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San Antonio History & Heritage

Plan all aspects of your historic San Antonio vacation from eating at historic restaurants to visiting the San Antonio Missions.

	Alamo & San Antonio Missions In the 18th century, the Spanish empire established Catholic outposts along the San Antonio River. What remains is the largest concentration of missions in North America.		Historic Landmarks Here you'll find the 19th century façade of San Fernando Cathedral, the Spanish Governor's Palace, and more intricate structures both around squares and south along the river.
	Historic Sites To get the full San Antonio experience, don't forget to visit these outdoor historic sites.		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!
	Historic Events & Festivals Local events and festivals provide a unique glimpse into the historic backdrop of San Antonio.		Historic Hotels & Restaurants Experience San Antonio's venerable past at hotels, inns, and B&Bs. Sample the city's unique culinary culture at historic cafes, restaurants and bistros.

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.

At every turn, San Antonio teems with scenes just waiting to be snapped. Learn about great photo-ops.

Also, check out other sites below.

There are 41 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 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...

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 ...

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 p...

Historic Sunset Station at St. Paul Square

1174 E. Commerce, San Antonio, TX 78205

Phone: (210) 474-7640 / 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 65,000 sq. ft. of interactive exhibits and displays that tell the stories of Texans. The mission of the Institute is to engage lifelong learners in the unders...

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) 671-2562

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

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...

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...

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...

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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