Hello friends! My little family and I are celebrating three months of sharing our lives on Instagram, and in honor of that I thought I would do a post on the most Instagram worthy places in San Antonio Texas. I know when I travel I love to know all of the best places and even secret gems to get the best photos at, so I hope this helps you out if you’ll be traveling to my city soon. If you live in San Antonio, and you’re reading this post just know that I have several friends and family members who have already commented to me that they never even thought about some of these places to take photos at so it can be helpful for us locals too! So let’s get started in no particular order!
1. Historic Market Square
https://www.getcreativesanantonio.com/Explore-San-Antonio/Market-Square
514 W Commerce St, San Antonio, TX 78207
This is an Instagram MUST in San Antonio and by far one of my favorite parts of my city. So, what can you expect here? You can expect festive restaurants, colorful streets, and beautiful wall art, all of which are so worthy of the gram.
Tip: My favorite little alleyway street of the Market Square is located right next to the restaurant called Viva Villa.
The Market Square is always packed with both tourists and locals walking around so, if possible best time to get that Gram picture would be during the day and during the week. If the weekend is your only option try to get there by 8am. If not, just expect a lot of people in your picture. I should also mention that the Market Square plays hosts to many special events throughout the year. If you’re there during one of those times, then take the Farmers Market elevator to the top parking lot and snap this picture. Wow, that’s a lot of people!
To explore the Market Square is absolutely free, but parking ranges from $5 to $20 dollars in the area.
2. King William District
http://visitsanantonio.com/Browse-Book/Attractions/King-William-Historic-District
This is a historic district near downtown San Antonio, and it includes 79 historic structures dating back to the second half of the 19th century. The most popular area is between Alamo Street and the San Antonio River, as well as on King William Street itself. What’s great about this Instagram location is that it is a quiet peaceful neighborhood that is not necessarily a top priority for most tourists visiting. This is great for you because then you can have the entire neighborhood to yourself while you take all the best photos for the Gram in front of all the beautiful homes. There’s also a nice gazebo and stretch of the neighborhood that overlooks a part of the River Walk. You can park in the neighborhood for free.
3. La Villita Historic Arts Village
https://www.lavillitasanantonio.com
This area is considered one of San Antonio’s first neighborhoods. It’s located downtown, connects to the River Walk, and includes art galleries, souvenir shops, and several venues both indoor and outdoor. It’s a charming area to walk through but, it can get pretty busy on the weekends. However, if you visit here during the week or during the day, you will find it very easy to get that perfect Instagram shot. My suggestions would be to snap a photo along one of the charming alleyways, in front of the Little Church of La Villita, and around the Arneson River Theater. There’s also a courtyard that has a beautiful fountain. La Villita is free to explore, but parking is anywhere from $5 to $10 dollars in the area. On your way out exit through the Arneson River Theater, which leads me to the next Instagram spot I will be talking about!
4. San Antonio River Walk.
849 E. Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX 78205
https://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com
The San Antonio River Walk is a city park and network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River. This is another MUST for Instagram worthy spots in San Antonio. A few of my favorite spots for photos along the River Walk include a little square block at the bottom of the stairs at the Arneson River Theater. What you do is stand on top of it and wait a few minutes to catch a photo with a river barge boat in the background. So cute!
Another great Insta picture is across from the Casa Rio restaurant with all the colorful umbrellas in the background.
Lastly, why not just wrap up the entire experience and actually get on a river barge boat yourself so that way you can take all the photos you’d like. Please note that there are several other spots as well along the River Walk to take photos so have fun exploring! The River Walk is free. Parking is anywhere from $5 to $20 dollars in the area.
5. Tower of the Americas
http://m.toweroftheamericas.com/#2743
This is a 750-foot observation tower/restaurant located in the Hemisfair district in downtown San Antonio. There’s an observation deck and a revolving restaurant at the top. However, before even going up the tower you will notice that the grounds in the area are very beautiful in itself with fountains and a lot of greenery making for some great photos.
Then, right before you actually go up the elevator make sure to snap this picture from the ground up to capture this amazing shot.
The restaurant at the top rotates slowly and makes a full circle every hour. However, there are plenty of better places to eat in town so I just suggest skipping the restaurant and going to the observation deck to snap a beautiful 360 panoramic photo of the city. I prefer to go during sunset. You should also know that it’s very windy at the top. This Instagram spot will cost you $13 dollars for the observation deck. I usually park at the Tower of the Americas parking lot itself which is another $11 dollars, but If you don’t mind walking a little bit further you can probably find parking a little less in an adjacent parking lot.
