Park Directory
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South Side Lions Park
General Info
| Address: | 3100 Hiawatha |
| Phone: | 207-7275 |
| Website: | Community Link Center |
| Hours: | Sunday-Saturday: 5 a.m. – 11 p.m. |
| Size: | 600 acres |
| Amenities: | Community Center (rentable) Free Wi Fi available at the community center, in the parking lot and nearby playground and also in the area of the playground and pavilion near the lake on Pecan Valley Drive. Patrons invited to bring their laptops and other electronic devices to take advantage of this service Swimming Pool (seasonal, outdoor, available for rental, 207-3299) Lake with fishing, dam 4 pavilions (rentable) (Photos) 35 picnic units Two playscapes fitness stations Restrooms Athletic fields Basketball court Tennis courts Trails Trail Maps Greenway trailhead with hike and bike trails Off-street parking |
| Fees: | Pavilion rentals (in area of lake off Pecan Valley Drive) fees: Monday through Thursday before 5:00 p.m.: $50 for the first four hours and $30 an hour for every hour after that; Friday through Sunday, weekdays after 5:00 p.m. and holidays: $100 for the first four hours and $30 for every hour after that on. Community Center rental fees/policy: Gym practices and/or games: $25 per hour flat fee with two-hour minimum. Does not include activity room. Volleyball rentals area available at this facility by request only. General use entire facility: $50 an hour with a two-hour minimum plus $100 deposit. Security is required for any event with DJ or band. Special events charging admission and/or selling concessions: $75 an hour with a two-hour minimum and $100 deposit. Approximately ten tables and 100 chairs are available with the rental. However, it is important to call the center at 532-1502 to confirm the number of tables and chairs that will be available for your rental. |
| Notes: | Free wi fi is available at the community center, its parking lot and a nearby playground, 3100 Hiawatha, and also near the playground and pavilion near the lake off Pecan Valley Drive. Patrons are invited to bring their laptops during center hours to work on homework, job hunt, and surf the Internet. Alcohol permitted on the Pecan Valley (east) side Summer Youth Program Park site map (link to PDF) |
Availability: |
Park |
District 3 City Council Member at South Side Lions Park
Park History
South Side Lions Park is a 600-acre tract that was purchased by the City from the estate of George W. Brackenridge in 1944 and 1964. The park, also known as Hi-Lions Park, takes it name from the organization that worked to preserve the area for public park land.
In 1944, the City purchased 346.45 acres from the Brackenridge estate for the purpose of a landfill. Residents of the Highland Park area and members of the Highland Park Lions Club successfully petitioned the City to use the land as a park instead of a garbage dump.
Prior to development of the park, 22 acres were deeded in 1953 to the San Antonio Independent School District for construction of Highlands High School.
The area adjacent to Salado Creek was cleared in 1956 for a picnic area and a 33-acre sports center was developed. Service clubs and citizens donated funds to purchase some 400 trees that were planted in 1957.
The City bought the remainder of the Brackenridge estate tract in 1964, and throughout the 1960s, improvements were made to the park. A recreation center, softball fields, tennis facility, dam and 10-acre lake were built on the property.
In 1986, Community Development Block Grant funds were used to build a gymnasium and to upgrade the community center that was dedicated on November 1, 1986.
Trails and lighting improvements were provided with funds from the 1994 Quality of Life bond issue. A new playground was also constructed and further additions and improvements were made to the community center, including renovation of the gym and a dance studio/multi-use room.
In 2010, the City completed a $3,548,289 project that rehabilitated the dam and spillway in South Side Lions Park. The project involved the raising of the park’s earthen dam approximately two feet, adding a concrete labyrinth and spillway, adding rock riprap for erosion control, re-routing a 24-inch water line under Salado Creek, and providing tree wells for Bald Cypress trees along the dam. The project addressed the failure of the previous earthen dam with the construction of a new spillway to alleviate the potential for downstream flooding. The funds came from Housing and Urban Development 108 Community Block Grants, Unified Development Code fees, 2007 Certificates of Obligation, 1999 Park Bonds, 2005 Water Revenue Bonds and the San Antonio Water System.
Also in 2010, the City dedicated the Southern Segment of a new Salado Creek Greenway with a trailhead at South Side Lions. The trailhead is located just east of the lake off Pecan Valley. The multi-use trail, which also has trailheads at Covington and Comanche county Parks, offers stunning views of Salado Creek, surrounded by towering bottomland hardwood trees and natural, flowing springs that run from the adjacent hillside to the creek. The total length of the 10-foot wide trail is 2.3 miles. The project was funded through Proposition 3 and Proposition 2 sales tax initiatives at a cost of $2,847,000.
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