16 Best Sights in Downtown and the River Walk, San Antonio

At the heart of San Antonio, this one-time Franciscan mission established in 1718 as Mission San Antonio de Valero stands as a revered repository of 300 years of Texas history. It is a monument to the 187 Texan and Tejano (Texans of Mexican descent) volunteers who fought and died here during a 13-day siege in February and March of 1836 led by Mexican dictator General Antonio López de Santa Anna. The Texan army lost, but the defeat inspired an April victory at the Battle of San Jacinto with the rallying cry "Remember the Alamo," spurring Texas toward independence from Mexico. Today the historic shrine (Alamo Church) and Long Barrack are the only structures remaining from the 1836 battle. Admission to those two are free, but you must have a timed ticket (reserve online or on-site) to keep crowds at a minimum inside the shrine. Once inside, be sure to see the Church's Sacristy Exhibit, an immersive journey through time all the way to its role as a sanctuary for women and children during the siege. You can also upgrade from the free tour to the "A Line in the Sand" self-guided experience ($20), which includes the audio tour, the Alamo Exhibit, and entry to Alamo Church. For the ultimate history lesson, take the "Remember the Alamo Guided Tour" ($45) led by Alamo History interpreters; it's 45 minutes long with a 30-minute guided walking tour and time for Q&A. This tour includes entry into the church and the Alamo Exhibit in the Ralston Family Collections Center, where you can explore artifacts from the Phil Collins Collection and others in 10,000 square feet of gallery space with more than 500 artifacts on display (rotated out of a collection of 5,000). You can also purchase tickets separately to the Ralston Center. The ongoing construction around the Alamo is part of a multi-year (through 2027) $550 million renovation and redevelopment of Alamo Plaza, including plans for a Plaza de Valero pavilion, a reconstructed walkway from the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk hotel to Alamo Plaza, a new education center (150,000 school children visit the Alamo each year), and a $185 million visitor center and Alamo museum in the historic Crockett Building across from the plaza.

Don't miss this magnificent global art museum right on the River Walk, near the Museum Reach section. Housed in the former historic Lone Star Brewery, the 69,500-square-foot museum is best known for its spectacular Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Latin American Art, with thousands of works of Spanish colonial art, folk art, pre-Columbian art, and Latin American modern and contemporary art. There are also impressive collections of American Indian, African, Islamic, European, and Ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art. An extensive collection of Asian art is housed in its own Lenora and Walter F. Brown Asian Art wing, including pieces from the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties. Past exhibitions have included works by impressionists, Matisse, sculptor and designer Harry Bertoia, Carlos Mérida, Rodin, and many more. The museum offers a variety of tours, along with classes, workshops, and special events. The SAMA museum gift shop is one of the best, brimming with accessories, home decor, gifts, art prints, jewelry, seasonal items, and books, including guides to selected collections.

All are welcome at the oldest standing church building in Texas and the first church in San Antonio. Still an active parish (mass is held daily), San Fernando Cathedral was built in 1731 by the city's Canary Island colonists. Mexican general Santa Anna raised a crimson "flag of no quarter" here before launching his assault on the Alamo in 1836, signaling to the Texans he would take no prisoners. In 1873, following a fire after the Civil War, the chapel was replaced with the present-day construction. A small sarcophagus on display holds the ashes of unknown soldiers, presented as the remains of the defenders of the Alamo. However, some modern historians are skeptical because evidence of military uniforms was discovered, which the Texan army never wore. Special events are held here, including musical performances and televised specials. The gift shop has an ample assortment of religious items including books, cards, rosaries, and candles for purchase and placement inside the church.

This is a stunning museum that celebrates the art, history, and culture of the American West, located in a beautifully restored 1930s San Antonio Public Library building on the River Walk. The museum is named in honor of the late Texas governor Dolph Briscoe Jr. and his wife Janey Slaughter Briscoe. Highlights of the collection include a monumental bronze sculpture, John Coleman's Visions of Change, that represents both Native Americans and cowboys. Featured works include those by Frederic Remington, Allan Houser, Martin Grelle, Charles Marion Russell, W. Herbert Dunton, and more. There are 14 galleries on three levels, housing paintings, sculpture, photography, and artifacts reflecting Native American art, Spanish and Mexican colonial-era art, and Western folk art. The beautiful McNutt Sculpture Garden is free and open to the public, with access from the River Walk and an entrance on Market Street.

