Things to Do in Schertz

“It’s the rare visitor who won't discover here that his or her ethnic group has contributed to the history of Texas,” noted the New York Times in its description of the Institute of Texan Cultures. The 26 different ethnic and cultural groups represented at the educational center incline one to agree with the Times. The article went on to list the institute as a top San Antonio attraction due to its “imaginative, hands-on displays” and kid-friendly features, including an adobe home and one-room schoolhouse. Along with heritage festivals and other events, the institute features both long-term and rotating exhibits, as well as a photo archive with more than three million images.

Although Amazing Jump’s mission is to get children’s and adults’ heart rates pumping, not a single dumbbell or treadmill can be found inside its walls. Instead, brightly colored jumbo trampolines, padded dodge-ball courts, and themed inflatables fill the massive indoor facility, which combines fitness with fun by inviting jumpers of all ages to bounce with the vigor of a coffee-drinking kangaroo. A kiddie roller coaster, playroom, and inflatables keep the littlest climbers happy as their older siblings and parents face off on the basketball and dodge-ball courts or ricochet across two children’s trampolines and 10 oversize ones. Later, guests can catch their breath and exercise their opposable thumbs at the coin-operated arcade games before grabbing a pizza and a snack before heading back into the fray.

The kiln-savvy teachers at Cibolo Creek Pottery show students how to fuse colored glass, use a throwing wheel, or hand-build ceramic structures. Pottery classes build on fundamental skills, such as using glaze, wielding appropriate tools, and shaping clay into functional toupees. During scheduled classes, pupils can customize their painted clay or glass creations to yield eye-catching decorations such as those in the online gallery.

Imagination flows without restriction inside Art by Heart Studio as aspiring pintsize and full-size creators soak up artistic techniques on a drop-in basis. From painting, mosaics, and stained-glass projects to more time-tested methods, including sewing and knitting, the studio's instructors can help protégés of any age hoist their talents to the next level. In addition to sharing a wealth of knowledge, Art by Heart Studio repurposes would-be trash into art supplies through its Green Heart Program, which saves items such as empty candy tins, bubble wrap, and shoeboxes from the garbage dump or from having to find secondary jobs in telemarketing.

The certified marksmen of Bullseye Shooting Sports teach the fundamentals of safety and accuracy to pupils of all ages. In addition to offering courses in range safety, NRA-certified instructors teach students how to responsibly fire pistols, rifles, and shotguns. Fletched projectiles are the subjects of private archery lessons, held on the facility’s open-air range, as well as at kids’ backyard archery parties. USA Archery–certified coaches tote portable ranges and the requisite equipment to shindigs, instructing up to 20 kids, adults, or terrified bull's-eyes in marksmanship.

Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center began weaving itself into the fabric of San Antonio’s arts and theater scene more than three decades ago to share the richness of Chicano, Latino, and Native American art forms. Now a cornerstone of the community, the nonprofit touches the lives of more than 100,000 people each year with theater and dance performances, cultural festivals, and creative classes. The center passes down traditional forms of expression, such as Mexican Folklórico dance and cactus juggling while also embracing contemporary art forms such as photography.

Each year, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s festivals welcome large crowds of adults, kids, and multiple Waldos. Foremost among them are CineFestival, the Tejano Conjunto music festival, and Hecho A Mano, a holiday crafts and arts festival. For its members, the center organizes a wealth of educational programming, teaching everything from oil painting and guitar to karate.