Home

Web Designs Hosting Music Games Dating Attractions Sports Search
 
San Antonio Attractions

Advertise here Drive Traffic to your Site

 

Choose from the following attractions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Alamo

Open Mon-Sat 9 am - 5:30 pm; Sun. 10 am - 5:30 pm. Closed Dec. 24-25
The Alamo

THE ALAMO AND THE SPANISH MISSIONS

Come Visit the historic Alamo, the first Spanish Mission, established in 1718 as Mission San Antonio de Valero, site of the famous 1836 Battle for Texas Independence and let the kids take a stand where Davy Crocket took his last. Explore The Alamo’s Four Sister Missions along the Spanish Mission Trail. San Fernando Cathedral, just a short block from our beautiful hotel, is the oldest Cathedral in the United States. Built 1738 by the Canary Islanders sent by the King of Spain to establish San Antonio In 1731. Designated a cathedral in 1868.


Tel: (210) 225-1391)
Fax: (210) 229-1343

Remember the Alamo

top


Botanical Garden

555 Funston

San Antonio, TX

A working garde, reflects a part of Texas history. 33 acres of colorful, lush vegetation, native Texas exhibits. All walkways accommodate handicapped. Fee for admission.

Open Tues-Sun 9 am - 6 pm

top


Brackenridge Park

Main entrance - 2800 block of N. Broadway

San Antonio, TX

A 343 acre showplace including 3.5 mile miniature railway, stables, rustic stone bridges and winding walks, Sunken Gardens and aerial skyride.

top


Buckhorn Saloon & Museum

318 East Houston Street

San Antonio, TX 78205

Phone: 210-247-4000

FAX: 210-247-4020

Recently relocated back to the heart of downtown San Antonio, Buckhorn is still going strong. Along with the massive animal and horn collection and historic bar, the Buckhorn has added entertainment, an old-fashioned arcade and shooting gallery, western memorabilia and cowboy art. Fee for admission.

Open daily at 10 am.

top


HemisFair Plaza

Built to host the 1968 World's Fair, HemisFair Park has since been completely renovated and offers San Antonio residents and visitors a unique experience.

During the renovation, unused facilities were removed and a beautiful, 15-acre park with cascading waterfalls and fountains, lushly landscaped areas, and restored historic buildings was built.

In 1990, a children's playground was added, built entirely with volunteer labor.


Alamo Street Entrance
Tower of the Americas in the background
Symbol of HemisFair '68 and a world famous San Antonio landmark, the Tower of the Americas offers visitors an extraordinarily inspiring view of Texas' most unique city from its 605 foot high observation decks and revolving restaurant.

In addition to the Tower of the Americas, shops and the relaxing water park, HemisFair Park hosts two educational facilities, Texas A&M University Engineering Extension Service and the Universidad de Mexico. Also located in the Park are the Mexican Cultural Institute and the Institute of Texan Cultures, which offers year-round exhibits on the history and people of the Lone Star State and sponsors the popular Texas Folklife Festival each year.

HemisFair Park is located in downtown San Antonio adjacent to the Convention Center, in the shadow of the Alamo Dome. HemisFair Park and Tower of the Americas parking is available off Bowie St., east of the park.

 

top


Hertzberg Circus Collection

Presa & West Market St.

San Antonio, TX

210 207-7810

More than 20,000 items of memorabilia, including a detailed scale model of the 5 ring circus. Tom Thumb's carriage and oil paintings.

Fee for admission; open Mon-Sat 9 am - 5 pm; open Sun. 1 - 5 pm from June-Aug. only

top


Institute of Texan Cultures

Phone: 210 458-2300

26 ethnic & cultural groups are featured here. 36 screen multimedia show four times daily presents events, places and faces of Texas.

Open Tue - Sun 9 am - 5 pm. Fee for admission

top


King William Historic Area

Phone: 210 224-6163

A 25 block area on the south bank of the San Antonio River. Originally setled by German merchants, today zoned as the state's first historic district. Many mansions are restored and being restored. The San Antonio Conservation Society at 107 King kWilliam Street provides a walking tour.

top


Market Square - El Mercado

West Commerce at Santa Rosa

Phone: 210 207-8600

The largest Mexican market outside Mexico. The historic site of San Antonio's municipal market and center of frequent Hispanic festive cultural activities.

