36 Best Sights in San Antonio, Texas

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.

This former home of San Antonio preservationist and collector Walter Mathis (who is widely recognized as the catalyst for the King William neighborhood revitalization in the late 1960s) is not only a National Trust for Historic Preservation site but also a San Antonio treasure. Villa Finale is home to more than 13,000 pieces of fine and decorative art, including what is believed to be one of the most complete collections of Napoleonic materials. Museum admission includes a self-guided tour, and staff are available to answer questions. There is no fee to see the gardens.