Cool Crest Miniature Golf in San Antonio changes owners to Casa Rio and Schilo’s restaurant family
A landmark miniature golf property enters its fourth era of operators
Cool Crest Miniature Golf, one of San Antonio’s longest-running recreation venues, has been acquired by Los Leones Ltd., the business group behind two downtown institutions: Casa Rio on the River Walk and Schilo’s Delicatessen. The purchase shifts stewardship of the Fredericksburg Road attraction to a family enterprise with deep roots in the city’s hospitality industry.
The new owners are the Lyons/Houston family, led by businessman Bill Lyons. The family’s restaurant portfolio includes Schilo’s, which dates to 1917, and Casa Rio, opened by Lyons’ grandfather in 1946. The acquisition places Cool Crest under the same umbrella as two businesses widely recognized for longevity and for operating in prominent tourist and local dining corridors.
Nearly a century of operation, with major changes in 1937, 1960, and the 2010s
City historical research has linked Cool Crest’s origins to 1929, during a period when miniature golf expanded rapidly across the United States. The attraction began as an 18-hole course and later developed into a two-course facility identified with lush landscaping and an Art Deco-influenced aesthetic.
In 1937, Harold Metzger leased the course from its original owners. He and his wife, Maria Metzger, shaped Cool Crest’s signature look and operations over decades. A second course was added around 1960, creating the dual-course format that remains central to the site’s identity.
From closure to restoration, then a handoff to the next operator
After Maria Metzger’s later years, the property closed around 2007 and subsequently fell into disrepair. The next major transition came when Dr. James Andry and his brothers purchased the property from the Metzger estate in 2012. The Andry family undertook a restoration intended to match archival photographs and reopened Cool Crest in 2013.
In 2020, the owners added the Metzger Biergarten on-site, a feature named in recognition of the family that operated the venue for much of the 20th century. The project broadened the property’s offerings beyond miniature golf, aligning it with a wider shift toward hybrid recreation-and-dining concepts in the local market.
What remains known about near-term operations
Cool Crest is currently closed for its annual winter break and is scheduled to reopen in early March. Public statements from the new owners have emphasized continuity and preservation of the site’s established character, rather than a wholesale redesign.
- Location: 1402 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio
- Origins linked to: 1929
- Key operating eras: Metzger family (from 1937), Andry family (from 2012), Lyons/Houston family (from 2026)
- Major additions: second course around 1960; Metzger Biergarten in 2020
Cool Crest’s latest ownership change arrives as San Antonio’s miniature-golf landscape expands, combining legacy venues with newer entertainment concepts that pair play with food-and-beverage service.