Location: San Antonio
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What to do and see in San Antonio, Texas (TX): The Best Museums
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.
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1. Night at the Museum
2. Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 11 reviews
3. Ruby City
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
Ruby City is a contemporary art center in San Antonio, TX, dedicated to providing a space for the city’s thriving creative community to experience works by both local and internationally-acclaimed artists. Envisioned in 2007 by the late collector, philanthropist and artist Linda Pace, Ruby City presents works from Pace’s own collection of more than 800 paintings, sculptures, installations and video works. The new building, designed by renowned architect Sir David Adjaye and slated for completion later this year is part of a growing campus, which also includes Chris Park, a one-acre public green space named in memory of Pace’s son, and Studio, an auxiliary exhibition space which presents curated shows and programming throughout the year. Ruby City is free and open to the public.
Reviewed By Chinapjs - Washington DC, United States
Paid for by the Linda Pace Foundation (the family that started the Pace Hot Sauce empire) the collection is very modern art ncluding paneled movie screens, sculpture and other paintings and creations. Lots to see and it's all free. The building is a beautiful ruby colored structure. Don't miss the sculpture on n the backyard garden.
4. River Art Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
The River Art Gallery is one of the largest and finest artist groups in the country. The gallery is located next to the church in La Villita- just steps from the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio. Over 250 local artist are members showing art in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pen and ink, pastel, photography, clay, metal, wood, reproductions, jewelry, and more.
5. The Alamo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 19,155 reviews
Established in 1718 as Mission San Antonio de Valero, for over 300 years the former mission now known as the Alamo has been a crossroads of history. Having existed under six flags of independent nations and served as a garrison for five different armies, the Alamo has a rich history and a heritage to inspire Texans and people around the world. Although the Alamo is best known as the site of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, all 300 years of Alamo history are vital to our story. Visitors can take a guided battlefield tour, rent a self-guided audio tour, walk through the historic Alamo Church and Long Barrack Museum, listen to a history talk given by an Alamo Interpreter, participate in living history demonstrations, watch a documentary on the history of the Alamo, and much more. Admission to the Alamo is free, but there is a charge for guided and audio tours.
Reviewed By 532stephena - Las Vegas, United States
The Alamo is to Texans what Washington D.C. is to Americans, a historical landmark that definitely deserves a look see. There are several great exhibits, beautifully landscaped grounds, a great little gift shop, and all within walking distance of other attractions such as the River Walk and the Hemisphere grounds and tower. This is where Texas history began!
6. 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.
7. The DoSeum - San Antonio's Museum for Kids
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 586 reviews
The DoSeum, San Antonio's museum for kids, serves as a “charging station” to power up kids’ minds and support the important work of schools and community organizations. Our exhibits and programs promote joyful learning, invite discovery, spark interest, and develop positive attitudes towards learning across critical content areas - including STEM, the arts, and literacy.
Reviewed By hornfan31 - Austin, United States
Wonderful children’s museum. So many activities. Great for kids and adults. Impossible to do everything in one day. Kids really enjoyed spy area. Stayed till closing.
8. San Antonio Museum of Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 787 reviews
The San Antonio Museum of Art is housed in a historic brewery along the banks of the Museum Reach of the Riverwalk. The Museum offers important permanent collections of Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities, Asian art, Latin American art, contemporary art and American paintings. The museum offers a variety of programs. Visit our website for admission pricing and more information. Bexar County residents enjoy free general admission every Tuesday 4–7 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Reviewed By kzsull01 - Windsor, United States
My husband and I visited the San Antonio Museum of Art in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday afternoon, November 8, 2018 and Friday morning, November 9th. The museum had a very impressive collection of paintings, sculptures, and many other types of artifacts all well curated and documented and housed in the historic Lone Star Brewery. The former Lone Star Brewery building had unique architecture and was very nicely retrofitted to accommodate the artwork of the museum. The museum had much to offer and our visit was quite educational and an excellent lesson in art, history, and culture. Our visit at the museum lasted about five hours in total, due to the amount of time that we had available to us, but it could have easily taken more time to be able to absorb and appreciate all the artwork on display. An added bonus to our visit was there was plenty of free parking conveniently located across the street from the museum. We recommend a visit to this museum if you are in San Antonio, and hope that you have the opportunity to enjoy it as much as we did!! We started our visit on the first floor with the Egyptian, Ancient Mediterranean, Greek and Roman Art. The Egyptian artwork included a comprehensive display of many types of interesting artifacts and objects, including figurines, papyrus, pottery, vessels, statuette funerary, mummy masks, a mummy coffin, ancient glass and even a falcon. Artifacts illustrating Religion in Ancient Egypt included jars, knives, bowls, necklaces, beakers