The Edwards Aquifer Authority Education Outreach Center just reached a milestone: 10,000 annual visitors. Since opening its doors in April 2022, the center has become a leading destination for families, students, and anyone curious about the most important natural resource in South Texas—water.
And the best part? It’s completely free.
What You’re Actually Visiting
This isn’t a typical museum. It’s a $3 million, world-class education facility that teaches you about the water beneath your feet. The Edwards Aquifer. The system that provides drinking water to over 2.5 million Texans across eight counties.
The center is spread across 3,500 square feet and features interactive exhibits designed to make learning about water fascinating:
- Karst Cave Theater: A limestone-style cave featuring presentations like “Aquifer 101” that explain how groundwater moves through the aquifer
- Threatened & Endangered Species Aquariums: Home to the Texas blind salamander and fountain darters—species you literally cannot see anywhere else in San Antonio
- Cloud Caster: Make your own cloud and learn about the water cycle
- Global Perspective Display: Understand how the Edwards Aquifer fits into the world’s water systems
- Native Plant Demonstration Garden: Featuring rainwater harvesting and drought-tolerant plants you can use at home
- Augmented Reality Topobox: See the Edwards Aquifer from a whole new perspective
The Mission That Matters
The Edwards Aquifer isn’t just water. It’s survival. It’s home to eight endangered and three threatened Texas species. It’s the reason San Antonio and South Texas exist as thriving communities.
The Education Outreach Center’s mission is to turn visitors into aquifer stewards. People who understand why conservation matters. People who get that protecting the aquifer isn’t environmental activism—it’s common sense.
Senior STEAM Outreach Educator Sarah Valdez and STEAM Outreach Educator II Elizabeth Gutierrez lead this charge, shepherding students through interactive experiences that stick with them.
Why Blind Salamanders Matter
Here’s what makes this center truly unique: you can see a Texas blind salamander. A real one. Living. Breathing. Right in front of you.
Valdez describes the experience perfectly: “It is one thing to look at a photo or a video, but to sit and watch a Texas blind salamander move or eat is a rare treat—one that cannot be experienced anywhere else in San Antonio.”
These creatures live hundreds of feet underground in the Edwards Aquifer. Most people will never see one. But at the Education Outreach Center, you can. And when you do, you understand why protecting this aquifer matters.
Free Field Trips for Schools
If you’re a teacher or homeschool parent, this is a game-changer. The center offers completely free field trips for school groups. Students get presentations in the Karst Theater and hands-on activities that make learning about water conservation tangible and real.
You’re not paying for transportation, admission, or activities. It’s free. Completely free. All you have to do is schedule a visit online.
What 10,000 Visitors Means
In less than three years, 10,000 people have walked through this center. That’s not just a number. That’s 10,000 people who now understand:
- Why the Edwards Aquifer matters
- How water moves through the ground
- What endangered species depend on the aquifer
- How they can conserve water at home
- Why rainwater harvesting works
- What native plants actually do
That’s 10,000 aquifer stewards who didn’t exist before April 2022.
The Location Matters
The Education Outreach Center is located at Morgan’s Wonderland Camp on the Edwards Aquifer’s Recharge Zone. That’s not accidental. The recharge zone is where water enters the aquifer from the surface. Being there, on that exact land, makes the learning visceral and real.
It’s partnership between the Edwards Aquifer Authority and Gordon Hartman’s Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative—a collaboration that created the nation’s first all-accessible aquifer education facility.
Practical Water Lessons You Can Use at Home
The center doesn’t just teach theory. It teaches practice. The Native Plant Demonstration Garden shows you exactly how to:
- Collect rainwater
- Use drip irrigation systems
- Plant native, drought-tolerant plants
- Create a water-friendly yard that reduces demand on the aquifer
You can literally copy what you see at the center and implement it in your backyard.
How to Visit
The Edwards Aquifer Authority Education Outreach Center is located at: 23400 Cibolo Vista, San Antonio, TX
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost: Free Admission: Book your visit online at eaaeoc.org Phone: 210-547-2222
You can do self-guided tours, schedule field trips, or visit with your family. The entire experience is designed to be inclusive and accessible for people of all abilities.
Why This Matters Beyond San Antonio
The Edwards Aquifer serves eight counties: Uvalde, Medina, Bexar, and parts of Atascosa, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Comal, and Hays counties. That’s over 2.5 million people.
Every person who learns about aquifer conservation becomes an advocate. Every student who sees a Texas blind salamander becomes more invested in protection. Every family that installs a rainwater harvesting system reduces demand on the aquifer.
That’s how change happens. Not through mandates. Through understanding.
The Bottom Line
Ten thousand visitors in less than three years. A $3 million facility that costs nothing to enter. World-class education about the most important resource in South Texas.
If you haven’t been to the Edwards Aquifer Authority Education Outreach Center, you’re missing something special. Bring your family. Bring your students. Bring yourself and spend an afternoon learning about the water beneath your feet.
Because understanding the Edwards Aquifer isn’t just environmental education. It’s understanding how your community survives.
Visit eaaeoc.org to book your free visit today.