Open daily 10 am - 6 pm

top


McNay Art Museum

6000 N. New Braunfels

San Antonio, TX

210 824-5368

Private art collection and home left by Marion Koogler McNay to become a museum of modern art for San Antonio and Texas. Collection contains Gothic and Medieval, Post-Impressionism, early New Mexican arts and crafts collections.

Free admission. Open Tue - Sat 10 - 5 pm; Sun. 12 - 5 pm

top


San Antonio Museum of Art

200 W. Jones Ave.

San Antonio, TX

210 978-8100

Turn-of-the-century brewery turned art museum houses extensive permanent collections of Pre-Columbian artifacts, Spanish Colonial objects, Latin American Art, Chinese procelains and Greek and Roman Antiquities, 17th-19th century European art and 18th-20th century American paintings. Traveling exhibits.

Fee for admission; Open Mon - Sat 10 am - 5 pm; Tue 10 am - 9 pm (free Tue after 3 pm) Sun noon - 5 pm. Closed Thanksgiving & Christmas

top


San Antonio Zoo

3903 N. St. Mary's

San Antonio, TX

Phone: 210 734-7183

Being one of the largest zoos in the country with 3,500 animals of 750 species means there is a lot to see. The San Antonio Zoo is one of the premier zoos in the country, and our conservation programs with flamingo, white rhino, black rhino, snow leopard, whooping crane, and many more species are recognized around the globe. Enjoy your visit...use this site to plan your next Zoo trip, as an educational resource, to adopt an animal, to see what’s new at the Zoo, and so much more!

Fee for admission; Open daily 9 am - 5 pm; extended hours in summer

top


 

Tower of the Americas

HemisFair Plaza

San Antonio, TX

Phone: 210 207-8615

750 ft. symbol of unity for the Western hemisphere. Ride in the glass elevator to the observation deck.

Fee for admission. Open Sun - Thurs. 9 am - 10 pm; Fri-Sat 9 am - 11 pm

top


Witte Museum

3801 Broadway

San Antonio, TX

Phone: 210 357-1900

San Antonio landmark founded in 1926. This regional museum of history and natural science includes award-winning, hands-on exhibitions. A walk-through diorama illustrates the flora, fauna and wildlife of the state in "Texas Wild: Ecology Illustrated." The culture and cave paintings of the ancient inhabitants of the Lower Pecos area of Texas are the focus of "Ancient Texans."

Fee for admission; Open Mon-Sat 10 am - 5 pm except Tues until 9 pm; Sun noon - 5 pm (6 pm June, July, Aug). Closed Thanksgiving & Christmas

top


Mission Concepcion

Phone: 210 229-5732

The oldest unrestored church in the United States. Massive twin towers show traces of the brightly colored designs used to attract the Indians to the missions. Open daily 9 am - 6 pm. Summer; Winter hours - 8 am - 5 pm

top


Mission San Juan Capistrano

Phone: 210 229 5734

Mission San Francisco de la Espada

Phone: 210 627-2021

Both smaller than the other compounds, only the church structures remain. Beautifully simple architecture and decorative statues of cornstalk pith set them apart from the larger more imposing missions. Restoration is an on-going project at all of the missions.

Open daily 9 am - 6 pm, Summer; Winter hours - 9 am - 5 pm

top


Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch

Have you ever dreamed of going on an African Safari? Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch makes that dream come true - TEXAS style. In the comfort of your own automobile, view and feed exotic species from seven different countries as they roam freely. Petting zoo & picnic areas around the Visitor's Center. Don't forget your camera. Open daily.

Directions: Take I-35 north, exit #175 (FM3009) Natural Bridge Caverns Road & follow the signs.

