Spanish Governor's Palace

We love history so finding this place to tour was a win for us. A lot of historic items and notes that explain facts. It’s not a very long tour but it’s got just great things to view. The structure the garden the utensils all preserved well. The staff is great to talk to Must do if you are in San Antonio

For such a minimal fee of five dollars, it would be hard to understand why someone wouldn’t go to this historical site. Well, preserved and beautiful in its own simple way (nowadays). It was obviously a mansion in the past. The grounds are beautiful . However, there is obviously no air conditioning or heating. It is sweltering in the hot months and I’m sure freezing in the cold months. You’ve been warned.

Entry into the palace is not expensive and there are a plethora of rooms and even a cozy backyard area with interesting looking lights. The Palace feels historic as it was created in the 1700s and is an enjoyable quick spot to visit in San Antonio. I'd recommend using the outdoor area and relaxing as the backyard is quite calming. Worth it!

The Spanish Governor's Palace is a place worth visiting. The restoration and remodeling work is well done. The garden is beautiful. Parking is one block away.

Beautiful look into San Antonio history. Only $5 per adult for a self-guided tour. Lots of interpretive plaques to explain the fascinating history of the building and its numerous renovations. I really enjoyed the unique wooden doors and furniture. While not original to the building, they are appropriate replicas of what would have been there. Also thought the gardens in back were delightful with giant love oaks shading the walkways and fountain. Delightful staff greeted us on entrance. A fun stop.

Beautiful place for a nice quaint cocktail hour/ wedding reception. (If your having a big wedding party not really the place for you) The evening was very elegant and perfect weather for my friends wedding reception. I did hear from them that the place has lots of "rules" to abide by and you aren't allowed in until a certain time to set up, which could be a game changer for some weddings but luckily they did have an hour before the wedding to set up and it looked perfect! If you have the right centerpieces, flowers and decor like they did your going to have a beautiful reception. The only drawbacks I saw were the bathrooms were one person at a time and no mirrors and the walkway pavements were very uneven! Definitely a walking hazard in some places. But it's truly a charming place and it has great atmosphere for the evening!! Once the flowers were placed and the candles lit with Beautiful music in the air and everyone in formal attire, the evening was made very elegant and classy.

What a window into history! Spanish Texas and the imaginative restoration of 1930 are two tales told together as you walk through the rooms of the last remnants of the Presidio San Antonio de Bexar. The courtyard garden is really lovely. And take the time to "read" the carved door!

Absolutely beautifully kept building, and garden/grounds. This is a real historical gem, I have visited here more times than the Alamo and believe it has no lesser amount of significance. It's actually a lot more pleasant of an experience to visit than the other tourist trap. The staff is very polite and helpful. I appreciate the bits of explanation throughout the rooms.

Thing Two and I came in last weekend. It's was many moons ago since I was here but wanted to take Thing Two so she could get a history lesson. This is what I told her (and now you) about this structure: The Spanish Governor's Palace was constructed in the early 18th century and restored in the 1930s. This National Historic landmark represents the last visual remnants of the Presidio San Antonio de Béjar. The Presidio was established as the result of a rivalry between Spain and France in the early 1700s for dominance of the territory that is now a part of the southwestern United States.To protect his claim against French encroachment, King Philip V of Spain ordered the governor of Coahuila and Texas, Don Martín de Alarcón, to build a mission and presidio at the headwaters of the San Antonio River and San Pedro Creek. The palace is located in between Market Square and the San Antonio River Walk near the current city hall. The one-story masonry and stucco structure features ten rooms, a grand courtyard and a fountain, and is alleged to be haunted. We didn't feel any ghostly presence while we were there. While this is a neat place to see, it's not as 'authentic' as some of our or other Central TX landmarks like the Alamo, etc. However, for those who like to take a step back into history even though there are missteps in the historical accuracy of its set up even for a few minutes, this may be a place to add to your list.

I love history and most enjoy a low-tech "old school" exhibit. This delivered! Firstly, it is not a palace, but a simple early 1700s adobe presidio captains quarters that grew over time to what it it today, expansions ending in the 1930 rescue and restoration. Ms Zavala threw all her influence into saving this last remnant of the original presidio, and the city of San Antonio and involved non-profits have done a wonderful job maintaining it and creating a very informative self-guided tour. I highly recommend this San Antonio historical gem.

Senior & Military discount was $3.00 admission. This is a self guided tour, with lots of historical artifacts. Well maintained and restored, with lots of information about the Palace and the contents. The Garden out back is beautiful too. Sits across from San Fernando Cathedral, so if you are visiting the area, you can visit both in a reasonable amount of time before needing a break.

What: landmark/historical building. We enjoyed the architecture and walking through the different rooms and the beautiful courtyard garden in the back. Cost: $5 adults, discount for kids, seniors, military. No cash accepted so you must pay with a credit card. Unfortunately, they have those super old machines where you actually have to slide the magnet strip on your credit card through the machine - not secure. They really should invest in an updated payment system if they are going to refuse cash. Tip: absolutely no drinks or food allowed. They won't even let you hold your water bottle. We had to recycle those outside. Tip2: there are bathrooms in the garden. This is a neat place to visit if you are in town and have already seen all the major sites.

