San Antonio Aquarium

This is an aquarium built for hands rather than noses pressed to glass. Wide open touch pools let you reach in and feel a stingray glide past your fingers, run a hand along the back of a small shark, or lift a sea star from the shallows with a staff member guiding you.

The collection stretches well beyond fish. Reef tanks, moray eels and a shark exhibit share the building with reptiles, amphibians and small mammals, and a walk-in aviary where lorikeets land on your arm to drink from a cup you are holding.

Indoor play structures sit between the galleries, so younger children can burn off energy without leaving. The whole place is air-conditioned and easily covered in a couple of hours, which makes it a welcome refuge from a Texas afternoon.