San Antonio Long Weekend Trip - Focus on History
- Molly Stalons
- Jul 22
- 9 min read
Why is someone who has Alaska in the middle of their website/domain name talking about San Antonio, TX? We are actually moving out of San Antonio, TX, to Alaska this year, 2026. We really enjoyed living in San Antonio and hosting friends and family when they visited, so we have developed many itineraries to help plan trips.
This itinerary is based on a long weekend trip, arriving on Thursday and leaving on Monday. If you change the dates and decide to arrive on Friday and leave on Tuesday instead, then move the Friday activities to Monday. The focus on this trip to visit San Antonio is History. The main historic sites are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the most famous of which is The Alamo (also known as Mission San Antonio de Valero). It is centrally located in downtown San Antonio, making it easy to access if you stay near downtown. The other missions, although perhaps less well known, are important to the history of San Antonio and are very beautiful; they include: Mission Concepcion, Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo, Mission San Juan Capistrano, and Mission Espada.
Other historic sites that I recommend visiting include: La Villita, San Fernando Cathedral, The Tower of the Americas, the Spanish Governor's Palace, Casa Navarro State Historic Site, The Japanese Tea Garden, and The Pearl (a former brewery turned into a restaurant hub/activity center/shopping area). There are several museums I recommend if you are interested in the area's history: The Witte, the Briscoe Museum of Western Art, and the Texas Ranger Museum (part of the Buckhorn Museum). The Witte has a South Texas Heritage Gallery and a People of the Pecos Gallery, both of which I think are excellent and very informative. The historic activities/tours I recommend include the Go Rio River cruise, which highlights historic points along the San Antonio River, and the San Antonio Trolley Tour, which offers a hop-on, hop-off option. I will discuss all of the above in more detail at the end of the post.
I created this infographic for anyone who likes a visual breakdown. Below, I will go into more detail on each day and how to maximize your time.
Itinerary:
Day 1 - Thursday
Arrive in San Antonio. Whether you drove or flew, you are likely to be tired. Recommend taking it easy.
If you did happen to get in early, then check out The Briscoe Museum of Western Art, which is open until 8 PM on Thursdays, or the Buckhorn Museum, but be warned, its hours are 10-5 PM on weekdays. If you are in the mood to stretch your legs, walk the Riverwalk loop in downtown San Antonio. Consider taking a Go Rio Cruise in the evening. This includes a boat ride along the San Antonio River loop, with historic sites pointed out along the way. It can be enjoyed before or after the sun goes down, as the historic sites are lit at night.
Day 2 - Friday
AM = Go to the Alamo!
Visit the Alamo church and The Alamo Exhibit. The Alamo Church is free to the public, but to control the number of people inside the historic building, timed tickets are required. The grounds and gift shop are free to explore without tickets. The Alamo Exhibit is worth visiting. It contains a large variety of artifacts from the Battle of the Alamo.
PM = Explore the Riverwalk!
Take a Go Rio Cruise now if you want to get off your feet. Check out La Villita Historic District right off the Riverwalk, filled with artisanal shops. If you have time stop by the Briscoe Museum of Western Art or the Buckhorn Museum, both are right next to the Riverwalk.
Evening = The Saga
Visit the San Fernando Cathedral exterior around 830 PM to grab a seat and watch The Saga, a 24-minute sound-and-light show that runs starting at 9 PM and tells the story of San Antonio.
Day 3 - Saturday
AM - PM = The UNESCO World Heritage Missions
If you have a car, then driving to the rest of the missions is a simple matter. Recommend visiting the missions in the following order: Mission San Jose (third photo) -> Mission San Francisco de La Espada (first photo below) -> Mission San Juan (second photo)-> Mission Concepcion (last photo). caminosantonio.org has an image showing the locations
of the different missions along the Riverwalk, along with information about each mission. I recommend this order because Mission San Jose opens earlier than Mission La Espada. Eat before you leave for the Missions, as there are more options in downtown San Antonio than there are near the Missions.
