San Antonio Galleries, Museums and Arts

The brand new Museo Alameda is the largest Latino museum in the country with 20,000 square feet of exhibition space. In partnership with The Smithsonian Institution, The Museo Alameda presents extraordinary exhibitions, performances, and educational programs that provide a forum for the exploration of Latino art, history and culture.

The first modern art museum in Texas. Cézanne, van Gogh, Matisse and Picasso live in the McNay's permanent collection. Exhibitions range from Black History to Warhol. Twenty three acres of manicured grounds are the backdrop for an outdoor sculpture garden. A non-circulating library offers free art research. Free admission (suggested donation $5) and free parking.

Fine art museum with a strong proclivity for Latin American works. SAMA’s permanent collection includes Western Antiquities, the largest holding of Asian Art in the southern United States, Latin American Art, and contemporary American paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts. Admission $8. Closed Mondays.Tuesdays 10-8  Wednesdays-Saturdays 10-5 Sundays noon-5.

Located in Brackenridge Park, the Witte Museum makes the quintessential family outing. Exhibits featuring dinosaur skeletons, cave drawings and wildlife dioramas will amuse and inform young and old. The HEB Science Treehouse gives parents a breather. The museum also hosts birthday parties and private camp ins by reservation. Admission $7 (free on Tuesdays 3-8pm) Monday 10- 5  Tuesday 10 - 8  Wednesday-Saturday 10 -5 Sunday noon- 5.

Enjoy 33 acres of colorful seasonal floral displays, a serene native forest walk, exotic plant specimens from around the world, modern glass pyramids, and an authentic log cabin at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Features include the Old Fashioned Perennial Garden, Rose Garden, Sacred Garden, Garden for the Blind, Kuamoto En (an authentic Japanese Garden), and extensive native collections representing the Hill Country, East Texas and Southwest Texas. The Aquatic Garden Pool is the central feature of the Conservatory Courtyard. Open every day from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Located in the heart of downtown, across from the historic Alamo Plaza and the River Center, the Plaza Wax Museum features a collection of wax figures displayed within themed sections of Hollywood, children's land of make believe, horror (optional section), history and religion. Ripley's Believe It Or Not! features one-of-a-kind oddities, curiosities and illusions gathered from all over the world by Robert Ripley. There are over 500 exhibits at the San Antonio Ripley's Believe It Or Not! making it one of the largest in the world.

The San Antonio Children’s Museum provides engaging hands-on experiences where children actively learn through creative play. The museum has than 80 interactive multi-sensory exhibits designed to foster a greater understanding of the working society and the physical world.

In the King William's district, the eccentris Blue Star Arts complex, right next to the San Antonio river, is a hot bed for San Antonio's artsy set with performance companies, galleries, craft spaces and a brewery. The Jump-Start Theater Company calls Blue Star home.