26515 Natural Bridge Caverns Rd
San Antonio, TX 78266
Phone: 830-438-7400
Phone: 210 438-7400

top


Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Plaza Theatre of Wax
301 Alamo Plaza
San Antonio, TX 78205-2605
Phone: 210 224-9299

Themed galleries with more than 500 one of a kind exhibits from the collection of Robert Rilpley. The Plaza Theatre of Wax presents more than 225 lifelike wax figures from Hollywood, Horror, History and Religion.

Call for prices and hours.

top


Sea World of Texas

Seaworld San Antonio, Texas

It is a larger than life entertainment showplace. Enter the season of excitement with a walk on the wild side. Nature’s most amazing animals are just waiting to be discovered.

Directions: Between loop 410 and loop 1604, Ellison Dr./ Westover Hills Blvd. Off State Highway 151

Phone: 210 523-3611

top


Texas Trolley

Phone: 210 225-8587 for info

60 minute downtown Trolly Tour - get off & r3eboard at any of our seven Trolley Hop Locations. Stops at the Alamo, Hemisfair Park, Riverwalk, La Villita, Main Plaza & Market Square. NEW stops - Mission Conception and Lone Star Brewery.

Tours depart from the Alamo Visitor Center next to the Alamo.

top


Los Patios - San Antonio's Other Riverwalk

On Loop 410 between Starcrest and Harry Wurzbach

Phone: 210 655-6171

Open daily.

top


La Villita

Santa Anna's troops stayed here. Downtown, historic La Villita (little town) is a center for arts and crafts. Restored adobe buildings house shops with unique and original works of art, fine jewelry, antiques, fashions, plants and delicious food. Many major annual events bring thousands of tourists and locals to the area. Open 10 am - 6 pm daily

Directons: On Alamo Street across from HemisFair plaza and The Convention Center

Phone: 210 207-8610

top


San Antonio Symphony

Call 210 438-2339 for more information on the offering of the current season at the Majestic Theatre

top


San Antonio Spurs

NBA Basketball

Alamodome

100 Montana

San Antonio, TX

Phone: 210 224-9600 for game information.

top


Texas Adventure

307 Alamo Plaza
San Antonio, TX 78205-2677
Phone: 210-227-8224

top


Fiesta Texas Theme Park

17000 W Ih 10
San Antonio, TX 78257-9503
Phone: 210-697-5050

top


Texas Air Museum

Stinson Chapter
8406 Cadmus
San Antonio, TX 78214
Phone: (210) 977- 9885
Fax: (210) 927- 4447
Email: info@texasairmuseum.org

top



Nearby, the San Antonio IMAX Theatre Rivercenter presents "Alamo ... The Price of Freedom" on a six-story screen, while the Texas Adventure presents the story of Texas independence in a state-of-the-art multi-media presentation.

Four other Spanish missions founded in the early 1700’s form the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, a marvelous place to explore the city’s roots and Spain’s influence on the Southwestern part of the United States. The visitor center at Mission San Jose is an excellent starting point, and a new hike/bike trail and improved way finding system is underway to make these historic gems more accessible.

A tour of downtown San Antonio will uncover literally centuries of history. Developed in the mid to late 18th century, La Villita ("the little village") was one of San Antonio’s original settlements which became a hub of Texas revolutionary activities in 1835 and 1836. Today, La Villita is a National Historic District and a haven for artists and craftsmen, selling blown glass, jewelry, stained glass and other handcrafts, as well as fashions from Mexico and Guatemala.

The Spanish Governor’s Palace, the seat of government when San Antonio was the capital of the Spanish Province of Texas, sits downtown near City Hall. Nearby is San Fernando Cathedral, which the area’s founders from the Canary Islands began constructing in 1731; and the Jose Antonio Navarro State Historical Park, home of a central figure in the formation of Texas.

Dating to 1840, Market Square (El Mercado), the largest Mexican marketplace outside of México, is a festive combination of Tex-Mex cuisine, music and entertainment, and products ranging from pearls to piñatas. Meanwhile, the Steves Homestead, a mansion open to the public in the King William Historic District, reflects San Antonio’s German heritage in a gracious residential area settled in the late 1800s. 