These are two museums for the price of one, and both add up to a 40,000-square-foot Texas history lesson and fun for the whole family. In 1881 the Buckhorn Saloon opened as a Texan watering hole, and future president Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders are said to have been among its patrons, as were writer O. Henry and Mexican Revolution leader Francisco "Pancho" Villa. Primary customers after it opened were hunters and trappers, eager for a cold brew and to trade furs and horns. Saloon owner Albert Friedrich collected the horns, some of which his father made into horn chairs. Today the museum features a gigantic collection of taxidermy including, of course, tons of antlers. Famous artifacts include one of Gene Autry's saddles. The self-guided tour starts on the second floor (ADA compliant with elevator) through galleries filled with animals from around the world. In 2006, the Former Texas Rangers Association teamed up with the Buckhorn Saloon & Museum to open the Texas Ranger Museum, with exhibits that recount the stories of law enforcement in the Lone Star State from Stephen Austin on as well as displays of artifacts covering more than 100 years of Texas Ranger history. The café/saloon, with its original marble and cherry wood back-bar, serves brewed draft beer and a full menu of mostly American fare. The gift shop brims with merchandise for all ages.

A signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, lawyer, legislator, and Tejano civil rights advocate José Antonio Navarro built these three limestone, brick, and adobe buildings in the 1850s for his residence and law office. He had sold his ranch near Seguin and moved to San Antonio to be active on the city council. Open to visitors, the half-acre site in Old San Antonio's Laredito area is now a National Historic Landmark and features period furniture and copies of Navarro's writings—he wrote about the history of Texas from a Tejano's perspective and in the Spanish language. Navarro served in Texas legislatures under Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the State of Texas. Casa Navarro is San Antonio's only historic site focused on the Mexican history and heritage of Texas from the viewpoint of a native Texan with Mexican ancestry.

The site of the 1968 World's Fair, Hemisfair is in the process of being transformed into a 40-acre public space for the city and residential developments for a diverse population. The site currently houses some of San Antonio's best-known attractions: the Tower of the Americas, the Mexican Cultural Institute, and the Yanaguana Playground and Splash Pad for children, which was recognized by the Urban Land Institute as an outstanding example of a vibrant, open urban space.

Plans for the park remain ongoing. The Mays Family Foundation donated $1 million to build a garden in their matriarch Peggy's honor, a 25,000-square-foot space near the remaining historic homes on the site. The park is open every day from 5 am to midnight, and almost any time of day or night you will see people on the walking paths, dog walkers (dogs must be on a leash), and residents and visitors enjoying community programming like free concerts and outdoor workouts. Hemisfair is also home to various annual festivals and city celebrations, including Jazz's Alive, and the largest Day of the Dead festival, Dia de los Muertos, in the fall. Check their website for upcoming events.

Built from more than 1.5 million LEGO bricks (50,000 for the Alamodome alone), just the sight of Miniland San Antonio is worth the price of admission. It's a stunning replica that includes some of the city's most popular landmarks, including the Alamo, River Walk, Tower of the Americas, and much more. The cars even obey traffic signals, and the river boats glide down the river. Designed for families with children ages 3–10, LEGOLAND features themed play areas and creative workshops with LEGO Master Model Builders. An expansive shop features LEGO kits to make your own, well, just about anything. Ticket prices vary based on type of ticket and time of day.

Part of an entertainment complex across from the Alamo, these two spots are filled with Instagram-friendly selfie opportunities. More than 200 wax figures at Waxworks depict the famous and infamous along with superheroes, television and movie stars, sports figures, musicians, and more. Many wax figures are displayed against elaborate sets and backdrops. Ripley's Believe it or Not! has 18,000 square feet in its "Odditorium" that features unusual worldwide collections in 18 themed galleries, some including hands-on interactive exhibits. There is also a Ripley's Believe it or Not! 4D Motion Theatre attraction that features 3D short adventure films with moving seats.

