House Museums

Edward Steves Homestead: Visit this elegant, three-story Victorian home built in 1876 for German immigrant Edward Steves, the founder of the Steves Lumber Company. The landscaped grounds include a carriage house, wash house, and former servants’ quarters converted to a visitors’ center.

Yturri Edmunds Historic Site: Make an appointment to tour one of the few adobe-block houses remaining in San Antonio.  Built between 1840 and 1860, this house last belonged to local school teacher Ernestine Edmunds. Miss Edmunds’ grandfather, Manuel Yturri Castillo, received the land as a grant from the Mexican government in 1824.

Villa Finale: Come visit the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s first historic site in Texas. Walter Mathis, who is widely recognized as the catalyst for the revitalization of the King William neighborhood, purchased and restored this ornate 19th century house, which he later gifted to the National Trust. All tours of Villa Finale are hosted by interpretive guides who will lead your experience through the 6,500 square-foot home and its collection of fine and decorative arts.

Self-Guided Tours

Texas Star Trail: Follow the Texas Star plaques set into the sidewalk downtown to see some of San Antonio’s most significant commercial and public buildings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  The tour begins in Alamo Plaza and returns to the nearby Menger Hotel.  Addresses are given for those who wish to drive instead of walk. Seventy-nine historic sites are described in the walking tour.

Downtown North River:  The Downtown North River Tour begins downtown at the Southwest School of Art, Artpace, and the Central Library. It encompasses the San Antonio Museum of Art, Brackenridge Park and finishes with the Witte Museum, the Botanical Gardens and ultimately ends with the source of the San Antonio River on the campus of the University of the Incarnate Word.

Echoes of the Eastside:  San Antonio's Near Eastside reflects three distinct areas: Ellis Alley and St. Paul Square, the traditionally African-American hub of commerce and activity; the City Cemetery District, a collection of public and private burial grounds spanning over a century; and Dignowity Hill, San Antonio's first exclusive residential suburb.

King William Area: This neighborhood of stately houses shaded by enormous trees is located just south of downtown along the San Antonio River. Many Germans immigrants began to settle in this area by the 1870s and it became known as "Sauerkraut Bend" to the rest of San Antonio. In 1967 the King William District was designated the first Historic Neighborhood District in Texas. The Steves Homestead at 509 King William is the only residence open to the public for tours.

West Side - Murals y Más:  This tour is a journey into the heart of the cultura y tradición of San Antonio's Mexican-American community. Centered on an area that was within the original boundaries of the city, dating back to middle of the 18th century, this community is rich and alive with history, art, and culture.