PM = Visiting the missions will likely spill over into the afternoon. If you finish early in the afternoon, consider visiting the Briscoe Museum on the Riverwalk or the Buckhorn if you didn't have a chance to see those on Thursday.
Evening = The Tower of the Americas!
Consider having dinner and/or drinks at the Tower of the Americas. It's best to make a dinner reservation in advance (you can do so several days in advance if you are not looking for prime dining times) for The Chart House, the restaurant at the tower. The food is good, but the main selling point is the revolving view of San Antonio in the evening. Try to time your reservation for an hour before sundown so you can see the skyline at sunset and the city lights afterward. Of note, the food at The Chart House is good, but the drinks are really the highlight of any visit to The Tower of the Americas.
**They are currently renovating the Observation deck, and there is no historical information available, so I do not recommend going to the observation deck, as all you are paying for is the ability to go up high and look around, which you can also do with dinner or drinks.
Day 4 - Sunday
AM = The Pearl Sunday Makers Market & Japanese Tea Garden
Easy to drive to from downtown. If you are feeling active, you can also walk by just following the river north. If you don't want to walk or drive, consider the Old Town Trolley Tours of San Antonio, although it will take around 45 to 90 minutes, depending on which trolley stop you get on downtown. If you take the Trolley, consider stopping at the Japanese Tea Garden before you get to The Pearl.
The Pearl was a brewery originally called City Brewery and later renamed Pearl Brewery. It operated from the early 1880s until 1999. The buildings are created in Second Empire and Romanesque Revival styles by Chicago architect August Maritzen. Many of the historical buildings that were part of the original operation have been converted into different buildings. The Hotel Emma is located in the main iconic brewhouse, the Food Hall is located in the bottling department, and the Stable House is now a concert venue. I recommend getting either breakfast or lunch at The Pearl (or both).
PM = The Witte
The Witte is around 5–7-minute drive from The Pearl. The Kittie West Nelson Ferguson People of the Pecos Gallery is an excellent and engaging exhibit that teaches about the people of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands who lived in this area for over 9,000 years. Another exhibit I strongly recommend is the Robert J. & Helen C. Kleberg South Texas Heritage Center, which dives into the history of San Antonio, TX. There is also a gallery, the McLean Family Texas Wild Gallery, that exhibits a variety of wildlife from different regions of Texas. The Naylor Family Dinosaur Gallery has an amazing array of prehistoric animals.
Day 5 - Monday
Take your time on your last day in San Antonio. If you haven't had the time yet, check out either the Briscoe Museum of Western Art or the Buckhorn Saloon & Museum. I hope you have had a great time in San Antonio!
The Index:
See below for hours, cost, and links to websites for all the locations listed above.
Museum timing:
I always struggle to figure out how much time to expect to spend in a museum. I think it is important to realize that not everyone experiences museums the same way. The two major categories in my mind are "Readers" and "Walkers". When I go to a museum, I am more of a "Reader" in that I walk through each exhibit and try to read all the information it has to offer. If I miss a section, I like to go back to it. "Walkers" are people who walk up to an exhibit, look at it, and maybe read some of what it says. They may walk past exhibits they are not interested in and may skip reading explanations if they are very long. For this reason, I will split the times up based on the Reader estimated time and the Walker estimated time.
The Briscoe Western Art Museum - $16 adult; $14 Seniors (65+), military, and students (13- 18-year-olds); $8 Military dependents; Free for children 12 and under.
Hours: 10 AM - 5PM; Thursday 10 AM - 8 PM; closed Tuesday/Thursday
Buckhorn Saloon & Museum - $22.99 per adult, $16.99 per child. The cost covers two museums, the Buckhorn Museum and Saloon, and the Texas Ranger Museum. If you are interested in the history of Texas and San Antonio, I would focus on the downstairs Texas Ranger Museum. The cost of your ticket also covers admission to the upstairs museum, which showcases many trophy animals from around the world, as well as strange and unusual curiosities. Also, because this is a saloon, they allow you to bring your drink with you while you explore.
