Curt C.
Yelp
Cowboys and Indians!
This is such an amazing museum, a fantastic addition to the San Antonio cultural scene. It's located right on the Riverwalk, in the former home of the San Antonio Public Library. It's a historic building, that's ADA accessible with a nice elevator. The interior of the place is so beautiful! They've really gone to great lengths to make this place special. The stairs are even covered in leather, which is a nice touch.
I was impressed by the art- it's a historical museum in some respects, as they have a history on Spurs, and some of the saddles of some of the most famous horses out there. They have Roy Roger's horse,Trigger's saddle!! Swoon! They have a whole exhibit on the Battle of the Alamo, with some paintings and photos of the place, with even some beautiful artifacts- musket balls, uniforms, guns.
The paintings are thoughtful compiled, with a good variety of artists and media. There's statues, artifacts, a bit of history, and even a special exhibit on women in the west. I just wish I could've seen a bit more of a fair view of the Indians, with a bit more insight into the tribes and what makes each one unique, instead of them just being Indians. They did a great job of identifying the tribes in some of the respective cases they're mentioned, but I'd have loved to see more Indian arts, it was heavily swayed towards Westerners who came to the west and depict the Indians, instead of what the Indians depict. There's some good pieces- a costume, a woven jar, a few jewelry pieces, but I'd love to see a lot more Indian stuff represented!
The gift shop was fun- there's a sale table where things are marked down from the previous holiday and they have some reasonable prices on fun stuff!
The staff was friendly, and pointed out how to get around and how to make the best use of our time. There's comfortable seating on the third floor, with plush leather sofas which make for a great place to just sit a spell and take in the western ambiance around you.
I highly recommend checking this out if you're from outta town and wanna get out of the Texas heat and just take in some culture, instead of the touristy things on the Riverwalk.