Best Free Things to Do in San Antonio
- Attending Mariachi Mass at San José: With the hike-and-bike path completed, you can make a visit to this venerable Spanish mission—part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park—as part of a 12-mile physical and religious exercise. On Sundays at noon, a Mass is held by the community of San José to the accompaniment of a mariachi band. That’s puro San Antonio.
- Scouting the Alamo and the River Walk: How many other cities have freebies as their two major attractions? Even if you didn’t think you’d be interested in seeing the site of a church and an old battle, you have no excuse for not checking it out. Odds are, you’ll be fascinated, and spend a lot more time here than you imagined.
- Soaking in Culture at the Blue Star Contemporary Art Center: At the south end of San Antonio’s downtown area, this huge warehouse offers thousands of square feet of studio and gallery space. In the thick of it all, the artist-run Contemporary Arts Center incubates all that’s new in San Antonio’s local art scene.