Northeast of downtown lies Fort Sam Houston, another "must see" for history buffs. A National Historic Landmark, the oldest building on the post dates to 1876. Military greats like Pershing, Stilwell, Krueger, and Eisenhower all served at Fort Sam Houston. San Antonio was also a training site for the Buffalo Soldiers, famed African American cavalry troops who helped bring peace to the Western frontier a century ago. Today, Fort Sam Houston is headquarters for the Fifth U.S. Army, the Fort Sam Houston Museum and the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum.

The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio, located downtown in HemisFair Park, chronicles more than 25 ethnic groups that made the Lone Star State what it is today. Their stories are told through words, photos and fascinating displays, that include such eclectic items as a Native American teepee, an old-time barbershop, a frontier dentist’s office, a town square band gazebo, an African American sharecropper’s house – even a working post office.

For many visitors, San Antonio is the Paseo del Rio, an urban masterpiece. Better known as the "River Walk," these cobblestone and flagstone paths border both sides of the San Antonio River, 20 feet below street level, as it winds its way through the middle of the business district.

The River Walk has multiple personalities — quiet and park-like in some stretches, while other areas are full of activity with European-style sidewalk cafes, specialty boutiques, art galleries, nightclubs and gleaming high-rise hotels.

Stretching for approximately two and a half miles from the Municipal Auditorium and Conference Center on the north end to the King William Historic District on the south, the River Walk designs were mainly the work of the late Robert H. H. Hugman, a landscape architect. Work is underway on a River Walk improvement project that eventually will link Brackenridge Park with Mission Espada.

Yanaguana Cruises, the river’s floating transportation system, provides a novel method of sightseeing and people watching in downtown San Antonio. Groups can also dine aboard open-air, candlelit cruisers as they wind their way along the scenic waterway. River taxis deliver visitors to Rivercenter Mall, a dazzling three-level, glass shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

San Antonio is the picture-perfect setting for great family vacations. Families may want to start their exploration of the city at the San Antonio Children’s Museum, where kids are encouraged to explore a miniature version of the city with exhibits like "Citystreets," "Hill Country Bubble Ranch," "Mission Courtyard," "Runway #9," and much more. Kids of all ages will experience the excitement of the big top at the Hertzberg Circus Museum, while The Magik Children’s Theatre provides family professional theatre in the heart of downtown.

The Downtown All-Around Playground at HemisFair Park and Milam Park (across from Market Square) provide excellent stops for kids to burn off excess energy! In addition, don’t forget the Tower of the Americas, which offers a spectacular view of San Antonio from 579 feet above the ground.

The Plaza Wax Museum houses more than 225 life-like characters in four themed sections —Hollywood, Horrors, History and Religion. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! has more than 500 unique curiosities from around the world. Another popular stop is the Buckhorn Saloon & Museum on East Houston Street, which showcases a 118-year old bar, one-of-a-kind oddities and Western memorabilia, and offers visitors a journey back to the Old West through exhibits, an old-fashioned arcade, the Saloon, and a shooting gallery.

Brackenridge Park, a 343-acre refuge in the heart of the city, offers a full day of family fun. The San Antonio Zoo, with a collection of more than 3,500 animals representing 750 different species from around the globe – one of the largest collections in America – also is the only zoo in the country to exhibit endangered Whooping cranes. Nearby, the Witte Museum and H-E-B Science Treehouse offer hands-on learning, with exhibits exploring history, science, natural science and anthropology. The Japanese Tea Garden, featuring ponds and gardens nestled in an abandoned quarry, and the Kiddie Park will round out a day of fun and education.

Not far from Brackenridge Park, you can follow your senses through the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, where acres of beautiful lush vegetation replicate three distinct landscapes of Texas. Wander through formal gardens and even a special garden for the blind, where emphasis is placed on the texture and scent of plants.

Around the city, families will find abundant opportunities for fun — Laser Quest, Malibu Grand Prix and Castle, Splashtown Water Park, and the Texas Transportation Museum.

