King William Historic District
King William Historic District
4.5
About
Settled by wealthy German immigrants in the late 1800s, San Antonio's first residential historic district consists of 25 blocks of mansions set amid lovely landscaping. While we don't do scheduled or official tours, visitors can take a self-guided walk through the neighborhood using a King William walking brochure found on our website listed below. King William homes are individually owned and are not open to the public. https://www.ourkwa.org/historic-walking-tours-2.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
801 reviews
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53
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2
ElvisAndrus
Arlington, TX978 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We stayed in this area for two weeks in a great BnB. Walked every street and constantly saw new things. Real diversity in the upkeep, size, styles and function of the various houses. It’s clear there is a strong sense of community with community association signs prevalent. A few blocks out of the community in any direction and you feel the change. It must be a great place to live, except like the rest of the city it is made for car owners. A good grocery was quite a hike.
Written February 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Josie679
New Jersey97 contributions
Jan 2020
The Kings WIlliams historic district is truly a beautiful area on the southern part of the Riverwalk. It is definitely worth a stroll to appreciate the different architectures of the old homes in this area, especially to get away from the rather busy parts of the Riverwalk. Guides are available that describe the history of many of the homes in this area. Most of the historic homes are residential but some are open to the public for a small fee,
Written January 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stacy7911
Zephyrhills, FL49 contributions
Apr 2021 • Solo
I was very excited to visit King William Historic District. However I feel like there was not much advertising for the homes you can visit and would have loved to have taken a historic walking tour of the area. However when I searched for one, I found one did not exist. There were not many people walking around despite it being a Saturday afternoon (and perfect weather). I was kind of disappointed and think this could be a great place to attract people to San Antonio.
Written April 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cwal
Tennessee122 contributions
Mar 2023
Lovely area full of historic homes to admire during a self-guided walking tour. The neighborhood's association (ourkwa.org) offers a helpful street map and historical info on several of the homes. However, I had zero luck getting the association to respond to my emails asking if any of the homes are open for tour (check your social media messages, kwa!!). In walking the neighborhood, I did came across one but it had already closed for the day: Villa Finale (villafinale.org) Wish I had known about it prior!
If you need a break mid-way tour, Rosario's is on one side of the neighborhood on S. Saint Mary's Street for meals or just drinks. The Guenther House restaurant (limited days/hours) is in this neighborhood also. Lastly, if you're up for walking, you can access the RiverWalk in several locations in the King William neighborhood and take it all the way to downtown San Antonio.
If you need a break mid-way tour, Rosario's is on one side of the neighborhood on S. Saint Mary's Street for meals or just drinks. The Guenther House restaurant (limited days/hours) is in this neighborhood also. Lastly, if you're up for walking, you can access the RiverWalk in several locations in the King William neighborhood and take it all the way to downtown San Antonio.
Written March 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Victoria K
San Diego, CA290 contributions
Feb 2022
Visited the King William district with a guide as part of a half say tour of the missions and the city. Wonderful old homes with many different architectural styles. Most date to the 1800s. Great walking neighborhood too. Big tour buses cannot go here. In the southern part of the city.
Written February 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike O
Roanoke, VA1,345 contributions
May 2023
Since we considered the River Walk a "must see" attraction, we planned our visit accordingly. We parked on the street in the King William District where we were impressed by the stately homes, then walked the surface streets to The Alamo. The homes in this quiet neighborhood, as well as some of the yards, reminded us a bit of the stately homes we have seen in some of the Savannah neighborhoods. Our return was along the River Walk; crowded with shops/restaurants/hotels at first, then quite and serene as we got closer to our car.
Written May 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Phil Clarkston
Saint Louis, MO235 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
Phil here again, me and the Misses took a tour of the King Williams Historic District. There are a few historic houses you can tour and plenty of beautiful homes to see. Plan a little time to drive or walk around the neighborhood and enjoy the sites. We took a tour of the Norton-Polk-Mathis-House, one of the historic homes in the district. If you have the time and it interests you it’s definitely worth the time and money.
