Mission San Jose — Attraction in San Antonio

Mission San Jose: A Surprisingly Serene Detour for the Non-History-Loving Family As someone who generally prefers a good game of sports outside or a refreshing swim to a hallowed hall, the idea of visiting a museum (even an outdoor one) isn't usually my first choice. And frankly, my family isn't exactly clamoring for a history lesson either. Yet, we opted for Mission San Jose, and I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised. The mission proved to be incredibly spacious and, to my delight, refreshingly uncrowded. It felt less like a stuffy exhibit and more like a peaceful stroll through some seriously old, beautiful architecture. The staff were genuinely friendly and helpful. One thing that immediately scored points in my book (and probably the kids' too) was the abundance of drinking fountains scattered throughout the grounds. Dehydration was clearly not on the mission's agenda. We even found a little theater room where we caught a video, which was a nice way to absorb some of the plentiful information without feeling like I needed a history degree just to understand the plaques. Ultimately, Mission San Jose is truly beautiful and incredibly peaceful. Even for a family like ours, who generally skips the historical deep dives, it was a surprisingly serene and enriching experience. It might not convert us into full-fledged history buffs, but we can definitely appreciate the quiet beauty and the friendly vibe it...

Fully restored mission, with a church that is still functional, a mill and living quarters. This mission is also where the National Park visitor's center is located. Large well maintained grounds. Clean bathrooms and a large parking lot. This mission really helped me visualize what life in the mission was like. Other than the Alamo, this was the busiest of the missions. We enjoyed the little museum and especially the movie which gives a good basic overview of the history and daily life of the Texas missions. There is a ranger led tour twice a day in the morning (10 and 11 I believe). Quality of the tours vary. To be honest, I wasn't too impressed with the ranger that provided our tour, maybe he is new? He seemed really nervous and stumbled over his words and repeated himself a lot. There was a large crowd of people. On our way out to the parking lot we overheard the beginning of the next tour given by a different ranger, much more personable and engaging. Would definitely recommend if you are interested in learning more about...

This is the largest of the 5 San Antonio Missions and was the best to visit for historical information other than the very busy Alamo. We went on a Sunday morning around 10 am and spent just over an hour. We could have definitely spent more time, but wanted to hit the other 3 non-Alamo missions on this day before it got really hot.

We watched the video in the visitor center and that helped our kids learn a lot about what the missions were, why they were built, and how it changed the lives of the native people so greatly. We then walked the grounds, read some of the plaques, looked in at some of the models/exhibits, and just enjoyed the beauty of the mission. It was not very busy when we arrived, but more people were arriving by the time we left around 11 am. I would suggest getting there early and enjoying a guided tour and possibly the video. Total time needed is minimum 30 minutes and up to 2 hours if you do the tour, video, and...