San Antonio is Texas-sized fun at SeaWorld San Antonio, the world’s largest marine life park, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, the town built just for fun! SeaWorld San Antonio combines fun with education and appreciation for some of the ocean’s most fascinating creatures through more than 25 shows, educational exhibits and rides. Explore "Lost Lagoon’s" five acres of aquatic fun or "Shamu’s Happy Harbor," where kids can romp, splash and play in an area designed just for them. "The Steel Eel" at SeaWorld San Antonio is an exciting roller coaster, the only hypercoaster anywhere in the American Southwest.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas is a non-stop celebration of San Antonio and South Texas. It’s designed around four theme areas: The Mexican town of Los Festivales; the German village of Spassburg; the 1920’s cowboy boomtown of Crackaxle Canyon; and the small Texas town of Rockville, during the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll, which includes Fiesta Bay Boardwalk, a ’50s-’60s seaside boardwalk complete with a 90-foot Ferris wheel. Great musical shows, exciting rides including massive wooden and steel roller coasters, food choices, architecture and craft demonstrations all carry out the themes.

(Visitor tip: Plan on at least one full day at each of the theme parks, which are open on weekends during the spring and fall and daily during June, July and the early part of August.)

San Antonio is Van Gogh, Matisse, Mozart and Treviño. In a historically rich and ethnically diverse city, one would expect to find a vivid tapestry of art, both visual and performing, and San Antonio is not an exception. San Antonio has two impressive art museums. The McNay Art Museum is set in a Mediterranean-style mansion and has wide-ranging collections, including post-impressionist and modern art, theater art, Medieval art, Native American art, and more. The San Antonio Museum of Art is housed in the castle-like former headquarters of the Lone Star Brewery. This museum is noted for its antiquities collections, and the 30,000 square-foot wing of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Latin American Art – the largest repository of its kind in the United States. The Alameda National Center for Latino Arts and Culture, to be housed in the Centro de Artes building at Market Square, will serve as a regional home for touring exhibits from the Smithsonian Institution. Scheduled to open in 2002, the museum is part of the Centro Alameda affiliation program with the Smithsonian that also includes the Alameda Theater on Houston Street.

Hotbeds of contemporary artistic expression include the Blue Star Art Space in Southtown, ArtPace on Main Avenue, and the Southwest School of Art and Craft, a lovely complex built on the banks of the San Antonio River by French nuns in 1848, which served as the first girls’ school in the city. Galleries abound and offer the serious collector a wide range of styles and topics from Texas landscapes to Latin American folk art to western and Native American to contemporary.

The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center provides a venue for Hispanic artistic endeavors — literary, dance, music and drama. Signature events of the center include the San Antonio CineFestival, the nation’s oldest and largest Chicano-Latino film festival; the Tejano Conjunto Festival, a celebration of conjunto music, a South Texas original; and the San Antonio Inter-American Bookfair and Literary Festival. The Carver Community Cultural Center mounts a stellar season each year, with performing groups from around the world, with an accent on African American artists.

The opulent Majestic Theatre downtown, built in 1929, is a memorable setting for touring Broadway shows and concerts and also is the permanent home of the San Antonio Symphony, founded in 1939 by Max Reiter. The neighboring Charline McCombs Empire Theatre reflects the beaux-arts grandeur of the 1920’s and hosts touring musical acts and other entertainment headliners. The art deco Alameda Theater, currently under renovation as part of the Centro Alameda affiliation program with the Smithsonian Institution, will reopen in 2002 and will reclaim its status as the centerpiece of a Latino arts, culture, and entertainment in downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio is beautiful blue skies and outdoor adventure. With more than 300 days of sunshine annually and an average temperature of 68.8 degrees Fahrenheit, visitors to San Antonio will find an abundance of outdoor sports and recreation to challenge them.

The first public golf course in Texas, Brackenridge Golf Course, was built in San Antonio in 1916, and the city has been busy hosting golfers since then. A flurry of golf course construction during the last decade has made the city even more attractive to visiting golfers with additional upscale, public courses opening every year.

