Location: San Antonio
Top Things to do in San Antonio
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The 10 Best Specialty Museums in San Antonio, Texas (TX)
Step to the beat of wafting flamenco music as you wander the downtown River Walk before sampling as much chili (San Antonio’s signature dish) as your taste buds will allow. A visit to the Alamo is an absolute must, as is taking in a show at the ornate Majestic Theatre. San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is dotted with 18th-century buildings and features, making for an enriching excursion.
Restaurants in San Antonio
1. Scottish Rite Auditorium
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
2. Hopscotch
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 6 reviews
Hopscotch San Antonio is a uniquely curated permanent 20,000 sq ft gallery which features 14 distinctive immersive and interactive installations from over 40 local, national and international artists. Our aim is to elicit a sense of joy and wonder in the spaces we curate, where our guests may participate in a playful manner and explore beyond their day to day reality.
Reviewed By nataliapL973YJ - San Antonio, United States
Love this place! Fun, interactive, great place to see some contemporary and interactive art then hop over to the bar after for a cocktail + enjoy the outdoor food truck.
3. Witte Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 611 reviews
The Witte Museum is Where Nature, Science and Culture Meet. Discover Texas Deep Time in spacious galleries located on a beautiful, riverside campus. Explore dinosaurs, Chili Queens and cattle kings, original Gallery Theater plays and so much more. Come discover YOUR Witte Museum.
Reviewed By BennettS_12
We visited the Witte to see their current art exhibition, which was fantastic. Then we were pleasantly surprised to learn they are more than an art museum with wonderrful interesting exhibits of native Texas history and wildlife.
4. San Antonio Fire Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 235 reviews
Reviewed By pparrothead - Wilmington, United States
My wife and I recently visited San Antonio for the second time and one of the days there it was raining so I decided to walk over to the S.A. Fire Museum to check it out.The Fire Museum was only a couple of minute walk from our hotel by the Alamo. The museum is in an old fire station and houses an amazing collection of antique fire fighting equipment...And I do mean antique...They had some beautifully restored pieces that were in mint condition. The museum was empty the morning I visited due to the weather so I got a personal tour of the museum by one of the volunteers who staff it. He was a retired EMT and it was real nice seeing the museum through his eyes... I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the San Antonio Fire Museum and so will you...And bring the kids...they will love climbing on some of the fire trucks (not all are available to go on) that are on display.....
5. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 23 reviews
MISSION STATEMENT: The mission of the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret historically significant property related to the history of the Army Medical Department from 1775 to the present. As an educational institution, the museum will support training and education for military and civilian personnel.
6. The Buckhorn Saloon and Texas Ranger Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,290 reviews
For over 135 years, The Buckhorn Saloon has been known as a gathering place for good conversation, great food and spectacular wildlife exhibits. Explore the animal halls and prepare yourself for a truly immersive adventure. Practice your sharp shooting skills in our Toepperwein Shooting Gallery and explore over 500 different animals from around the world. The Texas Ranger Museum houses Texas Ranger artifacts including antique revolvers, automatic handguns, shotguns, badges, photographs and much more. Sip a refreshing drink as you stroll through the 33,000 square feet of artifacts from Texas history. Don't forget to grab a bite of lunch in our Cafe and pick up some souvenirs in our gift shop! The Cafe is open daily for lunch from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Both museums open daily at 10:00 AM. Call for exact closing times. Summer hours 10AM to 9PM. Off season hours vary. Located two blocks from the Alamo and one block from the Riverwalk, The Buckhorn Saloon and Museum and Texas Ranger Museum have something for everyone!
Reviewed By SRW_TX - Richardson, United States
Myself, my husband and teenage son spent a fun afternoon at Buckhorn. If you like history, animals, or quirky unusual museums, you will enjoy it. It's definitely a unique place with so much to see. There is a large selection of stuffed (taxidermy) animals that you may not see anywhere else including animals that would not be permitted to be hunted these days. There is also a paranormal section with some fun interactive activities and a Texas Rangers and Old West section. Even the saloon itself is very impressive. Something for everyone! It's the kind of place you don't see much of anymore, definitely worth a visit if the above appeals to you!
7. Spanish Governor's Palace
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 246 reviews
Adobe building built in the mid-1700s for the Spanish presidio, now a major tourist attraction.
Reviewed By Susanssl - Houston, United States
This is not a palace but a very interesting old Spanish building. Nicely restored. Only cost $5 for the visit. Good info.
8. Texas Transportation Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 39 reviews
Come by and see transportation history in action! The museum has regularly schedule train rides, historic Pullman cars to tour, a huge garden railroad exhibit, and lots and lots of model trains to watch!
Reviewed By EllieOS - San Antonio, United States
Although San Antonians, my husband and I had never visited the Texas Transportation Museum until this Saturday (It’s open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with scheduled train rides in the afternoons). Admission was free on this day as part of TTM’s Pullman Porter outreach project. Upon arrival, we were hustled aboard for a train ride powered by a Baldwin 0-4-0 steam locomotive. This was as thrilling for us “seniors” as it was for adults and children of every age. We then wandered nostalgically through a restored Pullman sleeping car, one of the few remaining ones in the United States open to the public. Lastly, we visited a large cavernous building filled with collections of model trains, as well as authentic, restored vehicles important for transportation in San Antonio’s history. I watched with fascination as the model trains, all busily covering routes, whistled to warn of their approach, crossed bridges over canyons, chugged through mountain tunnels, and glided through towns complete with trees, dogs, people, and shops. This was a fitting end to our first visit to the TT Museum. The Museum is mainly run by volunteers, has been in existence for 50+ years and accepts no government funding. We were both impressed by the meticulous, loving attention which the volunteers had obviously put into almost every aspect of the Museum, including the working trains, the restored cars, and the model train collections.
9. Texas Air Museum - Stinson Field
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 27 reviews
Reviewed By I4299BXreneec
lots of behind the scenes information available, Had a question they didn't know, they had an answer before we left. lots of displays and artifacts, several aircraft from early 1900, fabric air craft, bi wing, drone, rocket bomb, f-4 ,f-101, uniforms and displays not new stuff, actually worn time period from individuals and families of servicemen and women. $4 entry $3 for senior and military well worth the visit. For getting no monetary help from the city, these volunteers do an incredible service for the air history. only 1 thing, credit cards not accepted, bring a little cash. will definatly come back.
10. Plaza Theatre of Wax
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 49 reviews
Wax museum in downtown San Antonio that offers more than 225 lifelike characters in various themed sections.
Reviewed By dke0125 - Kansas City, United States
We enjoyed the wax figurines and the diversity and layout of them. They were very realistic and we found some of the scenes to be emotionally moving. Our favorite, as always, is the basement area which is dark and spooky. We went at night, right before they closed, to add to this environment. I would say parents with small or easily frightened children would want to avoid the basement area.
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