So happy this was within walking distance of the River Walk. I stayed at Hotel Valencia and it was nice being able to walk to the 'palace'. The palace was quiet and a great walking tour from room to room while reading the history. Hard to imagine what it was back in its glory days. Meaning things were much more limited then. For $5, it is a must stop. Plenty of public parking within feet if you choose to drive.

Hey, if you are military or senior citizen, it's only $3.00 admission, deal! The tour is self paced and we found it interesting, but not stimulating. There is no air conditioning, so go early in the summer. The a/c equivalent is floor fans! They are doing extensive planting in the courtyard and it looks impressive.

It's like traveling in time to the 1700 hundreds. Nice place to see is you are passionate about early seventeen-hundred's houses.

Not very impressive. Lots of mess around the side and the back of the facility. $5 per person to visit. You can get into the Alamo for free! Not a very good value.

I didn't expect to visit this place when I was in San Antonio - a family member was interested in it because The National Geographic Society has named the landmark "the most beautiful building in San Antonio." So we stopped by to check it out. While I'm not sure I agree that it's the most beautiful building in the area, It was a surprisingly nice little addition to our exploration of the city. Admission is only $5 - and the funny thing is that the Spanish Governor's Palace has been a tourist attraction so long that its touristy nature is literally built into the building. Stick with me and I'll explain: Originally this building - well, part of this building - housed a Spanish captain, as Spanish military originally lived in the area and worked to protect the nearby missions. Over time the house was passed on to different hands, and new rooms and extensions were built to accommodate the growing needs of its residents. (As you've probably guessed now, not every room in the palace today is part of the original construction.) The building eventually became a commercial establishment, with different rooms rented to different businesses at different times; at various points this place housed a bar, a clothing store, a market, and even a school. Finally the building was passed on to the city itself, and after some restoration it evolved into a tourist attraction. (See? Told you I'd explain what I meant earlier.) But funny enough, prior to the relatively recent advances in historical research and interpretation, this tourist attraction was actually advertised as a proper palace; I think this misinterpretation is what led to its restoration in the first place. These days we know better, and as a result you can now walk through and actually read two different stories about the building. In addition to presenting the correct history, preservationists have left up the original placards that incorrectly describe a life of luxury, versus the truly modest reality of this building's original residents. That's the Spanish Governor's Palace in a nutshell. If any of that story interested you, definitely stop by and visit this little building for yourself. The place is small but charming, and it's nice to see the 18th Century architecture that's been restored after decades of use as retail and storage. You won't need a ton of time to explore this little "palace", but I definitely recommend stopping by here if you're interested in the history and culture of San Antonio.

Touristy thing #2. We stopped in here on our way to the Market Square. It was in the AAA Book as a place to see, and to my mom, that book is the Bible for travelers. Since it's been two years since the last review let me start by saying it's now $5 for Adults, $3 Military/Seniors (Hello Mum!), $3 Children 7-13, and Free for children under seven. I think, after reading Richard D.'s review from back in 2009, that it is worth $2.00, and that's all. You can be in and out in about 30 minutes. So who was the Spanish Governor? I dunno. There was some fight between Spain and France. Spain won. Later, Spain lost control of Mexico and Texas, and this palace was put to commercial use. End of history lesson. There are some cool architectural features here, like the carved doors. However, upon careful reading I learned they aren't part of the 1718 structure (naturally), nor are they from the 1800s. They date back to the 1930s, not much older than my dear ol' mum that dragged me through this place. At least she paid my admission fee.

The Spanish Governor's Palace roughly consists of about 9-10 rooms to explore so the $5 admission can be considered a bit steep...especially when you learn that at least 3 of the rooms were built in the 1930s to attract more tourists and that most of the furniture is unoriginal to the structure... However, all the rooms have been restored to historical accuracy and each room did provide a snippet into the life that the residing governor or captain would have experienced while living at the quarters. It also contains the description made by the restorer of the 1930s...so in many cases, you received a history lesson from multiple generations - kind of neat! It was also interesting to look at all the maps depicting the slow territorial change between Mexico and the Republic of Texas/United States.

Visited around noon on a Friday in November. Weather was great but imagine it would've been very hot in the summer. The older lady we purchased tickets from gave us some appreciated background information with excitement you still hope for from someone who's probably said the same thing over and over again. Anywho, for $5 per person it's not that bad of a visit. I would have appreciated more information or replica but it's truly an interesting place to visit at least once if visiting San Antonio!

