Things to Do in San Antonio

The San Antonio River Walk is a made up of a network of cypress-lined paved paths, quaint stone bridges and lush landscapes that gently wind through the city, offering both locals and visitors a chance to take in the beautiful natural scenery and soak up the city views.

The pathway runs along the San Antonio River, which symbolizes the heart and soul of the city and gives access to several of San Antonio's top attractions, restaurants, hotels and other forms of entertainment.

The River Walk features a section called The Museum Reach, which is a 1.33-mile extension that hosts a range of visual and audiovisual works of art, terraces landscapes with native plants and pedestrian access to the San Antonio Museum of Art and the historic Pearl Brewery complex.

Visitors can explore the San Antonio River Walk by foot or bicycle, using the city’s bike-share program known as B-Cycle.

The San Antonio Museum of Art is home to a comprehensive collection that represents more than 5,000 years of history and an array of cultures from around the world. The museum is one of the top San Antonio attractions.

Housed in a complex of buildings that were once the Lone Star Brewery on the Museum Reach of the River Walk, the museum is world-renowned for its impressive collection of Latin American, Asian, and Ancient Mediterranean Art.

It also boasts a notable contemporary collection and Oceanic Art. The San Antonio Museum of Art is one of the best things to do in San Antonio, TX.

The museum offers a variety of educational and community-based art programs for adults, students and children and hosts several events throughout the year, as well as rotating and traveling exhibitions.

200 West Jones Avenue, San Antonio, TX, Phone: 210-978-8100

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is located about three miles from downtown San Antonio. It consists of four missions: Concepción, San José, San Juan and Espada.

The Missions were built in the 1700s to expand Spanish influence from Mexico to the North.

They were built as Indian towns, and the Catholic Church functioned as the town focus. In the area, Catholic missionaries were converting Indians to Catholicism and attempting to make them Spanish citizens.

Besides the ruins of historic missions and the churches, the park has many other points of interest, including the mill at Mission San José, the Espada acequia, 270-year old irrigation system with its aqueduct and dam and ten-miles long Mission Riverwalk, a scenic trail perfect for birds watching, hiking, and enjoying the surrounding nature.

6701 San Jose Dr, San Antonio, TX, Phone: 210-932-1001

The Alamo is a complex located on Alamo Plaza in downtown San Antonio, which attracts more than 2.5 million visitors each year.

This famous complex is the site of a ‘crossroads’ in Texan history, where many important historical events took place, from the first Spanish colonization and the independence of Mexico to the place where the Confederacy stood its ground.

One of the most popular attractions is the area where a small band of Texans, including James Bowie, David Crockett, and William B. Travis, held out for thirteen days against General Antonio López de Santa Anna and came to symbolize courage and sacrifice for the cause of liberty. Admission to the Alamo, one of the top San Antonio points of interest, is free.

300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, Texas, Phone: 210-225-1391

The Main Plaza is the central and historic heart of San Antonio, established to provide the community with a place to gather and enjoy a variety of entertainment.

Dating back to the 1700s, this innovative public space features well-maintained landscaping, huge trees and shady sidewalks, water features, and tables for lunch.

The Plaza is home to the world-renowned San Fernando Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in the country and one which tourists flock to see every year.

The Main Plaza also plays host to a variety of community and public events throughout the year, such as bustling farmers’ markets, art installations, live music concerts and the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

The McNay Art Museum was the first museum of modern art to be opened in Texas. Built by Marion Koogler McNay in the Spanish Colonial Revival style in the 1920s and later opened as a museum, the mansion has more than 20,000 objects, some of which create the finest collection of Contemporary Art and Sculpture in the country, a research library with over 30,000 volumes and the Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts.

In 2008, internationally renowned French architect Jean-Paul Viguier built the Stieren Center to display the modern collection of Jane and Arthur Stieren.

More than 150,000 visitors come to view the collections each year, most of which focus primarily on 19th- and 20th-century European and American art and include works by artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Edward Hopper, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Georgia O'Keeffe, Paul Gauguin, and Jackson Pollock.

6000 N. New Braunfels, San Antonio, Texas, Phone: 210-824-5368

Natural Bridge Caverns are some of the largest known caves and caverns in the United States and are named for the 60-foot long natural limestone slab bridge that spans the amphitheater setting of the cavern's entrance.

The Caverns offer visitors a range of fun things to see and do, such as panning for gems, fossils and other treasures like miners at the Natural Bridge Mining Company and exploring the massive, otherworldly formations in the cave formed by single drops of water over time on the Discovery Tour.

Experience mysterious beauty on the Hidden Passage Tour, find your way through the 5,000-square foot outdoor maze in the AMAZEn’ Ranch Roundup, or zip line across the skies high above the caverns with the Canopy Challenge. The Discovery Village features several restaurants, cafés, and bars while the Discovery Village Trading Post offers gifts, jewelry, and souvenirs.

26495 Natural Bridge Caverns Rd., Natural Bridge Caverns, TX 78266, 210-651-6101

The San Antonio Botanical Garden is a 38-acre botanical garden that offers visitors an opportunity to get up close and personal with nature.

The gardens feature several collections and exhibit areas, including formal and seasonal display gardens that include a rose garden, a sensory garden, a water-saving garden and a Kumamoto En Japanese Garden.

The unique 11-acre Texas Native Trail features over 250 plant species in collections that represent three ecosystems, while the futuristic Lucile Halsell Conservatory takes visitors underground through a tunnel of soil into the Palm House, which is cut 20 feet into the earth.

Visitors to the gardens can enjoy self-guided or docent-led tours, as well as special bird-watching walks and a range of lectures, talks, and other garden-related events. If you are wondering what to do in San Antonio, Texas with kids, this is a great place to visit.

555 Funston, San Antonio, Texas, Phone: 210-207-3250

Tucked away in an old limestone quarry and open 365 days a year, the San Antonio Zoo is home to more than 9,000 animals of 779 species. Established in 1914, the zoo spans 56 acres and was one of the first ‘cageless’ zoos in the country.

The zoo has received several awards for their unique breeding program, which included being the first zoo to successfully reproduce the endangered white rhinoceros in North America, and has one of the largest collections of birds in America.

The best way to see and experience the zoo is on the historic San Antonio Zoo Eagle, a miniature train that chugs around the zoo, Brackenridge Park and along the San Antonio River, with various stops at the Witte Museum, Kiddie Park, and the Japanese Tea Gardens. Enjoy lunch at the train depot café located next to the train depot gift shop.

3903 N. St. Mary's St., San Antonio, Texas, Phone: 210-734-7184

The King William Historic District is a historic area of San Antonio located just south of the city’s downtown district. The district was once farm land that belonged to the Mission San Antonio de Valero, which were later divided among resident Indian families or sold at public auction to be laid out into what are the present streets today.

The District has a long and rich history beginning with a large German settlement in the 1840s to the early 1950s revival and restoration of many of the old cottages and houses.

The area became San Antonio's first designated historic district in 1968 and today is listed as a National Register Historic District with much to offer visitors in the way of interesting architectural revival and a rich heritage to explore.