and other offering objects were all beautifully displayed. We then toured the Greek World Gallery. This included information about the natural world and ideal forms and proportions. Greece in the Bronze Ages was depicted. Jugs, jars, flasks, bowls, urns, Greek Coinage, jewelry, gems, and funerary sculptures were included among the many items nicely on display. We then viewed the Roman World. Multiple aspects of this art was depicted, including Roman Funerary Sculptures, Art in the Roman Provinces, Roman Coinage, portraits and a depiction of Roman mythology as well as much more, all quite interesting. We then went to the second floor which had Asian Art, including Japanese, Southeast Asian, Korean, Himalayan and Indian artwork. A variety of artifacts were on display, among them were Scenes of the Life of Buddha, including a Crowned Buddha, as well as objects related to Brahma, the Dance of Divine Love on Pigments of Cotton, Yogini, Plaques with the Mother Goddess, the Wedding of Krishna, Radha - Object of Krishna’s Desire, and a Surya Shrine. Many bottles, bowls and jars were also on display, all worth seeing. The Japanese art illustrated the Magic of Clay and Fire through Contemporary Ceramics, including vessels, jars, vases. A suit of parade armor was also on display as well a shrine and multiple folding silk screen panels, including ‘the Hawk on a Branch with Chattering Monkeys’ in addition to vases bottles, dishes and pitchers, all quite nice. The third floor had a very comprehensive and quite impressive collection of Chinese artwork, including ceramics, imperial China artifacts and early China artifacts. Art from multiple Chinese Dynasties were on display, including Qing, Ming, Song, Northern Song, Tang, Sui, Northern Qi, , Northern Wei, Han, Eastern Han, Western Han, Western Jin and Eastern Jin and many more. The artwork included vases, bowls, dishes, cups, canisters, figurines, flasks, jars, wine pots, bottles, urns, robes, furniture, horses, soldiers, a money tree, earthenware, stoneware, pieces of bronze and much more. We completed our visit at the museum on November 8th very impressed with what we saw, but still had more galleries in the museum to explore on November 9th. We began our visit to the museum on November 9th on the fourth floor with the Art of Oceania. This was a very interesting gallery depicting ceremonial ancestor figures, a basketry figure of a wild pig from New Guinea, a basketry yam mask, and information on the Yam Festivals of the Abelam people of New Guinea as well as well as the Malanggan Festivals of New Ireland. The Oceanic gallery illustrated an interesting history of cultural exchange in the South Pacific. . We then crossed over the Sky Bridge and went through an interesting and unique exhibit by Marilyn Lafear on ‘From Sewing to Soldering’. We went to the Texas Gallery and enjoyed the Texas Furniture and Texas Art with Blue Bonnets, Landscape Paintings and Marble Bronze Sculptures as well as other pieces of contemporary artwork in the next galleries. We walked through multiple galleries with interesting artwork including sculptures, jewelry and more by modern designer Harry Bertoia. We then spent time viewing the Spanish and Colonial Art as well as the very impressive Latin American Art Galleries, including modern, contemporary and folk art. We really enjoyed viewing the various vases, jars, crowns, chalices as well as beautiful religious paintings. We then spent some time viewing the American Art, including Haystack Mountain in Vermont and paintings along Pennsylvania Avenue. In addition, we enjoyed viewing the pieces of European Art that were on display. . . We finally visited the special exhibit ‘Becoming John Marin, Modernist at Work’. We enjoyed his drawings, watercolors, etchings and oil paintings, including early landscapes and architecture. We liked his artwork in Venice, Paris, and in Manhattan, including the Brooklyn Bridge, the Telephone Building, the Woolworth Building and his depiction of a city in motion. We also liked his art regarding ‘Exploring America’, ‘Faces and Fantasies’, including portraiture, as well his artwork regarding the circus and his ‘Summers in Maine’. This was definitely a very comprehensive and interesting special exhibit nicely laid out with write-ups having good background information, all illustrating a unique perception of art. It was definitely worth seeing. . As you can tell, this museum has quite a bit to offer, much more than what is mentioned here. Again, we recommend a visit to this museum if you are in San Antonio and hope that you enjoy it as much as we did!!
9. McNay Art Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 888 reviews
The McNay Art Museum engages a diverse community in the discovery and enjoyment of the visual arts. Built in the 1920s by artist and educator Marion Koogler McNay, the Spanish Colonial Revival residence became the site of Texas’s first modern art museum when it opened in 1954. Today, 200,000 visitors a year enjoy works by modern masters including Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Edward Hopper, Joan Mitchell, Alice Neel, Georgia O’Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The 25 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds include sculptures by Willie Cole, Robert Indiana, Luis A. Jiménez Jr., Alejandro Martín, George Rickey, Joel Shapiro, Kiki Smith, Tom Wesselmann, and more.
Reviewed By pdashnaw - Georgetown, United States
This was our second visit to the McNay, and we were not disappointed. There is a tastefully curated mix of Impressionism, the Dutch Masters, Cubism, modernism and pop art among their Permanent collection, and lots of floor & wall space is allocated to traveling/special exhibits. One big innovation that has been added since our previous visit, is the ability to use your Smart Phone to listen to the audio commentary that used to require a separate device either rented, or checked out from the counter. Parking is easy and adequate, and the museum is in a delightfully urban area of the city away from the downtown. They have discounted rates for seniors and active duty military while teens and children are free. Check in advance before you head out though, the day we visited, there was another collection on display - big yellow things called school buses in the parking lot which means....