My boo and I came to San Antonio because I wanted to show her all of the treasures of Texas. I googled top things to see in San Antonio, and this came up in a few lists. Some of the descriptions said it was the most beautiful house in Texas. This place is okay if it were free. It is definitely not really worth the 2 bucks. Lady at the front desk had some attitude. We came here when it was about to close.. probably 30 min before closing and nobody was guarding the place. We went ahead and walked in and walked around. As we were about to leave, the lady working asked if we paid yet, and I said no. We went ahead and paid the entry fee. I've been to other places and normally they let you in for free if they are about to close since we can't explore at our own pace. As we were leaving, there was a family of 6 that was about to come in, and they also were forced to pay the entry fee, and the lady even said "you only have 15 min, and the entry is 2 dollars each". Wow, what a B. Honestly you can see everything in 15 min. There really isn't much to see here. Just go to the Alamo, and don't waste your time here.

I forgot to review this place after visiting it last month. First off this landmark is one of the final stops on the Ghost Hunt tour. I came here with a group of curious people one evening being told that the Governor's Palace contains the remains of a dead child and that it is haunted. There is also a maid that was found n the now covered up well who was murdered long ago who is said to roam these here grounds. In the courtyard was a tree that was formally used to do hangings. Hanging the criminals. So, I decided to return and check out this spooky place. I was disappointed to learn that they added on to the building in the 30's so not all of it is original. The front room is but there was an add on expansion in the 30's. Not all of the furniture in here is original so it's like going to a pop-up museum. With some props. All though the furniture is original it is certainly not the furniture from back in the day. IE. the child's bedroom in the back. It's not her bed. Nor the desk in that room. A little disappointed but it is still a beautiful place. The courtyard is lovely. Dare I use that word. Anyhoo, it's cheap to come. I like the loft area behind the kitchen. The kitchen is also cute. I would suggest coming and checking it out for it is a landmark. Haunted, hmm well I don't know..

I can't recommend this. I should have heeded my fellow reviewers. In summer, the fact that it's not air conditioned is reason enough to stay away. It's also fairly boring. It's hard to feel like it's really a historic building when constant reference is made to the 1930 renovation. Skip this one.

Meh, if you get here, awesome, if not, no big deal is the way I see it. The building itself started as a 1-2 room place in the 1750s and then was added on to over time. It's interesting to read about the history of the place and to get some of the cultural aspects of it. I came on a Sunday and had walked by the night before and there was something going on in it's courtyard so I'm guessing that they hold events every once and awhile. $4 gets you admission and it's basically a self tour. What I have an issue with is that there were renovations in the 1930s (which was fine), but they added on rooms to the property that were never part of it or added to it by the owners of the building. I wouldn't spend the whole day here, but if you have an hour and you're looking for something to do go for it

The Spanish Governor's Palace is worth a visit for anyone interested in San Antonio's cultural history and not merely the conference center and river walk. It's a bit difficult to spend more than 20 or 30 minutes strolling through the few rooms and courtyards, and for $4 I might've expected a bit more of a tour or some more better insights in the history. There are some small signs placed throughout the building, but I actually learned more about the palace from the Yelp reviews and the web site than I did actually visiting the Palace. Those expecting a large, historic "palace" or even an interesting and informative historic experience may be disappointed. But if you want to spend a little time strolling through a charming, small, historic building and enjoying the 18th Century architecture (restored in the 1930s after the building had been used for decades as retail and storage), you will enjoy the visit. If you visit the city, are staying downtown and care to get a taste of San Antonio's past, plan a day to stroll down Commerce Street to visit some of the historic places such as the Spanish Governor's Palace.

It was not entirely impressive. The one staff member seemed friendly, but didn't provide too much information. The place was small, and only took a few minutes to get through.

A nice historic landmark to visit. The Spanish governor's mansion is probably the oldest European style preserved residence in San Antonio as well as all of Texas. A couple decades ago it was in danger of being torn down but some wise people rallied the money to save it. It's not a mansion or palace by today's standards but I'm sure for 1740 it was quite impressive. Three big bedrooms, a ballroom, dining room, private chapel, kitchen, huge courtyard, etc. The furnishings weren't necessarily right on the mark but overall they've done a great job of preservation. Two dollar donation at the front desk.

Kind of pricy for a small museum. You can see a lot through the windows. Kind of odd the beaten path of the river walk, but you can see it during the ghost tour. Outside only

An unimpressive site with few furnishings, none of which were original to the palace. The cathedral adjoining if very worth the trip but save your $5 and skip this site.

What a gem! I stumbled upon this one trying to find something else. The small building isn't well marked, but the historical value and the beauty make up for it. The rooms flow together but the real treasure is the garden in the back. I was there in December, and the Tea Olive Trees were the best thing I think I have ever smelled. I could have spent my entire visit there.

This is a more subtle place to visit than the often loud and cheap tourist attractions vying for your time. The self guided tour allows one to reflect on old San Antonio at ones own pace. Enjoy the garden. Take time to imagine the past. I recommend.

this stop for me was part of a tour so i had nothing to lose to go visit it. it was $5 to go in but i didn't get a lot out of it. very limited as to what to see.