Museums are the cultural hubs of San Antonio. Whether you’re looking to learn something new about the 210 or plotting a way to spend your Saturday afternoon, here are 17 museums to visit in our city.
Culture
UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures, 801 E. César E. Chávez Blvd. | Donation
Opened during the 1968 World’s Fair, this museum gives a voice to the experiences of people from across the globe who call Texas home through exhibits, public outreach, special events, and workshops.
Note: This museum is currently closed as it moves to its new temporary home.
San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, 218 S. Presa St. | Free
This institution has collected, preserved, and shared the cultural heritage of African Americans in the San Antonio region since July 2017.
Don’t miss: Their growing digital collection in collaboration with Texas A&M San Antonio.
Witte Museum, 3801 Broadway | $0-$15
Since 1926, this 10-acre campus has been inspiring people through experiences in nature, science and culture. Even though the museum primarily engages K-12 students, all are welcomed to experience its 320,000 objects + specimens.
Don’t miss: The museum’s newest exhibit “Spiders: From Fear to Fascination” running through Jan. 5, 2025. Visitors can also enjoy free museum admission every Tuesday from 3 to 6 p.m.
History
Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, 12500 N.W. Military Hwy. | $1+
Located inside the Jewish Community Center on the Northwest side, this museum explains the history of the Holocaust through docent-led tours, films, and survivor testimonies.
Spanish Governor’s Palace, 105 Plaza de Armas | $0-$5
Built the early 18th century (then restored in the 1930s), this palace represents the remnants of a Spanish mission, called Presidio San Antonio de Béjar. Originally a comandancia — residence and working office — for the captains of the military garrison from 1722 until the early 1800s, it’s now a Texas history museum focusing on the Spanish era.
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, Texas
Photo by NPS
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, 6701 San Jose Dr. | Free
This National Park Service and UNESCO World Heritage Site embodies nearly 300 years of rich history + culture and features four separate missions: Mission San José, Mission Concepción, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada.
Texas Transportation Museum, 11731 Wetmore Rd. | $6+
The volunteer-led museum exhibits railroad equipment, cars, model railroads, and objects from the past 50 years.
San Antonio Fire Museum, 801 E. Houston St. | $0-$5
Considered one of San Antonio’s hidden gems, this museum is located at the city’s original Central Fire Headquarters (ran by San Antonio Fire Museum Society). It preserves San Antonio’s deep firefighting history, displaying antique fire trucks and equipment, objects dating back to the mid-1800s, and archived documents + photos.
Fun fact — the “Alamo” is thought to have been named after a cottonwood tree.
Photo by Eric Francis on Unsplash
The Alamo, 300 Alamo Plaza | Free
Originally established as Mission San Antonio de Valero in 1718, this site explores over 300 years of history and is widely known as the site of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo.
Villa Finale Museum and Gardens, 401 King William | $3+
The former home of local civic leader and collector, Walter Nold Mathis, it located in the King Willam neighborhood. The museum features a collection of over 12,000 items in the unique setting of this finely restored 1876 Italianate home, built by merchant Russel C. Norton. Mathis bequeathed the property and its collections to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2004.
Music
TextPop San Antonio, 1017 E. Mulberry Ave. | By appointment
This museum was created in 2012 by Margaret Moser to preserve and document San Antonio and South Texas music, art + pop culture from the 1950s through the 1980s. Come see exhibited vintage posters and live music memorabilia.
Arts
Briscoe Western Art Museum, 210 W. Market St. | $0-$14
Housed inside the building of San Antonio’s original public library (which can still be found on the first floor), the museum opened its doors in 2003. Through the preservation of the art, history, and culture of the American West, the museum inspires + educates through exhibitions, educational programs, and public events.
Centro de Artes, 101 S. Santa Rosa Ave. | Free
The multi-level exhibit space tells the story of the Latino experience in the US (focusing on South Texas) through local + regional art, history, and culture, and showcasing Latino artists and Latino-themed artworks.
Don’t miss: See “Dining with Rolando Briseño: A 50-Year Retrospective” featuring 75+ drawings, lithographs, paintings, photographs, and public artworks.
Hopscotch San Antonio, 711 Navarro St., Suite 100 | $15+
San Antonio’s immersive and experiential art gallery brings together artists in collaborative environments to create unique, impactful, and distinct shared experiences.
McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave. | $0-$20
Through the bequest of founder Marion Koogler McNay, this museum (located inside a mansion) officially opened its doors in 1956 and currently has over 22,000 works of art, ranging from Medieval and Renaissance to blown glass and more.
Don’t miss: It’s newest exhibit “Women Artists of the Ballets Russes: Designing the Legacy” showcases the legacy of famed dance company Ballets Russes and the impact dancers of color had on ballet in the US. The exhibit is on view until Jan. 12, 2025.
Ruby City, 150 Camp St. | Free
Brain child of art collector Linda Pace, the contemporary art center provides a space for the city’s creative community to experience art by both local + internationally-acclaimed artists.
Don’t miss: “Irrationally Speaking: Collage & Assemblage in Contemporary Art” is on display through Aug. 31, 2025.
San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave. | $0-$20
Opened in 1926 at the old Lone Star Brewery complex, this art museum collects, preserves, exhibits, and interprets art from different historical periods + world cultures. The museum offers free admission to Bexar County residents every Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m.
Don’t miss: “Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory” is the museum’s first retrospective exhibition featuring Chicana artist + cultural critic Amalia Mesa-Bains, who pioneered the genre of altar-installation. Find it in the Cowden Gallery through Jan. 12, 2025.
