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History & Heritage
San Antonio embodies Texas' independent, maverick spirit—and there's no better place to feel this spirit than the city’s historic areas. At the Alamo mission, see where early Texans drew a line in the sand and declared their independence from Mexico—fighting overwhelming odds and dying for liberty.
Walk back in time to colonial Spanish days at one of San Antonio's five 18th-century missions that spread European culture and converted the native people to Christianity— forever changing the face of the Southwest. Wander the streets of La Villita, one of the first Spanish settlements, and later home to German and French pioneers. Or head to the King William neighborhood, a national historic district lined with impressive restored homes. Sit at the bar in the Menger Hotel where Teddy Roosevelt recruited his "Rough Riders" years before. See where Texas' history begins, in San Antonio.
Learn more about San Antonio's Authentic Culture.
The San Antonio Missions, the largest concentration of missions in North America, provides an interesting look into Texas history.
Plan your historic San Antonio vacation by checking out the sights below.
There are 39 listings for History & Heritage.
Alamo
300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 225-1391 x34 / Fax: (210) 354-3602
On the east side of Alamo Plaza is the most famous spot in Texas where 189 defenders fell on March 6, 1836, after repeated attacks by Mexican General Santa Anna's army. Mission San Antonio de Valero ...
Aztec on the River (Temporarily Closed)
Theater is Temporary closed. Reopen Fall 2008, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 227-3930 / Fax: (210) 271-7077 / Toll Free: (877) 432-9832
Reopens in Spring 2008! The Aztec On The River is set in an historic 1926 movie palace which has been meticulously restored, complete with a Mighty Wurlitzer theatre organ. Modern enhancements have b...
Carver Community Cultural Center
226 North Hackberry, San Antonio, TX 78202
Phone: (210) 207-7211 / Fax: (210) 207-4412
The roots of the Carver Community Cultural Center lie deep within San Antonio's African-American community. The complex originated as the Colored Library Association's Auditorium, the African-Ameri...
Casa Navarro State Historic Site
228 S. Laredo St., San Antonio, TX 78207
Phone: (210) 226-4801 / Fax: (210) 226-4801
Casa Navarro is nestled in downtown San Antonio. The half-acre site is the restored home of Texas patriot José Antonio Navarro (1795 - 1871). Today, visitors can tour Navarro's adobe home furnished w...
Charline McCombs Empire Theatre
208 E. Houston St., San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 226-3333 (210) 226-333
The land that the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre sits on has been devoted to the arts since 1879. The Empire has been used as a venue for vaudeville, silent and talking motion pictures, concerts and...
Fort Sam Houston
1212 Stanley Rd., Bldg. 124, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-5004
Phone: (210) 221-1151 / Fax: (210) 221-1198
This fort, established in 1845, moved to its present location in 1876. The post is known as the birthplace of military aviation and the site of the first flight of a military aircraft in 1910. The po...
HemisFair Park
200 S. Alamo, San Antonio, TX 78205
Built to host the 1968 World's Fair, the parks lushly landscaped areas and dramatic, cascading waterfalls offer a refreshing retreat from city streets. The park houses several historic buildings,a pl...
Historic Sunset Station at St. Paul Square
1174 E. Commerce, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 222-9481
Sunset Station, nestled in the historic St. Paul district, offers a unique experience in downtown San Antonio. Partake in a self paced walking tour to marvel at turn of the century architecture; cat...
Japanese Tea Garden
3853 N. St. Mary's St., San Antonio, TX 78212
Phone: 210-207-7275
The Japanese Tea Gardens, adjacent to the Sunken Garden Theater in Brackenridge Park, features beautiful floral displays, a waterfall and a safe habitat for new Koi and aquatic plants. It is an extra...
King William Historic District
1032 S. Alamo, San Antonio, TX 78210
Phone: (210) 227-8786 / Fax: (210) 227-8030
A 25-block area near downtown on the south bank of the San Antonio River. In the late 1800's the King William District was the most elegant residential area in the city. Prominent German merchants or...
La Villita Historical Arts Village
418 Villita Street, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 207-8613 / Fax: (210) 207-4390
Located on the south bank of the San Antonio River, La Villita was San Antonio's first neighborhood. Now, the history of this small village combined with the present day culture of San Antonio, bring...