Hours: 10 am- 5 pm weekdays, 10 am- 6 pm weekends. Reader time: 2-3 hours at the Texas Ranger Museum. 2 hours for the Buckhorn Museum. Walker time: 1.5 hours for the Texas Ranger Museum, 1.5 hours for the Buckhorn Museum.
Go Rio River Cruise - $15.50 (online) adult, $9.50 child, $12.50 senior (65+), $12.50 military active, reserve, or retired (includes dependents and spouses). The cruise is approx. 35 minutes
Hours: Boats run from 10 AM - 10 PM.
The Alamo Church - Free to explore the grounds. The church is free but requires a timed ticket for entry. Can buy online or can buy across the street from the church. Walker: 1 hour; Reader: 1.5 hour.
Hours: 9 AM-5:30 PM, last entry 30 minutes before closing
The Alamo Exhibit - $14 adult, $10 child, $12 adult military and senior (65+), $9 military child. Walker: 1 hour; Reader: 2-3 hours.
Hours: 9 AM-5 PM Last entry at 4 PM
Mission San Francisco de la Espada - This mission is the farthest from San Antonio but is a great place to start your tour of the missions. If you go down the "Mission trail" headed towards the river about .20-.25 mile, there is a very unique art exhibit titled"Tree of Life."
11 AM - 3 PM
Mission San Juan - smaller mission but with a park museum, mission ruins, and a trail that runs by the historic farm fields that served the mission and are still in use today.
9 AM - 5 PM
Mission San Jose - "Queen of the Missions," the largest of the missions. Spanish colonial Baroque architecture on the church.
9 AM - 5 PM
Mission Concepcion - One of the country's oldest remaining original stone churches.
9 AM - 5 PM, daily
The Tower of the Americas- $19.50 Adults, $16 Seniors (65+), $15 children 4-12, Free Children 3 years and under. Combo tickets with Go Rio are $35 for adults and $28.50 for seniors (not worth it for seniors, but no money lost if you are an adult with no discounts).
Hours: Sun-Thurs 10 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat 10 AM - 10 PM
The Chart House & Lounge 601- Need a reservation to go up to the restaurant. No reservation is required for the bar. The drinks are amazing, the mocktails are also delicious.
Hours: Sun-Thurs 11 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat 11 AM - 11 PM\
Old Town Trolley Tours - $42.46 Adult (if you buy online), $25.46 child (if you buy online); Hop-on, hop-off style Trolley, tickets are good for two consecutive days. For the above itinerary, I would use them on Saturday (Tower of the Americas) and Sunday (The Pearl, Japanese Tea Garden, etc). Note that buying the combo tickets with GoRio river cruise is currently not a good deal.
Hours: 9 AM to 4 PM
The Pearl Sunday Maker's Market - Free to explore the grounds of The Pearl, we have not experienced a bad food stall at the Maker's Market, but our favorites are Kin Khoa Thai Food (Thai omelet is our fav!), YAPA Artisan Empanadas (my favorite is the Peruvian Style Chicken), and Pingo de Mel Brazilian Bakery (both their coxinhas and pao de queijo are very yummy). Mother Culture is a very good and popular yogurt in San Antonio. Viva La Calle has great aguas frescas and a variety of coffees, including lattes. SoCo Ginger Beer has delicious ginger beer (no alcohol, very refreshing with a variety of flavors, worth checking out).
Hours: 9 AM - 1 PM
The Japanese Tea Garden - Free. Expect to spend an hour here. Very beautiful! Dog-friendly.
Hours: 7 AM - 5 PM daily
The Witte Museum - $17 Adults, $16 Seniors (65+) and Teens (13-18), $11 Children (4-12), Free for children 3 and under. Walker: 2-3 hours. Reader: 4-5 hours.
Hours: Mon, Wed-Sat 10 AM - 5 PM; Tues 10 AM-6 PM; Sun Noon-5 PM
Closing Remarks
I will be making an additional list with food recommendations when you are in San Antonio.
Happy Adventuring!
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