San Antonio is home to the SBC Championship at The Dominion (A Senior PGA Tour Event), played at the Dominion Country Club; and the PGA Tour's Valero Texas Open at La Cantera, one of the oldest professional golf tournaments, which is played at La Cantera Golf Club in the fall.

Rivers in the Texas Hill Country, which forms an arc around the northern edge of San Antonio, provide venues for canoeing, tubing and white-water rafting. Area lakes attract fishing enthusiasts, as well as water skiing and sailing fans. Working ranches throughout Central and South Texas are available as hunting leases for wild game, while dude ranches offer a taste of the Old West, complete with horseback riding. Numerous state parks offer opportunities for hiking in the rugged terrain of the Hill Country.

Visitors to San Antonio also have a variety of spectator sports to choose from. The San Antonio Spurs of the NBA are a hometown favorite. The San Antonio Iguanas of the Central Hockey League play at the Joe and Harry Freeman Coliseum, while the San Antonio Missions play at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Baseball Stadium. Live action-packed thoroughbred and quarter horse racing seasons are presented at Retama Park from May through November, with televised simulcast races from the best tracks in the country every day of the year.

No matter what country visitors originate from, shopping is an international favorite. And San Antonio is truly a shopper’s paradise. Antique shops abound in the central city and in charming towns on the outskirts of the city. Art galleries cover a wide spectrum of artistic achievement from contemporary to western to Latin American folk art. Ten major shopping malls dot the city, and three major outlet malls are within an hour’s drive of downtown. And no serious shopper would miss La Villita, Market Square and the River Walk in the historic heart of the city!

Dining options in San Antonio run the gamut from fine French cuisine to Chinese to Texas steaks and barbecue to Soul Food and Cajun, but San Antonio is home to Tex-Mex. Tex-Mex is a passion with local residents of all ethnic backgrounds, and numerous restaurants are open 24 hours in case a craving for guacamole or fajitas develops at 3:00 a.m. A glossary of terms to familiarize yourself with before hitting the San Antonio dining scene: queso flameado, carne asada, chili relleno, menudo, enchiladas, chalupas and sopapillas. Did you know that chili was first sold in the open-air markets of San Antonio by women known as "chili queens"?

When the sun sets in the west and the stars come out over the South Texas plains, it’s time to head to the nightclubs and dance halls. San Antonians and visitors alike enjoy two-stepping to a country-western tune or swaying to a Tejano super group or a local conjunto band. Or maybe it’s traditional jazz or a sing-along at an Irish pub or piano bar? What about Hard Rock Cafe or Planet Hollywood on the River Walk? Sunset Station, San Antonio’s newest nightspot, features two clubs – Club Agave, an upbeat "Latin craze" venue, and Studio 794, with multi-level dancing – and restaurants, all housed in the historic 1902 Southern Pacific railroad depot in the St. Paul Square Historic District. The facility’s Lone Star Pavilion features national recording artists live in concert.

San Antonians love a good party and sharing it with visitors. It’s always fiesta time! The city celebrates traditional American and Mexican holidays, and throws in a few German, Irish, French, African American, Greek, Jewish, Asian and Lebanese events for good measure. A sampling of San Antonio’s major events and festivals include MLK Day Observances in January, the Livestock Show and Rodeo in February, St. Patrick’s Day in March, Fiesta San Antonio in April (the party of the year — 150 events spanning ten days), Cinco de Mayo and the Tejano Conjunto Festival in May, the Texas Folklife Festival in June, Juneteenth, Fourth of July, Diez y Seis de Septiembre, Oktoberfest, the Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony in November, and the Alamo Bowl in December.

What's special about San Antonio? The Alamo, the River Walk, conjunto music, friendly people, Tex-Mex cuisine and Fiesta San Antonio. Yes, and more. The answer is as varied as the people who live in and visit San Antonio. Come experience San Antonio - her natural beauty, her history, her people, her music, her cuisine. You'll leave with memories to last a lifetime. www.sanantoniocvb.com/

<<<Back