Lackland Air Force Base
2051 George Ave., Bldg. 5206 Lackland AFB, San Antonio, TX 78236
Phone: (210) 671-5055 / Fax: (210) 671-1053
Lackland is the basic military center for Air Force recruits, one of four training centers nationwide, as well as the site of the Defense Language Institute English Language Center and Iner-American ...
Majestic Theatre
208 E. Houston, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 226-5700 / Fax: (210) 226-3377
The ornate Majestic Theatre is one of the few remaining vintage vaudeville movie palaces. Its Moorish interior, twinkling lights and moving clouds adorning the ceiling are alone worth the price of a...
Market Square - El Mercado
514 W. Commerce, San Antonio, TX 78207
Phone: (210) 207-8600 / Fax: (210) 207-4287
The rich culture of San Antonio abounds throughout the plazas of Market Square with family-owned cafes, working artists and the largest Mexican market north of the Rio Grande also known as El Mercado...
Mission Concepción
807 Mission Rd. at Felisa St., San Antonio, TX 78210
Phone: (210) 534-1540
This handsome church looks essentially as it did more than 200 years ago in 1731. In those early years, religious festivals were held as friars strove to replace traditional Native American rituals w...
Mission San Francisco de la Espada
10040 Espada Rd., San Antonio, TX 78214
Phone: (210) 627-2021
Mission San Francisco de la Espada appears as remote today as it did in the mid 1700s. It boasts the best preserved segments of the historic acequias (the irrigation system designed to provide water ...
Mission San José
6701 San Jose Dr., San Antonio, TX 78214
Phone: (210) 932-1001
Founded in 1720 by Fray Antonio Margil de Jesús, Mission San José became the largest Texas Mission. After early setbacks, 300 inhabitants were sustained by the vast fields and herds of livestock. A ...
Mission San Juan Capistrano
9101 Graf Rd., San Antonio, TX 78214
Phone: (210) 534-0749
Established along the banks of the San Antonio River in 1731, Mission San Juan Capistrano offered a rich farm and pasture land, becoming a regional supplier of agricultural produce, which helped sup...
Natural Bridge Caverns
26495 Natural Bridge Caverns Rd., Natural Bridge Caverns, TX 78266
Phone: (210) 651-6101 / Fax: (210) 651-6144
Natural Bridge Caverns is a beautiful and historical cavern system offering an experience that is high energy, educational, fun and family oriented. Whether you are a first timer, an avid caver or so...
Old Spanish Trail
3400 Fredericksburg Rd., San Antonio, TX
Phone: (210) 735-3503
During the 1920s San Antonio's Gunter Hotel was the headquarters for the building of the southern U.S. transcontinental Auto Highway commemorated by the 0-Mile Stone on City Hall lawn. From St. Augus...
Randolph Air Force Base
550 C. Street West, San Antonio, TX 78150-4573
Phone: (210) 652-1110
Randolph is home to the 12th Flying Training Wing, the only unit in the Air Force conducting both pilot instructor training and combat systems officer training.In addition, the 12th FTW provides host...
River Walk (Paseo Del Rio)
110 Broadway, Suite 440, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 227-4262 / Fax: (210) 212-7602
20 feet below street level and steps from the famed Alamo, the Paseo del Rio, better known as the River Walk, awaits you. Aside the meandering San Antonio River, stone pathways connect shops, restaur...
San Antonio Botanical Garden
555 Funston, San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: (210) 207-3250 / Fax: (210) 207-3274
This 33-acre living museum entices visitors with seasonal floral displays, a serene native forest walk, exotic plant specimens from around the world, modernistic glass pyramids and even an authentic ...
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
2202 Roosevelt Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78210
Phone: (210) 534-8833 / Fax: (210) 534-1106
The chain of missions established along the San Antonio River in the 18th century is a reminder of one of Spain's most successful attempts to extend its New World dominion from Mexico. Representing...
