Museums and galleries in San Antonio

13 museums and galleries in San Antonio, from the big collections to small independent spaces.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

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La Villita
La Villita Historic Arts Village
30 shops and galleries offer distinct handcrafted items by artists from San Antonio and surrounding areas.
Mon-Fri 10AM-6PM, Sun 11AM-4PM
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McNay Art Museum
The McNay
Free admission on Thursday evenings and the first Sunday of the month, except for select exhibitions and special events. Fine arts exhibits, library. museum store.
Sun noon-5PM, Tue Wed Fri 10AM-4PM, Thu 10AM-9PM, Sat 10AM-5PM$20; Senior, military, student $15
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San Antonio Museum of Art
SAMA
Four floors of fabulous permanent collections, from Antiquities to Asian to Contemporary Art, as well as changing exhibits. Bring your sketchpad or camera (no flash, permanent collections only). Cafe SAMA serves only snacks. On the #7 Sightseer Special bus line, or via any of the buses along Broadway (#9,10,14) with several blocks walk. If you can do only one museum visit, this is the one to explore in San Antonio.
Tue Fri 10AM-9PM, Wed Thu Sat Sun 10AM-5PM$10; seniors $7; students and military $5; 12 & under free. Free Tuesdays 4PM-9PM
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Southwest School of Art & Craft
Art/museum gift shop in the Ursuline Campus as well as student work in the hallways and cafe. On bus lines, and the Ursuline Campus backs up to an older, parklike section of the River Walk.
Vary by gallery. See website for hoursFree
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Texas Transportation Museum
An outdoor museum which includes a private railroad, historic cars and trucks.
Fri 9AM-3PM, Sat Sun 10AM-5PMF adult $6, child $4; Sa Su adult $8, child $6
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The Alamo
Considered to be hallowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty, the Alamo is a former mission which was also the site of the Battle of the Alamo (1836). Admission is free, although donations are appreciated. Revenues from an adjacent gift shop fund the historic preservation efforts. The Alamo site consists of not only the former mission itself but quite a lot of monuments, informational placards and outbuildings. Excavations and expansion of exhibition space is continuing as of 2023, to include another future museum, but as of January 2023, there is already more than enough to see and learn on-site that you could spend an entire day there if you so chose.
Daily 9AM-5:30PM, closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
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The DoSeum
A vibrant museum for children, although with exhibits that might also appeal to adults. Groups, parties, events, hands-on learning play.
Mon-Thu 10AM-5PM, Fri Sat 9AM-6PM, Sun noon-5PM$12
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Witte Museum
Dinosaurs, textiles, natural history, science treehouse, and more. A museum complex with lots of different activities going on - fun with kids!
Mon 10AM-5PM, Tue 10AM-8PM, Wed-Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun noon-5PMAdult $10; seniors and military $9; 4-11 $7; free Tuesdays 3-8PM
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Hopscotch Art Gallery
An interactive art museum where all artists come together to create unique and colorful art as a way to tell stories.
Wed Thu 3-9PM, Fri noon-10PM, Sat 10AM-11PM, Sun 11AM-7PM
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Institute of Texan Cultures
aka ITC
Museum featuring Texan history, brought to life by docent-interpreters, and the cultures of over 20 national/ethnic groups of people who have made Texas their home. Snack machines.
Temporarily Closedfree, donations accepted
See Not mapped
Ruby City Art Museum
A contemporary art museum that shows art pieces from international artists.
Thu 10AM–6PM, Fri 10AM–6PM, Sat 10AM–6PM, Sun 10AM–6PMFree
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Briscoe Western Art Museum
Western lore, and exhibits on Texas Independence.
Thu 10AM-8PM, Fri-Mon 10AM-5PM$16
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Buckhorn Saloon and Museum
A short two blocks from the Alamo and from the River Walk.
Daily 10AM, closing time varies with season. See website for detailsAdults $19.99; children (ages 3-11) $14.99

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to San Antonio (CC BY-SA 4.0).