6. North Star Mall Boots
https://www.northstarmall.com/en.html
Everything’s bigger in Texas right? In this case yes! The North Star Mall boots are a city staple and were included in the 2016 Guinness World Records edition titled as the “largest cowboy boot sculpture,” standing 35 feet 3 inches tall. The boots are actually located at North Star Mall in North Central San Antonio. Specifically, you can find them at the entrance near Saks 5th Avenue and the big North Star mall block letters right off of the access road. If you really want to get this cool shot I suggest going early in the morning before the mall actually opens. For example, the day that I went was on a Sunday at 9am. If you try to do this during mall hours it will be very hard because cars will be coming in-and-out of that entrance making it a safety hazard as well. So, just time it right and you can get that perfect photo. This Instagram spot is free.
6. San Fernando Cathedral
https://www.sfcathedral.org
This is the mother church of the Archdiocese of San Antonio and is noted as one of the oldest cathedrals in the United States. The Cathedral’s actually located in Main Plaza in the heart of downtown San Antonio. It is truly beautiful both inside and out. For a great Insta picture with some dimension, grab a lemonade or raspa and sit at an umbrella table with the beautiful Cathedral behind you. Main Plaza itself is also a relaxing and charming area. The Cathedral is free but parking in the area is anywhere from $5 to $20 dollars.
7. Mission San Jose
https://www.missionsanjosechurch.org
This is a historic national park and one of five frontier missions in San Antonio. These outposts were established by Catholic religious orders to spread Christianity among the local natives in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Mission San Jose is my favorite to visit. The grounds here are absolutely beautiful and peaceful. You will feel as though you have stepped back in to time. In my opinion, the best Instagram spot is of course right in front of the Mission itself, but there are spots all over the place for photos. Both parking and entry to the mission are free.
8. Southside Selena mural
https://exitexplorer.com/properties/29-98/a4fd2062-224d-4194-9c13-b503d8af97b7/#.W4a6EHNOmdM
This Insta picture is totally necessary if you happen to be a huge Selena fan like myself. It’s located on the side wall of a shopping center on South Flores Street on the Southside of San Antonio. The mural was created by a 19-year-old self-taught artist. The mural depicts a smiling Selena and her long black hair flowing behind her. Once you arrive just park in the parking lot for free and take all the photos you’d like. This location is more off the beaten path and more than likely you will have the entire place to yourself to get that perfect photo for the Gram! Anything for Selenas!
9. Virgin Mary Mosaic
http://www.guadalupeculturalarts.org
This is the world’s largest Virgin Mary mosaic. The votive candle stands 40 feet tall and is the largest of its kind. You can find it at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. The candle is very beautiful especially in person, and is attached to a small little courtyard with colorful benches. This attraction is probably busier on the weekends but if you’re able to go during the week or during the day you will probably have the entire area to yourself. This Insta picture including parking is totally free.
10. The Alamo
http://www.thealamo.org
The Alamo was originally built in 1744, and was occupied by 187 men from Texas and around the world who were fighting for the independence of Texas from what was then Mexico. The area around the Alamo is called Alamo Plaza, and it is probably one of the busiest areas in town between the tourists, tour groups, and local students visiting on field trips. So, if you really want to get that perfect Instagram shot in front of the Alamo with very few people you’re probably going to have to go before 8am. Snap that Instagram picture and it’ll be a great way for you to honor and remember the Alamo! This is another attraction and photo opportunity that is free, but parking in the area varies anywhere from $5 to $20 dollars.
11. Japanese Tea Gardens
https://www.sanantonio.gov/ParksAndRec/Parks-Facilities/All-Parks-Facilities/Parks-Facilities-Details/ArtMID/14820/ArticleID/2912/Japanese-Tea-Garden
This garden is located in a beautiful area of San Antonio right next to the Zoo. If you come here during the week and during the day you will have the entire place to yourself, however if you come here on the weekend like I did on a Saturday it will be busy and harder to get photos. The park itself is so beautiful and peaceful. It includes several gazebos, a waterfall, koi fish pond, and a lot of beautiful greenery. Both parking and entrance to the gardens are free.
12. Pearl Brewery
http://www.atpearl.com
The Pearl Brewery is the gem of Southtown in downtown San Antonio. It’s where us locals go! This place has everything including a food hall, high-end restaurants, trendy bars, and even a fun area for kids to play and splash around in the fountains. If you decide to come here there are so many pictures worthy of the Gram. You can snap a picture in front of the Pearl sign, which at night lights up and is very pretty. One of my favorite restaurants called La Gloria is located here as well and there are a lot of great Instagram worthy pictures to take there too. Just know that it can get pretty busy especially on the weekends, but it’s definitely worth a visit. Both entry to the pearl and parking are free.
That concludes my top places in San Antonio for Instagram worthy photos. Everything is linked above, but if you have any questions feel free to ask or comment below. Just to recap most of these places are free and a lot of them are located close to each other in the downtown area. To gain an even better perspective check out my “Top Instagram Photos in San Antonio” YouTube video here.
