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Battle For Texas: The Experience

Battle For Texas: The Experience, San Antonio

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Battle For Texas: The Experience

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See all things to do
Battle For Texas: The Experience
4.5
517
History Museums
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About
Part Museum. Part Adventure. See the story of the Alamo brought to life all around you like never before! "The Experience" is a fully immersive museum adventure showcasing the most comprehensive collection of Alamo artifacts ever to be displayed under one roof. Visitors will feel the battle brought to life through sights, sounds, and even smells as they embark on an emotional journey through the 13 fateful days that gave birth to the state of Texas. A 22,000 sq ft attraction with 11-unique and thematic galleries -- each telling a new chapter of the story while weaving the amazing artifact collection throughout. Meet Davey Crockett, Jim Bowie, Sam Houston and other heroes along the way and even even step into Mexican General Santa Anna's tent. Enter the Alamo walls, cross the line in the sand, and make your way through "The Gauntlet" as the battle takes shape around you. The attraction is a treat for Alamo enthusiasts while being designed to be enjoyed by the whole family and includes interactive elements and a finale video celebrating Texas pride that is not to be missed!
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
4.5
517 reviews
Excellent
358
Very good
105
Average
33
Poor
13
Terrible
8
Brit C
Delta, British Columbia, Canada32 contributions
Great background on Alamo
Jan 2020
This self-paced, reading tour was very good at helping us understand the people and the events leading up to and after the “Alamo”. You also have a chance to walk through a re-creation of the walls of the Alamo (well done).

