RIVER WALK. This museum is a bizarre hybrid featuring the Buckhorn Saloon, an extensive wildlife and horn collection, three floors of furniture crafted from horns and antlers, and a collection of "Rattlesnake Art." The saloon includes a wooden bar made of cherry and walnut and carved in the 1890s. The wildlife and horn collection continues to expand as collectors loan their exotic pieces. In the furniture collection, don't miss the gift to Teddy Roosevelt, a chair made out of sixty-two buffalo horns. In addition to these attractions, the Buckhorn includes the Texas History Wax Museum and live performances by gunslingers, cowboy singers, and trick ropers.

DOWNTOWN. This facility educates visitors about Texas's twenty-seven ethnic and cultural groups in an engaging, hands-on fashion. Permanent exhibits are housed inside; behind the building, a number of historic structures offer more immediate glimpses of the past. Audiovisual displays include a 36-screen multimedia exhibit. The institute is also the site of San Antonio's annual Folklife Festival in June. An onsite gift shop lets visitors purchase souvenirs and other gift items.

KING WILLIAM DISTRICT. Within this lovely district, leading German merchants settled in the late 19th century. Today, its elegant Victorian mansions and tree-lined streets are a pleasure to behold. Madison, Guenther, and King William streets are particularly pretty for a stroll or drive. Stop in at the Guenther House or Steves Homestead, two historic homes that offer guided tours. The former features a small museum of mill memorabilia, a gift shop, and a restaurant serving fine German pastries and full breakfasts and lunches.

Lackland AFB is famous as the site of basic military training for all aspiring Air Force cadets; fortunately, visitors don't have to endure the 6½ grueling weeks of physical training that recruits do. A large outdoor exhibit of vintage World War II aircraft and a Museum of Air Force History and Traditions are the main attractions, as well as an art gallery featuring works that depict the Air Force experience. Please call beforehand to arrange visits, and be prepared to show your driver's license and insurance at the visitor center in order to gain entry.

ALAMO HEIGHTS. [Closed until early June, 2008.] An impressive Mediterranean mansion with tiled floors and a Moorish-style courtyard is home to this museum, which shelters a pleasant collection of post-Impressionist art. Most works are American and European in nature; representative artists include Hopper, Gauguin, and Picasso. The McNay's lobby features stage and costume design, and the facility highlights modern statuary, medieval art and first-rate traveling exhibits too.