Bullseye

Trendy hatchet-throwing venue targets San Antonio for next location

Stumpy's will make all of San Antonio's hatchet throwing dreams come true.

Stumpy's Hatchet House/Facebook

If the name doesn't get you, the concept certainly will. Stumpy's Hatchet House is bringing high-flyin', bullseye-findin' hatchet throwin' to Alamo City. Located at 758 Isom Rd., near North Star Mall, Stumpy's will offer San Antonians the opportunity to throw hatchets at targets, something we never realized we actually wanted to do until it became a possibility.

Part recreation center/part BYOB bar, Stumpy's houses a series of indoor throwing pits outfitted with wire-framed walls and a special wooden target at the end. People take turns throwing hatchets in a safe, controlled environment, which allows them to work on their hatchet throwing form, according to a Stumpy's press alert. After they've mastered the art of the throw, players can then move to hatchet games and activities.

Though Stumpy's offers light snacks and soft drinks for purchase, the 21-and-up age restriction means customers can bring their own booze or order in meals. Stumpy's also offers accommodations for large parties, but reservations for groups of all sizes — especially on the weekends — is encouraged.

After opening its first location in 2016, the New Jersey-based company has rapidly expanded to include seven additional locations, including two in Texas: San Antonio and Austin, according to its website.

CultureMap has reached out to confirm the San Antonio opening date and will update this story as soon as that information becomes available. Considering Stumpy's San Antonio's social media teases and call for new employees, we'd bet our hatchet throwing dreams are about to come true any day now.

openings

Hold Your Horses

San Antonio City Council considers plan to phase out horse-drawn carriages

Getty Images

A scant majority of San Antonians like the idea of ending the practice.

In a special session on Thursday, October 31, the San Antonio City Council will deliberate on possibly phasing out horse-drawn carriages. A proposal called "A Just Transition from Horse Drawn Carriages" has led to a one-to-three-year plan for replacing the horses with electric carriages.

An early project proposal in November of 2022 — written by District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran — laid out concerns for the horses' wellbeing, quoting the Animal Welfare Institute. Concerns included exposure to traffic and pollution, long periods standing and walking on hard surfaces, and extreme weather, among other things. In addition to the effect on horses, the request also mentioned environmental effects from slowed traffic.

It proposed completely stopping any new use of horse drawn carriages and letting any existing permits expire. The request also mentioned pedicabs as an alternative alongside the electric carriages, but the pedicabs seem to have fallen away from the public discourse.

Following up on the proposal, a city survey that concluded in August of 2024 found that of 50,476 respondents, a scant majority (51.98 percent) said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." Other options like changing hours and location of horse-drawn carriage use were unpopular, and 29.01 percent said they wanted to continue with the current system of use.

A majority of respondents (53.83 percent) had never ridden in a horse drawn carriage at all, and an strong majority of those survey takers cited the treatment of the horse as the reason they hadn't tried it. Those who had ridden on the carriages mostly liked it for the "historical and cultural experience," with examples including feeling nostalgic and learning about San Antonio's history.

The survey did not disclose how many of the people who rode on the carriages were tourists, but tourists made up 21.66 percent of respondents.

In addition to the survey, council members also unanimously voted on August 19, 2024, to have a plan drafted by city staff that would phase out the horse-drawn carriages in one to three years.

The only item on the special session agenda (aside from approval of minutes) is a briefing and possible action on the proposal, meaning that a decision is not guaranteed.

More information about city council meetings is available at sa.gov.

animals civic issues