San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Visitor Center — Attraction in San Antonio

Beautifully preserved/restored 18th century Catholic missions, still operational churches today. Beautiful artwork and solemn, contemplative atmosphere with some playing Gregorian Chant to enhance the experience. Each has a small museum detailing the origin, history and culture of the time period. A great way to spend the day, whether driving, biking or, for the stout hearted, hiking. Well maintained grounds and trail system. Knowledgeable and friendly staff, both park service and parishioners, are there to provide in depth information to supplement the museums.

The main Visitor's Center is at Mission San Jose but each one has a small Visitor's Center/museum. The artwork around Mission Concepcion's sanctuary is original to the building. Mission San Juan is the most unusual/unconventional. This building was to be the mission's granary but, when the mason constructing the church left in a hurry before finishing it, they converted the granary...

Beautiful with over 5 acres of grounds to explore. There is a significant amount of history in San Antonio and this mission is one of 5 in the area that you can explore. Take note the closing hours will impact this mission in that it has a gate around it, so you will not have any access to the exterior of the mission once the gates close, typically about 15 min before closing time. There is a small museum and gift shop located in the grounds as well. There are bike rentals and a path that leads you around all of the missions and is linked so you can travel by foot to all of the missions. Ask for a map...

This is a really excellent visitor center. There's loads of space, a small theater with a film about the area, and a couple of wings with display areas. Very friendly staff, clear information, and a great souvenir store to browse, with books, ceramics, mementos, food, and more. Very enjoyable and a nice cool space to take a breather in before walking around the mission in the heat (and after, if...