San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

6701 San Jose Dr, San Antonio, TX 78214, USA

Address:	6701 San Jose Dr, San Antonio, TX 78214, USA
Phone:	+1 210-534-8875
Site:	nps.gov
Rating:	4.7
Working:	9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 16

Ryan Otte

Wow, what a surprising National Historical Park. If in San Antonio, and had only time for either the Alamo compound or San Antonio Missions NHP, go to the Nationa Park Service compounds. As my friend had put it, "this place seems more authentically like what the Alamo would have been than todays Alamo". The park service does its usual awesome job to restore a site back to its original character without any additions or fanfare. The dormitory rooms around the perimeter of the compounds, the visitor center, the gardens, central chapel/church, are all very well done. The combination of these elements into a working mission compound is actually quite remarkable, and beautifully well crafted. The visitor center was great, and we wished we had more time to see the other sites, rather than just Mission San Jose. While we both liked the Alamo and what it means for Texas history, these site are very scenic additions to the great city of San Antonio.

Lawrence Charters

Wonderful way to spend your time in San Antonio - outside the city. The missions are in far better shape than the last time I visited, 40 years ago. They are infinately more accessible, with a city bus line passing all but the very last one in the chain. The southernmost mission can be reached by a gentle one mile walk along the San Antonio mission from the last bus stop. It is an excellent way to look back across almost 400 years of European history in North America. The park itself is a cooperative effort between San Antonio, the State of Texas, the Catholic Church, the National Park Service, and, through the designation as a World Heritage Site, the United Nations. It is a worthy effort.

Victor Kohnke

Ok, now this is one of those "if you like history, you will like it" kind of places. The San Antonio Missions, encompassed by the National Historical Park, have been designated a World Heritage site and for good reason. The history discussed here goes beyond the obvious Christian/Spanish history of these still functioning Catholic churches. It discusses the history of the indigenous people and as much of their history as we have. Some of it is, not surprisingly, quite sad since the Europeans were nice enough to bring with them diseases like Smallpox. Come on Sunday Morning and experience one of their many services.

Jessica Prieto

Beautiful pieces of History. Beautiful buildings and grounds. Photography allowed and you can go in all of the buildings and some are air-conditioned. There are public restrooms available. At some missions there are park rangers and you can get your National Park Passport stamps. Missions are not within walking distance of each other, they are about three miles apart. Easy driving tour though. Great place to bring the kids, teaches a great piece of History. In-depth descriptions in both English and Spanish throughout all the buildings. The acquacia was amazing. Dont skip that.

Claire P

Park is a misleading term. This is more of a single long trail that connects many points of interest thought downtown San Antonio starting at the Alamo. Im really happy the city is putting money into making this area everything it has the potential to be. At times it can be difficult to navigate even with a map since the trail lacks signage in a few areas. Learn from my mistakes and start this trail EARLY if you want to see everything and plan on being back at your car at 5pm/before dark since its probably a good idea not to be here after dark.

Troy Windhorst

This is the site of the Mission San Jose, which serves at the hub/headquarters of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. This is where you will find the park lodge with gifts, information, etc. Its no wonder that this particular mission was chosen for the park headquarters. It is the most well-preserved, including both perimeter fort structures and the church. It is a beautiful campus. If you could only visit one mission in town, this is it.

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Park is open to the public daily, and free of charge. You are free to walk the grounds, or join a guide for a tour. Its a popular spot for photographers as the architecture really demonstrates the Mexico influence on the San Antonio area. The main building is still an active church, so if you plan to visit on a Sunday keep this in mind. Plenty of parking, rarely busy, and just a short drive from other historic missions in the area.

Jeremy Riel

Stop by the four missions when youre in San Antonio! Theres so much history at this national historic park, and each mission has its own charm and character. Theres a visitors center at Mission San Jose, which has a mini museum and a video that helps interpret the area for visitors. You can bike the missions from downtown via the Riverwalk as well, so if the weather is nice take a bike stroll for the day to see some Texas history!

Roger Paredes

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G place to visit. At every mission they have an info booth and at the main one they even treat you with a movie explaining the history of the place. All the missions are beautiful and super interesting and its all FREE. It was very romantic as well my wife and I loved walking around through all the missions. None were crowded and we felt completely peaceful in them!

Tom Jones

We went here on christmas day and even though it is technically closed you could get onto the grounds and walk around. It is really worth going to see as it is mostly complete and gives you a good idea of what one of the missions looked like. The church on the grounds is super cool looking. I would recommend visiting when you have some time to kill in San Antonio.

Lezah McDuffie

Enjoyed visiting the missions and learning the history of the region. It was nice to be able to visit the churches at each site. I love history, but I was surprised to see my sons reaction to each mission. He is not such a history buff, but was excited about these missions and their history. Visitors to San Antonio should consider visiting the missions.

Erinn Perry

Wonderful unique piece of history. Love that there is a city bus that visits all but one. Also easy driving tour. On Sundays, dont expect to see inside all of the missions as all are active parishes. Recommend starting at San José as thats where the visitor center is located, where they have a ranger tour and video about the park.

Roy Cormier

Its probably one of the lesser known spots in SA mainly due to its location south of the Citys core and famed Riverwalk. However, to see the grandness of the mission should be something just too good to pass up. And for a unique opportunity, check their website for when to visit one of the services that take place on Sunday.

Amberle Arroyo

I love our Missions and the history they represent for our beautiful city. My only complaint is the number of shady people that seem to hang around the Missions. This particular evening I was here for community yoga and pulled up to a guy smoking and drinking in his truck. Beyond that, its always clean and well maintained.

Ross Jordan

It is the best preserved mission in the area. Get there before 5. Its not cool to be chased off by a friar, even though the doors were open. Us and about six other couples were told to leave quite rudely. Nevertheless, the place is spectacular and it gives you a real feel for what a Spanish mission look like.

Noland Martin

An historic park. The ranger at one site was weirdly grumpy. My kids wanted to do "Jr. Ranger" tasks but were just dismissively handed a badge without a word. Pretty much made the place lame for them... even made them a little self conscious about doing it. Worst national park experience ever I have to say.