better since we only reserved free tickets to the Alamo Church and that wouldn’t take as long as visiting Morgan’s Wonderland.  Also, the Sunday afternoon at a theme park shouldn’t be too busy.  When we arrived at the Alamo, we parked a few blocks away which was $10 for 2 hours to save money.

The Alamo

The Alamo is a historic Spanish Mission and fortress complex founded in the 18th century.  It was the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.  It is now a museum in the Alamo Plaza Historic District and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Entering from the front doors of the church was easily accessible and we were wowed as soon as we were inside.  It was really cool to be here in person.

There was one step at the exit door on the side of the church.  This leads to the courtyard which has gardens, gift shop, collection center and an Alamo Hall with artifacts and historic pieces to see.  There are also accessible restrooms, fountains, and lots of trees to provide shade.  It was about 43 C (110 F) on the day we went, so were trying to stay inside or in the shade.

We stayed about an hour and did explore the downtown area right next to the Alamo while looking to buy a cold drink at a convenience store.  We didn’t get to see too much since we had only 2 hour parking and we wanted to visit our next stop.

Morgan’s Wonderland

Morgan’s Wonderland is an Ultra-Accessible theme park that opened in 2010 and was developed by Gordon Hartman.  His daughter Morgan has special needs and he wanted to open a place where everyone can enjoy despite their disabilities.  Morgan’s Wonderland has 25 Ultra-Accessible attractions over 25 acres of inclusion.  The park seems to be aimed for a younger audience but I still wanted to check out the accessibility.

It was a quick 15 minute drive to get to Morgan’s Wonderland from the Alamo.  There was a huge amount of disabled parking spots in the parking lot, that didn’t seem busy.  With the extreme hot weather, the theme park was very quiet.  There were automatic doors to get into the main entrance and ticket office.

Admission is free for guests with special needs while regular adults are $19.  The waterpark Morgan’s Inspiration Island can be added for an extra $10 now or later.  We were going to decide once we were done with the first park to see how we were feeling.  Once we entered, we took pictures with the “Taking Flight” Sculpture and used the accessible restroom, then we started with rides.

Here is what we did:

Off-Road Adventure

The first ride we did was Off-Road Adventure.  With every ride being wheelchair accessible, there was an accessible off-road ride vehicle.  A ramp opens at the back of the ride vehicle and I and wheeled onto a lift ramp.  A staff then straps and locks my wheelchair in place before the ride starts.

The ride is on an electric track that is a quarter mile long and it takes us on twists and turns along a rocky pathway.  My friend got to sit in front of me in the driver’s seat.  It was a fun easy ride and we got to relax while viewing the park along the way.

Carousel

Carousel is the next ride we went on.  A ramp is put on a ride chariot and my wheelchair is strapped in.  The cool thing about this accessible chariot is that it also goes up and down just like the carousel animals.  My friend just sat on a ride animal in front of me.

Butterfly Playground

We casually went by Butterfly Playground to check out the wheelchair accessibility.  I was glad that the whole playground was covered by a few giant tarps as we were already really hot from the sun.  There were wheelchair swings and even a big accessible see saw called Sway Fun.  Even though it was quite empty because of the heat, I can see this playground be very popular with kids.

Whirling Wonder

Whirling Wonder is a smaller type of Ferris Wheel that has all 12 of its gondolas be wheelchair accessible.  Like some of the rides, there was a wheelchair size check station just in front of the ride.  Just for fun, I went inside to try but the the gate door wouldn’t shut properly. 

When we actually went up to the ride, the staff backed my wheelchair in the gondola and adjusted my foot pedal so that I could properly be inside the ride.  It was fun as we also got to see great views of the entire park.

Sensory Village

My friend and I were both overheating and needed to be be inside somewhere with air conditioning.  Our only option was the Sensory Village which is an indoor attraction that has 5 themed areas: KMWL-TV Newsroom, Microsoft Experience, Village Market Grocery Store, Shadow Room and Exploration Station.  All of these are interactive that mindfully stimulate the senses.

I really enjoyed being inside Sensory Village because of the A/C.  It was also great trying some of the XBOX games using the adaptive controller.  It was also fun trying to be a weatherman and seeing myself on TV and also trying the augmented reality sandbox where guests can change and redesign habitats and topography.    

Wonderland Express

Our last ride was the Wonderland Express.  This is a 1930’s style train with multiple rail cars that has a powered fold out ramp to allow wheelchair guests to board.  This train takes us around an 8 acre man-made lake and pass by different regions of the world like Japan, Italy, Africa, Germany and Mexico.

We were planning to eat at the park but Morgan’s Munchies and Little Italy Bistro had outdoor seating.  Even though it was in the shade, it was still too hot and we wanted A/C so we went back to our car and decided to get some fast food drive thru on our drive back to Austin.

Final Thoughts

Our road trip to San Antonio was fun but really hot.  Spending time at both the Alamo for an hour and Morgan’s Wonderland for 2 hours was worth it but I would return during a time when it is not as hot.  Even though Morgan’s Wonderland was aimed at kids, it was great to visit a theme park that was truly wheelchair accessible.  I would like to visit again and also the splash park Morgan’s Inspiration Island next time too.