I went on a short vacation to San Antonio recently. Having never been there, I relied on the visitor's center website to guide me to the best attractions. Of course I wanted to see the Alamo, but I had no idea what else was there. I was only going for an extended weekend, so I had to plan well. It turns out that there really isn't that much to do in San Antonio. The Alamo was disappointing and most of the other attractions could have been in any city. The Buckhorn Museum and Saloon was on my itinerary mostly because my brother was going with me and it seemed like a place he would like.
The entrance is a saloon with a full service bar. The atmosphere is rustic with mounted animals of all types (even a giraffe) hanging on the walls. When we were there, a dad and son were playing the guitar and fiddle. We chatted with them a little during their breaks.
The museum is off of the saloon. Feel free to grab a drink and bring it with you through the museum. The museum has wild west memorabilia of all kinds. Guns, ammo, newspaper clippings, etc. The famous names are there as well as some that I didn't know. It is all very well presented. You could spend hours reading about everything. The second floor is dedicated to animals of the world and just about every animal imaginable is mounted there.
I did not think I would really enjoy this place much but, being a history buff, I actually did. As I expected, my brother considered it the best part of the whole trip. While kids are welcome, I don't think this is really a place for kids. I don't think they'll get much out of it. If you are going with a group of adults, then you should definitely check this place out. They also have a deli open for lunch. We did not eat there, but you may want to try it.
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