Tucked into the greenery of Brackenridge Park along the San Antonio River, the Witte Museum is one of those places that often surprises visitors. You might walk in expecting a standard natural history museum and walk out having learned about ancient sea creatures, touched a cast fossil, and wandered through thousands of years of human history — all before lunch.
The Witte Museum exhibits span science, nature, and Texas heritage in ways that feel genuinely engaging for all ages. Here's what to expect from the highlights, and how to have a full day of discovery.
Naylor Family Dinosaur Gallery
If you're visiting with kids or simply have a soft spot for prehistoric giants, the Naylor Family Dinosaur Gallery deserves a generous chunk of your time. This is where the Witte Museum dinosaur exhibit comes alive, combining full-scale skeletal casts with immersive storytelling about the creatures that once roamed what is now Texas.
The gallery's centerpiece is a towering Tyrannosaurus rex, positioned mid-stride and impossible to ignore. Nearby, an Alamosaurus — a massive long-necked sauropod that rivaled the T. Rex in sheer scale — gives visitors a sense of just how dramatic prehistoric Texas really was. The exhibit doesn't stop at displaying bones, either. Interpretive panels and fossil touch stations encourage hands-on exploration, making it an ideal stop for curious younger visitors.
Paleontology fans will appreciate the regional angle: Many of the specimens featured were discovered in Texas, grounding the science in local geology and giving the exhibit a specificity that sets it apart. The dinosaur exhibit at the Witte Museum manages to educate without being dry, a combination that keeps the whole family engaged well past the first gallery.
People of the Pecos Gallery
Step out of deep time and into a richly layered human story with the People of the Pecos Gallery. This exhibit explores the lives of the earliest inhabitants of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands region — ancient peoples who sheltered in limestone caves along the Pecos River thousands of years ago and left behind some of the most striking rock art in North America.
The gallery draws on decades of archaeological research to bring these communities to life. You'll find reproductions of cave paintings rendered in careful detail, alongside tools, textiles, and artifacts that reveal how people adapted to a demanding landscape over millennia. Interactive displays invite visitors to engage with the material rather than simply observe it, making the archaeology feel approachable and immediate.
For travelers drawn to the deeper currents of Texas history, this is one of the most distinctive exhibits at the Witte — the kind of collection that isn't easily replicated anywhere else.
Texas Wild Gallery and Outdoor Experiences
The Texas Wild Gallery is a sweeping survey of the state's ecosystems, stretching from the Piney Woods of East Texas to the Chihuahuan Desert in the west. Life-size habitat recreations, carefully mounted wildlife specimens, and detailed dioramas illustrate how ecologically varied Texas once was. Displays cover everything from migratory birds and native pollinators to some of the state's more surprising residents.
Beyond the indoor galleries, the museum's outdoor spaces extend the experience into Brackenridge Park itself. Riverside pathways and native plantings connect the museum's exhibits to the living landscape surrounding it, giving the visit a refreshing sense of continuity between the learning inside and the natural world just outside the doors.
Make the Most of Your Day With CityPASS® Tickets
The Witte Museum makes a natural anchor for a fuller day of exploration in San Antonio, and San Antonio CityPASS® tickets make it easy to pair your visit with other celebrated destinations across the city.
Art enthusiasts can continue their day at the San Antonio Museum of Art, which houses an impressive collection ranging from ancient Mediterranean works to contemporary Latin American pieces. If you'd prefer to spend more time outdoors after your Witte visit, the San Antonio Botanical Garden offers beautifully curated grounds that feel like a natural extension of the Witte's outdoor focus.
Planning your itinerary with San Antonio CityPASS® tickets means you can move between San Antonio's top attractions without stopping to purchase admission at each one — a straightforward way to get more out of your trip. Whether you're working across multiple neighborhoods or packing a long weekend full of sights, the flexibility makes a real difference.