It’s a lot of reading but there are some recordings playing.
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Anne G
Boston, MA220 contributions
Great New Alamo Museum!!!
Apr 2016 • Family
On our family trip to San Antonio we visited this awesome new Alamo museum right at River Center. It had just opened up and was an fantastic continuation of our Alamo visit. Battle for Texas gives visitors a complete overview about what it was like to be fighting at the Alamo. There are beautiful exhibits with uniforms, guns and artwork woven into a sensory experience of the actual battle.The most amazing artifacts are Santa Anna's uniform, guns, sword and other personal effects. It is amazing that these items are put on display. The kids loved going into the recreation of the interior of the Alamo and dragging the cannon up the hill to prepare for the battle. The exhibit concludes with a beautiful movie montage of Texas. Any Texan would be proud to call Texas home after seeing this exhibit and those not from Texas might want to call themselves honorary Texans. It was just great!
Written April 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Battle-for-Texas-MGR
Thanks for taking the time to review our new attraction. We are thrilled you and your family enjoyed it!
Written May 2, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Afunlvr
San Antonio, TX37 contributions
Surprised How Much We Enjoyed This
May 2016
I have lived in San Antonio my whole life; the Battle of the Alamo was taught in grade school and always a much loved field trip. While on a "staycation" for our anniversary weekend, we roamed through the Riverwalk Mall and ran across the Battle for Texas Experience...I thought it was a bit pricey for something we had never heard of, but my Husband wanted to go. I loved it, the presentation was well written and the way it walks you through the battle from various perspectives is great.
Written May 17, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
beffythompson
San Antonio, TX37 contributions
Nope
Jan 2020 • Family
We are local residents and decided to visit because of the POGO pass we received, it basically got our family of four in for free. The regular admission is quite expensive ($20/person) so our expectations were quite high. The very beginning starts with not much fanfare. Mostly A LOT of boards on the walls with paragraphs to read. My husband and I skimmed the information, and looked at the limited artifacts. A few spurs and a moveable desk. I found it incredibly disappointing that there were hardly any pictures. There was a ton to read though. A child would be bored and my teens were hardly going to stand there and read board after board of paragraphs. The next few rooms displayed military costumes of the time, mostly of the Mexican army. Then the museum created a few rooms to make you feel like you are inside the Alamo. Some mannequins were propped up here and there and there were a few interesting facts about the people who were involved. The last area is a dark hallway with pretend dead bodies to again give you the feel of being in the fight. This opens up to a large screen display that shows random pictures of Texas in modern times. A few fun quotes lead out to the gift shop and the tour is over. It was an interesting 45 minutes, but definitely not something I would recommend to anyone. I am honestly not sure how this is still around (I remember it being built 12 years ago). Skip this.
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Stuart Y
San Antonio, TX534 contributions
You are at the Alamo and in the Battle
May 2016 • Couples
The attraction opens at 10AM and we arrived at about 1030AM and I think we were the first guests of the day to arrive on Thursday, May 5, 2016. It took a few minutes for the staff to get us processed in. My wife and I are San Antonio residents and we each got a $5 resident discount off the $19.50 per ticket price. Wireless speaker phones for the tour cost an extra $5 each, but we passed on those. But we were greeted as honored guests and started our journey. The place is in the basement of the newly renovated old Joske's building downtown and the start of the tour led us even deeper into the basement down a gradual walkway. We were first given a history lesson about the Alamo, its defenders, and the Mexican attackers. All well done. There are also many displays of rifles, knives, and cannon balls. But don't miss Fess Parker's Old Betsy on display in the gift shop at the end of the tour. After the prequel, you enter Santa Ana's battle tent with his uniform, weapons, and campaign bed on display. The next stop the cannons boom and musket fire can be heard as if you were in the battle itself. Then you enter the fortifications and get a whiff of gunpowder as the battle rages around you. We were lucky to escape with our lives. Don't miss the excellent visual presentation about modern day Texas at the end of the tour. Overall, well done, but maybe a tad on the pricey side.
Written May 6, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
MarthaJ1670
Vail, CO34 contributions
Texas History Hands on Experience
Apr 2016 • Family
Visiting San Antonio for the first time we visited this brand new museum after we saw the Alamo. My son who is a history buff loved learning about the great history of the state of Texas and frankly, as parents we had no idea how rich it was! The museum is well done and the displays capture the essence of what happened at the Alamo. One section stimulates all your senses while you experience the actual battle, sounds of shots, smell of gun powder and seeing soldiers running by while you are inside trying to protect the Alamo! It is so cool! Couldn't get my husband out of there! Make a point of allowing time for this museum- it's well worth it! Best part of our trip!
Written April 28, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Battle-for-Texas-MGR
So glad you enjoyed it! We hope to have you back next time you make it to San Antonio.
Written May 2, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
travelingwinds
Cape May, NJ10 contributions
Great Museum/Experience for all
Dec 2016 • Family
While on our way to the Alamo with my mother and my two kids (daughter 12 and son 14) we saw information online for The Battle for Texas: The Experience. With the hope of getting more information about the Alamo before our visit there, we opted to give it a shot. It turned out to be a great idea. At the beginning of our self guided tour, we were given character cards where we were each assigned a historical person who was there at the Battle for the Alamo. It immediately made our experience personal and interesting, Although my daughter wanted to go through quicker than the rest of us, we learned a lot about the entire battle for Texas, including all of the major players. There were many (but not too many) informational placards, lots of interesting artifacts, and great and informational staff, including some reenactors who gave us some great information and included us (and other guests) on an exciting reenactment of the final moments of the Battle of the Alamo. This was a great experience and it made our later experience at the Alamo even better.
Written December 31, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Doug W
San Antonio, TX1 contribution
A thoughtful approach to the story of Texas history
Jul 2016 • Solo
Great layout, chronological order of events and artifacts of battles that should never be forgot. No spoilers here, come and see it for yourself!
Written July 19, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Evelyn M
Hondo20 contributions
Best Museum Ever
Jun 2016 • Couples
This museum was amazing and filled with information about not only the Battle of the Alamo but also of the battles leading up to the Alamo and the battles following, all the way to San Jacinto. The museum has very interesting artifacts including cannon balls that were excavated in the area around the Alamo, clothes and accessories that belonged to Sam Houston as well as Santa Anna, and doors that once were in the Alamo itself. Life-size figures of William B. Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett look almost alive. As you walk through the museum, you hear sounds much like those the Alamo defenders must have heard, and you feel as though you are there. The part that impressed me the most is the list of Alamo defenders displayed on a wall and a voice calling out their names. At the very end of the tour is a short but dynamic video about modern-day Texas. I will visit this place again.
Written June 5, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
William T
Aberdeen, MS40 contributions
Battle for Texas Museum
Apr 2016 • Friends
The museum just opened and today it was relatively sparse with visitors. That being said, I had plenty of time to read the plaques and view the artifacts.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Written April 29, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Battle-for-Texas-MGR
Thank you for taking the time review. Yes, we just officially opened up to the public last week and the word is spreading day by day of our fantastic attraction. We are glad you enjoyed it and hope to have you back soon!
Written May 2, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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