If you have not been to the Alamo in a few years, the place may surprise you. The old mission church looks just the way you remember it, but the ground around it is in the middle of the biggest transformation in its modern history, with new plazas, a new collections building and a major museum on the way.
Here is what is open now, what is free, what costs extra and how to plan a visit that goes smoothly.
The Alamo Church is still free, but reserve a ticket
Admission to the Alamo Church has always been free, and it still is. What has changed is that you now need a timed ticket. The free tickets can be reserved on the Alamo’s official website or picked up in person at the Alamo’s Welcome Centers, and the Alamo says guests who show up outside their window during business hours should still be accommodated. Reserving ahead is the easy way to skip any guesswork, especially on weekends and holidays.
Inside, the church is a place of quiet reflection where visitors are asked to be respectful. Plan on a short visit inside, then spend more time exploring the grounds.
What else you can see for free
A lot of the Alamo experience costs nothing beyond your time:
- The Long Barrack: The oldest surviving building on the site, part of the original mission complex.
- The Alamo Gardens: Shady grounds behind the church that are a pleasant break from downtown traffic.
- Plaza de Valero: This restored plaza opened in late 2024 with shade trees, native plants and a covered pavilion, with a rainwater cistern built underneath it.
- Living history: Costumed interpreters demonstrate daily life in the 1830s at Plaza de Valero, and musket-firing demonstrations have been held there daily. Check the schedule on the day you visit.
- Outdoor exhibits: Interpretive displays on the plaza, including the Mission Gate and Lunette exhibit, help you picture where the old mission walls and defenses once stood.
Worth paying for: the Ralston Family Collections Center
Behind the church in Alamo Gardens, the Ralston Family Collections Center holds the Alamo Exhibit, roughly 500 artifacts spread across 10,000 square feet of gallery space, many on display for the first time. The centerpiece is the Phil Collins Collection, the huge trove of Texas Revolution artifacts the musician gave to the State of Texas, along with the Donald and Louise Yena Spanish Colonial Collection.
Unlike the church, this is a paid ticket. At last check, the Alamo listed adult admission at $15, with reduced prices for children, seniors and military. Tickets should be reserved in advance. For a deeper dive, the Alamo also offers guided walking tours of about an hour that include the church and the Collections Center, at a higher price.
What’s coming: the new visitor center and museum
The biggest change is still under construction. The Alamo Visitor Center and Museum is going into the historic Crockett and Woolworth buildings, directly across Alamo Plaza from the church, as the centerpiece of the roughly $550 million Alamo Plan. Crews placed the final structural beam in a topping-out ceremony in March 2026.
As of the Alamo’s latest construction update, the museum is scheduled to open in 2028. When it does, it will tell the site’s 300-year story, from its mission days through the 1836 battle and beyond. In the meantime, the Texas Cavaliers Education Center, built for school groups in the former Alamo Hall, opened in spring 2026.
Getting around during construction
Expect fences and detours. Vehicle access around the Alamo is closed for public safety as the district shifts toward a pedestrian-friendly design, and parts of Houston Street are fenced off while the museum goes up. The Alamo publishes regular construction news updates and a wayfinding map, also available at the Welcome Center.
The simplest plan is to park once in a nearby city garage or lot and walk. The Alamo is a short stroll from the River Walk, and it pairs well with a meal at Mi Tierra in Market Square. San Antonio is about an hour and a half southwest of Austin and roughly three hours west of Houston.
Good to Know
- Where: 300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205 (Bexar County).
- Hours: Open daily 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; last entry 30 minutes before closing. The Collections Center closes earlier. Closed Christmas Day.
- Church admission: Free, with a timed ticket reserved online or at a Welcome Center.
- Collections Center: Paid admission (adults $15 at last check); reserve ahead.
- New museum: Under construction; scheduled to open in 2028.
- Getting there: Streets around the Alamo are closed to vehicles; park nearby and walk.
Hours, dates and prices can change. Check the Alamo’s official website before you head out.
The Alamo has always been a place Texans feel in their bones. Right now it is also a work in progress, and that makes it a great time to visit, see what is new, and come back again when the museum opens its doors.
Featured photo: Cqui via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5.