Downtown's Main Plaza welcomes all from far and near, whether they're looking to gather with others, attend a performance, or enjoy the space in solitude. Also known as Plaza de Las Islas Canarias, a nod to the Canary Island settlers in San Antonio, the area in front of San Fernando Cathedral has been around since the early 18th century. After ups and downs due to growth and other factors, the plaza is now alive with performers and visitors thanks to the efforts of the Main Plaza Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to creating and developing a family-friendly plaza for all ages, promoting arts and culture in an open-air setting they have dubbed The Heart of the City. Enjoy free musical concerts, dance performances, yoga, movies, seasonal and holiday events, and more. Check the online calendar to see upcoming and recurring events.

You don't have to stay here to enjoy the ambience of San Antonio's most historic lodging. After you visit the Alamo, stop by this stunning 1859 property next door that offers a history book full of "who's who" have slept here. Famous guests include Civil War generals Robert E. Lee and William Sherman, Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum (who had a studio at the hotel), playwright Oscar Wilde, and author O. Henry, who mentioned the hotel in several of his short stories. As legend has it, William Menger built the Victorian hotel to accommodate the many carousers who frequented his brewery, which stood on the same site. Step inside the very cool Menger Bar to see its mahogany bar, a precise replica of one from a pub in London's House of Lords. Here cattlemen closed deals with a handshake over three fingers of rye, and Teddy Roosevelt supposedly recruited his Rough Riders—hard-living cowboys fresh from the Chisholm Trail. Note that the Buckhorn Saloon & Museum also makes the same claim; either someone's been playing too much poker and can't stop bluffing, or Teddy had to go recruiting more than once. Throughout the spacious lobby, hallways, and public areas, check out the fascinating historical mini-exhibits. The on-site Colonial Restaurant is also open to the public.

A fun and educational adventure for all ages, this aquarium boasts more than 250 species and 3,000 sea creatures in 160,000 gallons of water. It also has the city's only walk-through underwater ocean tunnel, where you can safely get up close and personal with about 500 sea creatures. Stingray Bay has five different species of stingrays, while in the freshwater habitat, you'll see native-to-Texas creatures. One of the best features of Sea Life is the way the exhibits are constructed low enough to the ground so that even small kids can get a good look (and it saves family members from having to hoist them up). The interactive rock-pool is a kid-friendly favorite, with a Sea Life expert giving fun facts about the touchable creatures. The aquarium holds educational talks and feeding demonstrations throughout the day; be sure to ask about them as their timing may vary.

Notice the expertly carved wooden doors at the entrance here: they tell the story of Spanish explorers in the New World, with the "baby face" representing America. San Antonio, then known as Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, was under Spanish rule from 1722 to 1821. This National Historic Landmark started as a one-room house built for the captain of the garrison in 1722. Walk through the self-guided tour with a map available at the entrance to see how and when the residence grew to 10 rooms, with period furnishings throughout and plaques that describe additions, such as the captain's office, an education room, dining room, kitchen, children's bedroom, and more. Relax on the cobblestone patio, enjoy the lovely courtyard, and make a wish at the wishing well.

At 750 feet tall, here you can take a glass-elevator ride traveling at 800 feet per minute, straight up, a very intense 43 seconds. Once the symbol of HemisFair '68, the 1968 World's Fair in San Antonio, locals now just call it "The Tower." Three elevators can carry almost 2,000 passengers an hour. There are two observation decks, a café, a gift shop, a 4D movie theater, and the revolving Chart House, a steak-and-seafood restaurant at the top. One admission ticket covers the elevator ride, admission to the on-site 4D theater (a multisensory movie experience), and access to the Flags Over Texas Observation Deck.

Since 1870, the award-winning Travis Park has welcomed the community for gatherings, celebrations, concerts, holidays, Movies by Moonlight, and other special events. As one of the oldest municipal parks in the United States, this 2.6-acre green space is a destination all its own, especially for such popular events as the H-E-B Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony the day after Thanksgiving. Other activities throughout the year include an ice rink, free movies, food trucks, fitness classes, and live music.

Located between the Alamodome and the Tower of the Americas, this fascinating museum features 65,000 square feet of exhibits that focus on the major cultural groups who made Texas what it is today. Exhibits explore the customs, traditions, food, music, and ways of life of the many people who came to define the Texan identity. Highlights include a re-created sharecropper's house, a cowboys and cattle drives exhibit, large-scale murals depicting Native American cultures, and an in-depth Tejano exhibit on the intersection of Spanish and Indigenous peoples that birthed a new culture.