When rain fell on San Antonio, we headed indoors to explore several of the city’s museums.  We learned a lot about Texas history at the Institute of Texan Cultures.

After being greeted at the door and paying our admission, we were given a map of the museum that included a listing of all the cultures represented in the museum.  We were just in time for the hourly video presentation in the center of the museum, so the adults sat on benches and the kids on the floor as we watched the movie about Texas and the many people who have made it what it is today.

After the film, we went through the exhibits.  The museum has an exhibit area for each of the various cultures represented in the state; those with larger numbers, such as Tejanos and Germans, have larger areas than the smaller groups like Wends and Scots.  Each area depicts something about that culture and its life in Texas.  There’s a sharecropper’s cabin and a story about a Texan woman who was a slave in the White House; a pasta case from an Italian market, letters and reminiscences from Jews who moved to Texas, and so on.

Sharecropper's Cabin at Institute of Texan Cultures

My sons wanted to visit the cultures in alphabetical order, so they darted around the museum to find each one.  My husband and I preferred to wander from one to the next.  There is no “right” way to see the Institute of Texan Cultures.

Although there are few hands-on exhibits per se, our kids liked this museum.  The big neon Texas flag in the entry was exciting, and they liked seeing the various homes that are in the museum, as well as artifacts from the different cultures.  Their favorite, though, was the wooden “horse” where they could dress up as cowboys and try out a lasso.  Each of the kids enjoyed a turn as a cowboy.

The film, too, interested, them, so that when it repeated itself on the hour, they wanted to watch again.

The museum was not busy when we were there, so it was easy for each of us to see it at our own pace and yet keep track of where the kids were.

The Institute of Texan Cultures was one of my favorite museums on our trip, and it was interesting for our kids as well, even without a large number of hands-on exhibits.

More things to do in San Antonio, Texas, via Uptake.

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