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San Antonio History & Heritage
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.
Free Self-Guided Tours
River Walk
Use a smart phone to explore 12 points along the San Antonio River Walk, a winding, tree-lined linear park that meanders through the heart of the city, one block below the street. The cafes, restaurants, hotels, shops and nightclubs that line the River Walk today began as the vision of a young architect, Robert H. H. Hugman, in 1929. Renowed local historian, Lewis Fisher, narrates the tour. Download a QR code reader from your smartphone, then scan the code on the right. Get details here.
Downtown Texas Star Trail
Explore 2.6 miles of historical San Antonio using a map and guide to the Texas Star Trail and learn more about 79 historic buildings, objects, places, events and customs of San Antonio and Texas through history. The San Antonio Conservation Society first produced this tour in 1986. Pick up a printed version of the tour at the San Antonio Visitor Center right next door to the Alamo.
Central Urban Corridor
Ten plus hike and bike routes range from an easy 1.7 miles all the way to a 20-mile trek along the San Antonio 
Houston Street
Houston Street began as an unpaved lane lined with small homes, corrals and the site of a U.S. military headquarters. But by 1900, Houston Street was transformed into the city’s major business corridor. Find out more about the rich history of Houston Street with a self-guided kiosk tour which highlights the history and architecture of many of the significant structures. There are eight kiosks which start at the corner of Alamo and Houston Streets and end at Santa Rosa Street.
Neighborhoods
Get to know three San Antonio neighborhoods through the areas' landmarks, local personalities, arts and cultural icons, and stopping to shop and dine at local watering holes. Locally produced videos, some by film students, give you a unique perspective on the neighbood. Get details
Guided Tours
Tap into the expertise of guides that live and breath San Antonio's history and traditions and know the city inside and out. Tour guides lead you through the city's fascinating history, aboard segways, horse-drawn carriage, river cruisers, trolleys and more conventional buses. Pick from over 20 different tours. Get details
Resources
Daughters of The Republic of Texas Library
Located on the grounds of the Alamo, this library contains material on the period of the Republic of Texas, 1836-1846.
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Office of the City Clerk Archives Program/San Antonio
Browse through the historical records of the City Archives.
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San Antonio Conservation Society
One of the oldest conservation organizations in the U.S., the society preserves and encourages the preservation of San Antonio's historic structures, objects, places and customs.
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San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation
Check here for in-depth information about San Antonio history, culture, architecture and archeology.
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Alamo & San Antonio Missions San Antonio has the largest concentration of Spanish Colonial missions, established in the 1600s, in North America. Get details |
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Historic Landmarks Admire the façade of San Fernando Cathedral, the Spanish Governor's Palace, and more intricate structures both around squares and south along the river. Get details |
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Historic Sites To get the full San Antonio experience, make sure to visit these outdoor historic sites. Get details |
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Museums History comes alive in context, but there's nothing like a museum for the big picture. Catch a glimpse into San Antonio and the rest of Texas! Get details |
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Historic Events & Festivals Local events and festivals provide a unique glimpse into the historic backdrop of San Antonio. Get details |
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Historic Hotels & Restaurants Experience San Antonio's venerable past at hotels, inns, and B&Bs and historic cafes, restaurants and bistros. Get details |
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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. |
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At every turn, San Antonio teems with scenes just waiting to be snapped. Learn about great photo-ops.
There are 40 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 ...
Carver Community Cultural Center
226 N Hackberry, San Antonio, TX 78202
Phone: (210) 207-8700 / Fax: (210) 207-7215
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...
City Hall
100 Military Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205
This Italian Renaissance Revival structure was built in the center of Military Plaza between 1888-91. Otto Kramer, prominent architect of New York, Chicago and St. Louis, originally designed it as a ...
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 p...
Historic Sunset Station at St. Paul Square
1174 E. Commerce, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 222-9481 / Fax: (210) 223-5254
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...
Institute of Texan Cultures
UTSA HemisFair Park Campus, 801 E. Durango BLVD, San Antonio, TX 78205-3296
Phone: (210) 458-2300 / Fax: (210) 458-2205
The Institute of Texan Cultures features exhibits and displays that tell the stories of Texans. The museum, through its research, collections, exhibits and programs, serves as the forum for the unde...
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...
Lackland Air Force Base
2051 George Ave, Bldg 5206, Lackland AFB, San Antonio, TX 78236
Phone: (210) 671-1110
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
224 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. A three-block outdoor plaza lined with restaurants, shops and produce stands near San Antonio's city center, Market Squ...
Mission Concepción
807 Mission Rd. at Felisa St., San Antonio, TX 78210
Phone: (210) 534-1540
The church will be closed through the end of 2009 for extensive preservation work to its interior. The remainder of the site is open. Regular church service at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays will continue a...
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
Experience one of the world's premier caverns, Natural Bridge Caverns. Take the Discovery Tour and see what millions of others have seen - an incredible underground world of natural beauty. This 75-m...
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...
Pearl Brewery
200 E. Grayson, Ste. 210, San Antonio, TX 78215
Phone: (210) 212-7260
Pearl is undergoing a transformation from historic brewery to an iconic culinary and cultural gathering place where you can eat, live, learn, work and play on the Museum Reach of the San Antonio Riv...
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 Rose LIVE
Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary's St., San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 212-7638 / Fax: (210) 226-8226
The historic Aztec Theatre on the River Walk is home to the San Antonio Rose LIVE, a two-hour live classic country music show. World class musicians and singers bring to life some of the greatest cl...
San Antonio Zoo
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...
Shop in La Villita a Historic Arts Village
418 Villita Street, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 207-8611 / 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...
Southwest School of Art
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 is one of the nation's largest community-based art schools, offering classes to established artists as...
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 Charline McCombs Empire Theatre
208 E. Houston St., San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 226-5700 / Fax: (210) 226-3377
Is a restored gem of a theatre that was a San Antonio movie palace in Hollywoods heyday....
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...
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...
Villa Finale Visitor Center
122 Madison, San Antonio, TX 78204
Phone: (210) 223-9800
Located in the King William National Historic District, Villa Finale's Visitor Center is home to exhibitions focusing on the history of the beautiful King William neighborhood including Villa Finale,...
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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