Historic Spanish mission and fortress compound founded in the 18th century by Roman Catholic missionaries and was the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836
General Information
Peak Season (May 28 to Sept. 6): 9am to 7pm
Off-Peak Season (Sept. 7 to May 27): 9am to 5:30pm
Closed Christmas Day
Alamo Guided Tour: 9:30am, 10:30am, 11:30am, 1pm, 3pm
Touring the Alamo Church is free. Visitors will need to reserve their free ticket to enter the church ahead of their visit. A maximum of 100 people will be allowed inside at once and visitors will have 30 minutes to explore the inside of the church. Afterwards, visitors are free to explore the rest of the grounds as long as they like.
Alamo Guided Tour
Adult: $40.00
Child (12 and under): $30.00
Adult Military (w/ID): $36.00
Child Military (12 and under w/ID): $27.00
Head east on Dolorosa toward Main Plaza. Continue onto W Market St. Turn left onto S Alamo St. Continue onto Alamo Plaza
Overview
The Alamo, originally the Misión San Antonio de Valero, is the most visited historic site in Texas and the reason San Antonio exists on the map most Americans carry in their heads. Spanish missionaries founded it in the 18th century; by 1836 it was a fortress, and it was here that a small Texian garrison held out against General Santa Anna's much larger Mexican army before being overrun on March 6, 1836 — a defeat that became the rallying cry for Texas independence. Today the surviving mission church and Long Barracks sit at the heart of downtown's Alamo Plaza, part of the San Antonio Missions UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Just outside the mission walls stands the Alamo Cenotaph, a 60-foot marble and granite monument dedicated in 1940 to the defenders who died in the battle. Carved by sculptor Pompeo Coppini for the 1936 Texas Centennial, it lists the names of known combatants and carries an inscription honoring their sacrifice.
Things to Do
Tour the Mission Church & Long Barracks
Walk through the original chapel and the Long Barracks museum, which displays paintings, weapons, and other artifacts from the Texas Revolution alongside a large diorama recreating the compound as it looked in 1836.
See the Wall of History
A large mural traces the Alamo's story from its mission days through the 1836 battle to the present, giving useful context before or after touring the grounds.
Pay Respects at the Cenotaph
Read the inscription and the names of the defenders on this marble and granite monument just outside the mission walls, erected for the battle's centennial.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles "Alamo Mission in San Antonio" and "Alamo Cenotaph", which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