San Antonio Zoological Gardens and Aquarium
3903 N. St. Mary's St., San Antonio, TX 78212
Phone: (210) 734-7184 / Fax: (210) 734-7291
The San Antonio Zoo is ranked as one of the best zoos in the nation exhibiting over 3,500 animals of 600 species. Located at the headwaters of the San Antonio River, the Zoo encompasses 35 landscaped...
San Fernando Cathedral
115 Main Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 227-1297
Often considered the heart and soul of San Antonio, San Fernando Cathedral has played an integral part of the city's growth. Built in 1738, its history includes both religious and secular duties. T...
Southwest School of Art & Craft
300 Augusta, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 224-1848 / Fax: (210) 224-9337
On an historic campus alongside San Antonio's meandering River Walk, the Southwest School of Art & Craft is one of the nations largest community-based art schools, offering classes to established art...
Spanish Governor's Palace
105 Plaza de Armas, San Antonio, TX 78205-2412
Phone: (210) 224-0601 / Fax: (210) 223-5562
A national historic landmark, labeled "the most beautiful building in San Antonio" by the National Geographic Society, it once housed the officials of the Spanish Province of Texas. Over the entrance...
Steves Homestead Museum
509 King William, San Antonio, TX 78204
Phone: (210) 227-9160 / Fax: (210) 224-6168
This Victorian French Second Empire design, three-story home was built for Edward Steves in 1876 and furnished in a late 19th-century style. The River House, a one-story brick structure, housed the f...
Texas Air Museum - Stinson Chapter
1234 99th Street, San Antonio, TX 78214
Phone: (210) 977-9885 / Fax: (210) 927-4447
The Texas Air Museum's goal is to educate through the preservation and restoration of aircraft and artifacts representing historic events that have shaped this nation and the world. The Stinson Chapt...
Texas Highway Patrol Museum
812 S. Alamo, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 231-6030 / Fax: (210) 231-6020 / Toll Free: 800-245-8532 (Austin Office)
This museum strives to educate the public about the duty and sacrifice put forth by the men and women who serve in the Texas Highway Patrol. Photographs illustrate the daily life of troopers, and exh...
Texas Transportation Museum
11731 Wetmore, San Antonio, TX 78247
Phone: (210) 490-3554
Texas Transportation Museum is a non-profit, all volunteer museum. The museum consists of a full size, operational railroad, a garden railroad, an interior HO scale layout and a large vehicle collect...
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower
1715 N. Zarzamora, San Antonio, TX 78201
Phone: 210-736-3889
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower has the stature of being, the most beautiful church in San Antonio. The church is filled with significant works of fine art such as hand carve...
The Guenther House
205 E. Guenther, San Antonio, TX 78204
Phone: (210) 227-1061 / Fax: (210) 351-6372
Located on a bend of the San Antonio River, the Guenther House is one of the oldest historic districts in Texas known as King William. It was here that in 1860, Carl Hilmar Guenther, founder of Pion...
The Texas Ranger Museum
318 E. Houston St, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 247-4000 / Fax: (210) 247-4020
The Texas Ranger Museum creates a dynamic experience that portrays and honors the vast history of the world's most famous law enforcement agency. View exhibits and learn the story of notable rangers ...
Tower of the Americas
600 HemisFair Park, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 223-3101
For more than 35 years, the 750-foot-tall Tower of the Americas has offered residents and tourists of San Antonio, Texas, the most breathtaking view of the Alamo City - visitors dine at the Tower's r...
US Army Medical Department Museum
2310 Stanley Rd., Bldg 1046, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234
Phone: (210) 221-6358 / Fax: (210) 221-6781
Located on the grounds of Fort Sam Houston, this museum depicts the history of military medicine from 1775 to the present. Battlefield art drawn by wounded soldiers provides a unique perspective on t...
UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures
801 S. Bowie, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 458-2330 / Fax: (210) 458-2205
UTSAs Institute of Texan Cultures is San Antonio's cultural experience museum, dedicated to enhancing the understanding of cultural history and its influence upon the people of Texas. With 50,000 squ...
Witte Museum
3801 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: (210) 357-1900 / Fax: (210) 357-1882
Located on the banks of the beautiful San Antonio River in Brackenridge Park, the Witte Museum is San Antonio's premier museum focusing on South Texas history, science and water resources. Founded in...
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