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San Antonio Educational Tours

The Alamo is and always will be the most important piece of property in the southwest. Everyone knows it is behind these walls that great American folk heroes, James Bowie and Davy Crockett along with some 200 other courageous men defended the ground to the bitter end when Mexican forces, after many days of fighting and hundreds of causalities of their own, where able to overcome the defenders and capture the garrison, killing all but two of the people inside. This only served to rally the Texas forces and less than a month later the Texans defeated the Mexican Army and ended the revolution with the famous words “Remember the Alamo” ringing in their ears. The Alamo stands as an icon of Texan and American bravery and tenacity.

The city of San Antonio sprang up around the Alamo in the years that followed and is now the jewel of central Texas. Most people forget, however, that the Alamo was just a humble mission in the beginning; and while it was the first in San Antonio, already 100 years old when the battle took place, it is by far not the most grand of the many missions that are situated along the San Antonio River.

Among the most beautiful that are still standing are the Mission Conception, Mission San Francisco de la Espada, Mission San Jose and Mission San Juan Capistradio. All are located in Missions National Park in and around San Antonio and are available for touring. Mission San Jose is still an active parish and holds mass weekly.

San Antonio, steeped in history and American / Latino culture, has for many years been recognized for its unique ability to blend the past with today’s bustling arts community. With galleries and museums abounding, the city is a Mecca for artists and historians from around the country. Some of the museums that you’ll want to visit include Witte Museum, Fort Sam Houston, Hanger 9, The Institute of Texas Culture, Marion Koogler McNay Arts center and the most recognizable; Museo Alameda. This bright pink building started life as a Mexican-owned movie theatre but was transformed in 1996 into the official State Latino Museum and became the first formal affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute outside of Washington, DC.

For a closer walk with history, you should explore La Villita (Little Village) and Enchanted Springs Ranch. The latter is a fully restored Wild West ghost town where you can take a wagon ride to see the longhorn cattle and other exotic animals. The list of historic places in San Antonio just goes on and on and includes Hemisfair Park, which was built for the 1968 worlds fair, Sunset Station at St Paul Square, King William Historic District, The Market Square and the Old Spanish Trail that stretches from Florida to California tracing Spanish conquest in the New World.

The people of San Antonio hold nature in high regard. This fact becomes clear when you start to explore the area. Some of the wonders of nature in San Antonio include the Texas State Botanical Gardens, Brackenridge Park, Japanese Tea Garden, Natural Bridge Caverns, San Pedro Springs Park and the San Antonio Zoo, which is ranked as one of the best in the nation.

There are many more surprises waiting in San Antonio to take you back in time to the 17th century when the first Spanish Explorers and missionaries came to settle the land.