Written September 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gilbert Valentine
Boynton Beach, FL40 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
Incredibly nice neighborhood with some beautiful older houses, many of them are Victorian or Plantation but there is a nice compare and contrast feel. My wife and I took 2 walks under the shade of the trees and admired the amazing, historic houses. The San Antonio River Walk runs very close to the neighborhood as well as the downtown area and Blue Star arts district.
Written August 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
404HappyTraveller
Saskatchewan, Canada480 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
We were staying just across the road from the King William Historic District / neighbourhood, so once we found the district’s office and picked up the self guided tour map and brochure, we were off. It was quite a hot afternoon, but very pleasant walking in and out of the shade of all the mature trees lining the streets. The map was easy to follow, and the brochure had photos and brief but interesting and informative write ups about each house. Very impressed with the entire neighborhood and the dedicated people who have put so much time and effort into this project. The houses are so very impressive each in their own way.
Written February 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chuck R
Averill Park, NY86 contributions
Jan 2020
We stayed in a VRBO in the King William Historic District. I didn't know what type of architecture to expect, but was blown away by the beautiful and historic homes. They have a bit of a New Orleans/French kind of vibe. The neighborhood was quiet and we were able to easily walk to the Riverwalk and a few good restaurants.
Written February 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you just visit street parking are plenty, especially near the end of the area near the park.
Written December 22, 2019
Are there restrooms available any where near homes?
Written December 18, 2017
The Guenther House & Restaurant are the best places to find restrooms.
Written December 19, 2017
What are the times this area is open to the public? I am going there on business and won't be able to visit till after 5pm on a weekday.
Written November 5, 2017
The homes are not open for tours. It's a neighborhood self walking tour so I presume you can go at anytime before dark.
Written November 5, 2017
How old are the houses of this district?
Written March 11, 2017
There is a great walking map online if you google King Williams District San Antonio. It gives descriptions of all the historic homes including when built, by who, and for who. When you get there coming in from San Antonio on the historic marker on a gate/fence there were copies of the walking map with the same info.
Written March 12, 2017
Where did you find the download of the walking tour for King Williams District in San Antonio?
Written August 24, 2016
We just drove slowly up And down the streets looking at the beautiful homes. You may find a guide online.
Written October 22, 2016
How do we get reservations for the King William Distric walking tour?
Written July 16, 2015
We used the brochure from the Visitors Center to walk around on our own.
Written July 17, 2015
I would like to know more about the King William Historic District; walking tour, homes, etc. Are tickets required?
Written January 24, 2015
No tickets required. It's justa. Really me neghborhood. You can walk there from downtown, but it might be a bit of a long walk, but the riverwalk will get you there. We had kids with us, so we took the hop on-hop off bus. It drops you off at the south end of the district, then you can wander and pick it up again. There are a couple houses that are operated as historical museums, and there is admission for those.
If you take though alamo street as your way out, you get into a cool area with some good shops, bars, and restaurants.
Very safe area. Felt perfectly comfortable with the kids, no concern at all about that.
Written January 24, 2015
I'm looking for a map of the King William Historic District. I see the map on King William Historic site. It doesn't say anything specific about where to walk or significant houses to see. Any other maps available?
Written December 26, 2014
This is a three page PDF version of one of the leaflets which can be picked up for free from a rack outside one of the houses. It also gives some interesting information about the various architectural features of the houses. I've had to split the link because TripAdvisor doesn't allow web links in posts so copy and paste and then remove the * and other spaces in between the sections. king * william * association * . * org * / * kwa * / * images * / * p * d * f * s * / * king * william * walking * tour * . * p * d * f
Written December 30, 2014
How far do we have to walk from parking to your restaurant? We have a walking problem.
Written December 25, 2014
We parked along the side of one of the streets and walked around the district but - if I remember rightly - there's parking very near (or even at) the restaurant as well so if you don't go at a busy time like lunch time or in the evening you should be able to park there without a problem.
Written December 30, 2014
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