The Alamo

300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205, USA

Address:	300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205, USA
Phone:	+1 210-225-1391
Site:	thealamo.org
Rating:	4.4
Working:	9AM–8PM 9AM–8PM 9AM–8PM 9AM–8PM 9AM–8PM 9AM–8PM 9AM–8PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

Cody Jackson

While I am a history buff, I hate crowds. I like to visit areas that, while popular, arent swarming with gaggles of tourists. The location is free for the public and survives on donations and purchases from the gift shop, so its also popular with thrifty visitors. The Alamo is the #1 tourist destination in Texas. It doesnt help that it is in downtown San Antonio, part of the Riverwalk, and across the street from a number of other tourist destinations like the Ripleys Museum. It is hard to get a scale of the original Alamo property because so much of it has been demolished over the years. Its interesting to wander the grounds but, with all the tourists, you cant really picture what it used to look like, even with displays and paintings available. While there are a number of storyboards, videos, and guided tours available, there isnt really much that you cant get from reading a book or even Wikipedia. The big draw for history buffs is seeing dioramas and museum pieces in the collection, as well as just being able to see the construction of the walls and buildings. But, without the rest of the fort left (the only remaining portion you can visit is the mission and barracks area), you cant picture how the battle actually took place. To me, this is an important part of visiting a historic site: imagining what is must have been like for the residents of the location, or picturing how a battle might have taken place. Little Big Horn is a good example; you can walk the battlefield and see how the positions of the US Calvary compared to the American Indians. With the Alamo, there is nothing left to do that with. To be honest, the hype that the Alamo receives far exceeds the actual location. Its worth the visit, especially if youre into history, but dont expect to spend more than an hour there (apart from fighting the crowds). The chapel is interesting to walk through but there are no mannequins or other things that could help bring history to life. The barracks is better, as the storyboards spend more time talking about the events up to and after the battle. There area also a number of items on display, which I found fascinating. But, after about 45 minutes, I was getting kind of bored. There are so many people that you cant just sit and take it all in, and the actual location takes up only about a city block, so it doesnt take long to see everything. Overall, if youre in San Antonio, visit the Alamo but dont plan on spending a lot of time there. Youll be finished before you know it, and you can get just as good, or better, of an understanding of the events surrounding it from other sources.

Crosby Cook

I went into the Alamo expecting it to be kitschy, but was very pleasantly surprised. Theres lots of good historical information, about the mission itself, San Antonio, and the Texas Revolution. There was also some info on events happening in the wider world (mainly, but not exclusively, centered in the U.S. and U.K.) at the same time, providing some historical context. The day I visited there was a volunteer dressed in period outfit, pretending to be a doctor, with an array of replica period medical implements. He put on a good show, explaining how hed use *this* curved blade to cut away your muscles before switching to *that* saw to chew through the bone. He always had quick answers to audience questions, and stayed well in character throughout. This was truly the highlight of the visit for me. If hes around, check him out! And yes, those leeches are real (dead, but real). There was also a good exhibit on Jim Bowie and Bowie knives. Turns out Bowies a bit of a nutter! Theres an eyewitness account of one of Jims many duels, which swiftly devolved into a stabbing rampage. Also, theres a wide variety of actual knives on display. All in all, the Alamo was really interesting and surprisingly entertaining! Use the restroom before you get there, though. Awfully long lines.

Jay Tea

The site and artifacts are an amazing piece of history and an amazement to view. There is no entrance fee. I spent over an hour appreciating the biographys behind each piece. The artifacts were well preserved. For such a small space, there is so much to look at, learn about and appreciate. The gift shop offered everything Texas and Alamo. There were Panchos, hats, buckles, knives and many more items to chose from. However, they are pricey. to me, the investment here is well worth it. This was my second time here in four years. To me both experiences were almost identical. I will visit again. Although there is a certain amount of people let in at one time, the outdoor attraction was congested. This made the walk through difficult. At times one could not make it through the crowd for minutes at a time. The restroom had long lines too. It was 100 degree Fahrenheit this day with a 45% humidity. This made the walk through much more stressful, especially when having to wait in order to use the restroom.

san antonio Dweller

Most tourists are disappointed with the Alamo as is. Truth be told, the Sons and Daughters of the Republic of Texas have not done a very good job maintaining the place or doing it historical justice. Aside from the front and the mostly empty interior, there really isnt much to see as the Sons and Daughters of the Republic have kept many of the artifacts in their personal family collections. I am one of many San Antonioans who is looking forward to making the Alamo a federal park and historical site. I would love to see the kitchy businesses across the street relocated at the Alamo returned to its former footprint. I just hope that keep the façade open as a central plaza for residents to stroll through 24/7. Its nice to hang out by the Christmas tree in front of the Alamo every year with the family.

Joseph Osmond

Young child perspective: not something that would interest kids, except for the "giant goldfish." There is a nice informative phone tour but I doubt kids would like that. There is a garden to walk around in. Adult perspective: It was neat to be able to say that we have been there. The people working there were not exceptionally friendly. Had an "overworked" attitude. If I didnt HAVE to go so that I wouldnt be judged in life with comments like "you went to San Antonio and never saw the Alamo?!?"- I would say skip it. Bathroom quality: dont know, didnt use. Never saw any. It is free though so you really can stay just a few minutes and not feel like youve wasted money. And it is in a fantastic location near the river walk and other fun things.

Tory Morgan

Been here twice now, I love it!!! Free to get in (parking is nearby and kinda pricey, we paid $15 for 5 hours, other options were $10 for 3 hours, or $20 for 8 hours). You can pay to have an "audio tour" but Im not sure how much it costs, we just went through the area by ourselves. You can walk through the main building, then they had a gift shop, an exhibit about the Bowie knife and James (I think thats his first name) Bowie, pretty cool exhibit, they do have small bathrooms in the back corner. There was another walk through exhibit area that had artifacts that were found from the original battle. Cant take pictures in any of the buildings though. Beautiful scenery and awesome history!!! Would definitely recommend if youre in the area.