Entry No. 28 — the San Antonio file — filed under: outdoor

Dionicio Rodríguez's Faux-Bois Bridge & Torii Gate, Brackenridge Park

A pedestrian bridge that looks assembled from gnarled tree limbs, complete with fake bark, knotholes, and broken branch stubs, is actually cast concrete — one of Mexican folk artist Dionicio Rodríguez's 1920s "faux bois" illusions, done with the same trompe-l'oeil technique he used on the garden's torii-style entrance gate.

The move: Skip the zoo and Tea Garden lines; walk the golf-course loop along the river specifically to find the bridge and run your hand over the "bark" to feel it's stone-cold concrete.

• 📍 Brackenridge Park
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 3700 N St Mary's St, San Antonio, TX 78209

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Wikipedia

last checked: 2026-07-20