The wonder begins as you enter the Witte Museum under a flock of gliding Quetzalcoatlus. You’re immediately immersed in a different time and place as you encounter topics that fascinate us all—dinosaurs, animals, Texas history and the human body—shared in ways that make learning active and fun for everyone.
When the day’s done, everyone leaves having had a great time learning together. That’s why families love going to “the Witte,” as it’s affectionately called. With a riverside campus of more than 10 acres to explore, a trip here is a fun day for visitors of every age, and you’re certain to have a few “aha” moments that will stick with you long after your visit.
Here are a few favorite spots you’ll want to explore on your visit:
Come Face to Face With Texas Dinosaurs
Imagine a time when dinosaurs ruled the land we now call Texas! In the Naylor Family Dinosaur Gallery, you travel more than 110 million years into the past and walk among the amazing animals of land, sea and sky during the Cretaceous Period. Young dino-lovers will enjoy digging for fossils in the Dinosaur Lab as you explore recent discoveries and research from the Witte’s paleontologist. Don’t miss visiting the fossil garden where you can see the 77-foot-long fossil of an 80-million-year-old tree!
Climb to the Top of Mt. Witte
Stretch your muscles and your mind with hands-on stations and full-body activities across four floors of interactive adventures for all ages in the H-E-B Body Adventure. Cycle through the air along the San Antonio River, climb to the top of Mt. Witte and learn about the human body with a life-size touchscreen anatomy table.
Explore Nature in the Treehouse
Mt. Witte isn’t the only attraction that will get your family moving at the Witte. Have a meal at the Tremblay Family Café and then journey to the top of the treehouse where you can birdwatch in the treetops overlooking the San Antonio River. Be sure and visit the rooftop of the H-E-B Body Adventure where you can explore your creative side by making music to accompany the birdsong you hear.
Journey Through the Lower Pecos Canyonlands
The immersive Kittie West Nelson Ferguson People of the Pecos Gallery gives you a glimpse into the daily life and spiritual world of the people who lived in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands more than 3,000 years ago. Kids can try their hand at archaeology in the Lifeways Lab as you view artifacts throughout the gallery. Everyone will enjoy exploring magnificent rock art murals through interactive touchscreens that illuminate the ancient stories on the gallery walls.
Find Animal Friends in the SWBC Live Lab
Check out live animals and fish that are native to Texas in the SWBC Live Lab. See how corn snakes slither, get an up-close look at the Texas red-headed centipede (named Gary) and watch how fast a tortoise really can move when it has somewhere to go.
Take a Deep Dive Into the Rich History of Texas
Travel from San Antonio’s bustling main plaza to the wild frontier as you discover stories about freighters, store clerks, oil workers, chili queens and cattle kings in the South Texas Heritage Center. Don’t miss your family’s photo op on the saddle after taking a moment to see and hear Davy Crockett’s fiddle.
Get an Up-Close Look at Texas Wildlife
A highlight of every trip to the Witte is exploring animals in the dramatic habitats of Texas in the McLean Family Texas Wild Gallery. Peer into a rocky bat cave as you watch bats prepare to leave for their evening meal, and ponder the meanings of grunts, whistles, rattles and croaks as you listen to the sounds of nature (narrated by George Strait). With more than 150 animals to see up close, everyone will leave with a new favorite.
See Special Exhibitions
The Witte Museum’s rotating galleries offer an array of ever-changing experiences. From October 8 – January 2023, dive beneath the surface and get an up-close look at the fascinating (and often mysterious) giant fish swimming in rivers all over the world with National Geographic’s Monster Fish: In Search of the Last River Giants, presented by the Will Smith Foundation.
Then, in 2023 Dinosaurs take over the Witte when Antarctic Dinosaurs from Chicago’s Field Museum and Tyrannosaurs: Meet the Family, an exhibition created by the Australian Museum, arrive in San Antonio.
Get unlimited free admission to these and all other special exhibitions when you join the Witte Museum as a Family-plus Member. Visit WitteMuseum.org/Memberships to join.
Plan Your Visit to San Antonio’s Witte Museum
We’ve just scratched the surface of everything there is to see and do in the museum. The Witte offers a world of wonder, for those who wonder, about these topics and so much more. Plan your visit today, and become a member so you and your family can visit often.
The Witte Museum is open year-round. For more information and to book your tickets or membership online, visit WitteMuseum.org.
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