Witte Museum

The Witte Museum is San Antonio's natural history and science museum, a thoughtfully designed institution that combines Texas history, dinosaur exhibits, and interactive science galleries with outdoor treehouse adventures along the San Antonio River. Renovated and expanded in 2017 with a stunning new building, the Witte has become one of the best family museums in Texas — and it remains remarkably affordable, with free admission every Tuesday evening.

The Naylor Family Dinosaur Gallery anchors the first floor and immediately captures children's attention. Full-scale dinosaur skeletons including a Tyrannosaurus rex and regional species that once roamed Texas tower over visitors. Interactive dig-site simulations let kids brush sand from replica fossils.

The gallery connects paleontology to the Texas landscape, helping kids understand that the ground beneath San Antonio was once ocean floor and dinosaur territory.

The H-E-B Body Adventure on the second floor is where the Witte gets physical. This 7,500-square-foot health and fitness exhibit lets kids test their reaction time, measure their vertical jump, race on stationary bikes, and explore human anatomy through interactive displays. For families with energetic kids who struggle in traditional museums, this exhibit provides the movement and competition that keeps them engaged while teaching genuine science.

The outdoor exhibits are the Witte's secret weapon and what distinguishes it from typical natural history museums. The Acequia Trail follows the San Antonio River through the museum's property, passing through treehouse structures connected by rope bridges, elevated walkways, and observation platforms. Kids climb through actual treehouses perched in the riverside forest, making this one of the rare museums where children beg to go outside rather than stay inside.

Four historic structures — including an 1800s ranch house and a frontier cabin — sit along the trail, providing tangible connections to Texas settlement history.

The museum's permanent Texas history galleries walk families through thousands of years of human habitation in the region, from ancient Paleo-Indian cultures through Spanish colonial missions to the Texas Republic era. The People of the Pecos exhibit features a full-scale recreation of 4,000-year-old rock art from the Lower Pecos region — a 50-foot mural that surrounds visitors in ancient imagery and raises fascinating questions about early Texans that children find genuinely compelling.

Practically, the Witte is a rainy-day lifesaver in San Antonio. The air-conditioned galleries provide comfortable refuge from summer heat, and the museum's location adjacent to Brackenridge Park means families can split their day between indoor museum time and outdoor park play. The Tuesday free admission evening (3-8 PM) is one of the best deals in San Antonio, providing full access to all permanent galleries at no cost.