A Spotlight on the Witte, San Antonio – A Free Museum Day Visit
San Antonio, Texas blends culture, nature, and fun to create an affordable vacation spot. Enjoy learning about San Antonio and Texas by visiting the Witte Museum. While visiting, take advantage of one of the free museum days to save money.
Most people visiting San Antonio know about the Alamo and the Riverwalk. After all, San Antonio is known as “The Alamo City.”
Both iconic locations in the heart of downtown are definitely must-visit attractions. As a bonus, both are absolutely free things to do in San Antonio.
While the Alamo and the Riverwalk are both great places to visit, the city has other equally great cultural attractions.
During the summer, many of San Antonio’s popular museums offer free admission on certain days, thanks partly to the generosity of San Antonio business partnerships.
Let’s take a closer look at one of those museums, the San Antonio Witte Museum.
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The Witte Museum
- Location: 3801 Broadway
- Hours: Open most days year-round except on major holidays.
- Sunday – 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Monday, Wednesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Tuesdays – 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
- Cost: Adults – $14; Children (4-11) $10; 3 and under – FREE
- Witte MuseumFREE days: Open to General Public – Tuesdays 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
- Reserve your admission online
On a recent Tuesday afternoon visit, the crowds were minimal despite being a Witte Museum free day.
We had a lovely time exploring the museum.
How do you reserve your ticket for Witte Free Tuesday?
The ticket process is relatively easy. Log into the Witte website and choose your tickets for Witte Free Tuesday.
If you want to visit any special exhibits, there is a small fee. You can add those to your cart online when you check out.
The special exhibits rotate. During a most recent visit, The Power of Poison was currently installed.
We chose not to add the special exhibits on this visit and still had plenty to see.
When you arrive at the museum, give your names and online ticket numbers. Entry is that easy.
Where is the Witte Museum?
Located in Brackenridge Park, the Witte Museum is easily accessible by car.
The Witte Adventure Walk offers guests an easy walk from the Brackenridge Parking Garage on Avenue B to the H-E-B Lantern Entrance of the museum. Parking is free.
Visitors staying in Downtown San Antonio can also access Brackenridge Park via a bicycle path and use BCycles, electric bikes that can be rented per hour or by the day.
What to See on your Witte Museum Free Days
The entrance to the museum captures visitors’ attention with an enhanced LED ceiling where dinosaurs float across the sky. This, along with the massive dinosaur suspended overhead, lets you know you’re in for a spectacular experience.
Dinosaurs
If you have dinosaur lovers in your group, the entrance to the museum is just the beginning. Massive dinosaur fossils greet you at the Naylor Family Dinosaur Gallery.
Learn about dinosaurs and trek into the dinosaur dig area to find fossils in the interactive display.
All About Texas
Beyond the dinosaurs, visitors learn about Texas history by walking through the McLean Family Texas Wild Gallery.
Learn about the different environments of Texas while witnessing over 150 animals.
Don’t be alarmed if you hear thunder. It’s all part of the interactive exhibits in this area.
Of all the museum exhibits, this area is my favorite.
Just past the Texas Wild Gallery are Sounds of South Texas, narrated by country music star George Strait. Benches line the wall for visitors to sit and enjoy his soothing voice narrating while animal sounds fill the background.
A Body Adventure
Kids flock out the back door and across the lawn to the H-E-B Body Adventure exhibit. This four-story exhibit, in partnership with University Health, encourages participation.
Sign up for a free Power Pass at a kiosk on the ground floor.
Use the Power Pass to track your progress as you run, jump, and hop through the exhibits. Your hand-picked virtual trainer encourages you throughout the tasks.
The H-E-B Body Adventure offers one of the best free things to do in San Antonio with kids. The activities, games, and skill tests will keep the kids busy and entertained for hours.
In addition to the Power Pass activities located indoors, a healthy adventure awaits you outdoors as well. Signs for the Health Hunt located throughout the outdoor treehouse encourage interaction.
After all this adventure at the museum, make sure to check out one of the kid-friendly restaurants in San Antonio.
Enjoy the Outdoors
The free museum days in San Antonio are a great way to add some culture to your vacation time. The exhibits are enjoyable, but the outdoor space at the Witte Museum is equally pleasant and exudes peacefulness.
Located along the banks of the San Antonio River, the Witte Museum Free Tuesday is a fabulous free attraction that allows you to enjoy San Antonio’s outdoor spaces.
Before heading back inside, pop into the Tremblay Family cafe near the H-E-B Body Adventure exhibit. Covered patio tables are available at the Riverside Picnic Park.
South Texas Heritage Center
Back inside, venture over to the two-story South Texas Heritage Center.
Don’t be startled as you enter when a life-like mannequin docent greets you. It’s crazy how real he looks.
This part of the museum explores the settlers who made Texas what it is today.
Visitors learn about the many immigrants who settled in Texas, the rich cattle history, and the oil industry’s impact. There are many interactive displays in this area.
You’ll hear one first-hand account from C.H. Guenther, the founder of Pioneer Flour Mills. You may recognize the name if you have eaten at The Guenther House restaurant.
RELATED POST: The Guenther House was just one of the many restaurants featured in the post, The Best Restaurant on the Riverwalk in San Antonio.
A Nod to San Antonio Fiesta
Finish your visit at the Witte Museum back on the second floor of the main building.
This floor is dedicated to San Antonio Fiesta’s couture. The exhibit maps out how the Fiesta Queens’ dresses have evolved.
This floor has fun interactives like the Fiesta Vogue life-size magazine cover. My husband was a good sport and was my model. He’s such a trooper!
Is a visit to the Witte worth it?
Even if the museum were not free, it would be worth paying the $14 entrance fee for many reasons.
First, the variety of exhibits throughout the Witte offers something to appeal to all ages.
Second, the interactive and hands-on learning makes this a great thing to do in San Antonio with kids.
Finally, the museum is accessible to all, including those with visual impairments, by offering many narrated sections.
Overall, our visit was quite enjoyable.
RELATED POST: For another fun and free thing to do in San Antonio in the Brackenridge Park area, read A Visit to Sunken Gardens, A Japanese Tea Garden.
Other Free Museum Days in San Antonio
The DoSeum – 2800 Broadway St
- Days/Hours for FREE Admission: First Monday of the month
- Open to everyone but on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration for free tickets begins at 8:00 a.m. the morning of the free event.
- Other admission discounts: Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, or U.S. Trust credit and debit card holders get one free admission on the first weekend of each month.
The DoSeum Museum welcomes guests of all ages and is one of the best children’s museums in the country.
Going to the Do-Seum on a free day is one of the best free things to do in San Antonio with kids.
The hands-on experiences engage learners as young as pre-school in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
San Antonio Museum of Art – 200 W Jones Ave
- Hours for FREE Admission: Tuesday 4:00 p.m. – 7:00p.m.
- FREE Admission for Bexar County residents only
The McNay Art Museum – 6000 N New Braunfels Ave
- Hours for FREE Admission: Thursdays 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.; Sundays noon to 5:00 p.m.
- Offer good for everyone
- Other admission discounts:
- FREE for active military, veterans, and families now until Labor Day 2022;
- Bank of America or Merrill Lynch cardholders – one free admission on the first weekend of the month;
- Free for families receiving food assistance, including SNAP, WIC, and MAP recipients
- Free for faculty, students, and staff from local colleges and universities
- See their website for more details
Holocaust Memorial Museum – 12500 NW Military
- Hours for FREE Admission: Mon. – Fri. 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.; Sunday 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- A suggested donation of $3 is recommended.
The Holocaust Memorial Museum has four open exhibits for visitors. The exhibits take visitors through the rise of Nazism, America’s response to the Holocaust, a memorial for the survivors who migrated to San Antonio, and a remembrance of all who lost their lives in the Holocaust.
Institute of Texan Cultures – 801 E. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd.
- Hours for FREE Admission: Institute of Texan Cultures admission is by donation.
- A suggested donation of $12 is recommended.
Briscoe Western Art Museum – 210 W. Market Street
- Hours for FREE Admission: First Sunday of each month.
- FREE Admission for Bexar County residents only
More things to see in San Antonio…
San Antonio has so many fun activities, with the Witte being just one. You may also be interested in these San Antonio posts.
