
NOW OPEN! Discovery PLAYce at Kronkosky’s Tiny Tot Nature Spot is a newly imagined 4,468-square-foot indoor play area featuring play places for crawlers, wobblers, and walkers, as well as animals and encounters!
Entry to Discovery PLAYce is included with admission and free for San Antonio Zoo Members!
Established in October 2004 through a generous donation from the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, Kronkosky’s Tiny Tot Nature Spot has been a perennial favorite for young children visiting the zoo for more than a decade.
Specially designed for knee-high naturalists, ages birth – five years old. Your young explorers can dig, climb, splash (bring your swim diapers), and get dirty as they uncover and discover nature’s wonders. There is much to do outside! Kronkosky’s Tiny Tot Nature Spot playscapes provide safe, yet exciting environments, to build strength, confidence, and resiliency.
Kronkosky’s Tiny Tot Nature Spot has received several awards and recognitions over the years. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums Exhibit Award in 2006, which recognizes excellence in the area of live animal display and exhibit design by an AZA-Accredited Institution (US or International) or Certified Related Facility member.
Coming Soon… New and Reimagined Areas


In December 2020, the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation awarded San Antonio Zoo a $1,000,000 challenge grant for KTTNS Reimagined. KTTNS Reimagined will open 2022 and include a brand new 1680 sq ft., year-round butterfly house with a chrysalis room.
The chrysalis room will allow guests of all ages to witness the transformation from chrysalis to butterfly—the newly renovated and newly named 4468 sq ft. Discovery PLAYce will have indoor play places for crawlers, wobblers, and walkers and will feature bugs and animals that can be encountered right here in South Texas.
The outdoor play space will undergo a complete transformation allowing our youngest knee-high naturalists to immerse themselves in nature-based play with a custom design by world-renowned nature playscape designer Rusty Keeler.
- Butterfly House: A year-round cozy home, rain or shine,with lush foliage and bold bouquets. You can even sneak a peek of our newest residents emerging from their chrysalises.
- The Hive:A friendly playscape, perfect for buzzing around with busy bees.
- Go Wild!: Run! Jump! Scramble! Test your skills with an Adventure Course.
- Riverbank:Splash, play, and cool-off, in the shallow bend of this fresh waterway.
- Wheel Good Time!:Sensory outdoor track for those getting around on wheels.
- Mud Kitchen and Good Earth Diner: Something good is always cooking with a little dirt,some water and a lot of imagination.
Thank You To

John R. and Greli N. Less Charitable Trust
The Greehey Family Foundation
The Betty Stieren Kelso Foundation
Th Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation