Art of all genres and media abound at the many museums and galleries in San Antonio. From cutting-edge contemporary works to more traditional pieces, you will admire the depth of this city’s talent pool. Be sure to visit the McNay Art Museum and the San Antonio Museum of Art to marvel at their impressive collections as well as the touring exhibits they host. As far as galleries go, some of the best include Blue Star Arts Complex, ArtPace, One9Zero6, Cletus Gallery, and Wallace-Musket Gallery. To catch the work of budding artists, visit Say Si, which displays student work in its gallery. Many restaurants and coffeehouses also display the works of local artists; pay a visit to Rosario’s, WD Deli or Espuma Coffee and Tea Emporium to enjoy the delicacies and the view.

You could easily spend a day or two wandering among all the traditional and contemporary art spaces in this city and still not see everything. If you have a limited time frame, begin your artistic adventure at the McNay Art Museum. Formerly the private residence of Marion Koogler McNay, the museum displays permanent works exhibits including sculpture, photography, and paintings and many traveling exhibits. After perusing the exhibits, wander around the well-manicured lawn and enjoy the fountain, the Japanese gardens, and the trickling streams. Many locals populate the benches around the lawn enjoying their lunches on a pretty day.

From here, visit the San Antonio Museum of Art, home to the new Rockefeller Center of Latin American Art. Once home to the Lone Star Brewery, the building is now filled with the museum’s impressive collections of sculpture and paintings. You can often catch traveling exhibits here for a small fee above the admission cost. Sundays the museum staff hosts arts & crafts classes for young children. As will all city-funded museums, admission is free on Tuesday evenings.

The Southtown section of San Antonio is home to a myriad of the finest commercial galleries in the city. Be sure to visit One9Zero6 Gallery, which exhibits the works of many local contemporary artists and has played a vital role in exposing local artists’ talents to the public.

Blue Star Art Complex
(210) 225-6742
1400 S. Alamo

The McNar Art Museum
(210) 824-5368
6000 N. New Braunfels

Magnificent acreage and outdoor sculpture gardens surround the museum, housed in Mrs. McNay’s former estate. The collection includes post-impressionist French art and late 19th and 20^th century European and American art. The Tobin Collection contains materials from stage, opera and book arts, and is the most extensive of its kind in this country.

The San Antonio Museum of Art
(210) 978-8100
200 W. Jones
San Antonio, TX 75215
www.samuseum.org

This museum opened its new home in 1981, in a long abandoned brewery. The redesigned site has glass enclosed elevators that zoom to an open skywalk joining the east and west towers. From here you can see spectacular views of the city. In addition to the outstanding collection of 19th and early 20th century American paintings, the museum has an impressive collection of Greek, Roman and Egyptian art.

Dance
Whether you want to get down with your bad self or simply prefer to watch, San Antonio’s dance offerings fit the bill. If you like to dance the night away, be sure to check out The Bonham. Located downtown, this is perhaps the best dance club the city has to offer. Predominantly a gay bar during the week, the weekends and Wednesday night “straight nights” draw a very mixed crowd. Huge dance floors, a pounding sound system and the requisite disco lighting make for a fun, dance-’til-you-drop evening. The place really doesn’t start hopping until after 10pm. Three multi-format entertainment complexes—The Atrium, Park Place and Sunset Station—offer several different dance floors with different genres of dance music, all under one roof. A great concept if you can’t decide between hip-hop and country.

For those who prefer to watch the professionals, there are several dance companies that perform regularly, including the San Antonio Dance Umbrella and Urban 15. The city also hosts many touring companies during the year, quite a few performing culturally significant movements.

San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet
(210) 656-1334
2800 N.E. Loop 410

Theater
There are several theatrical venues whose productions run the gamut of genres. For national acts, The Broadway Bank Theatrical Series hosts numerous touring productions in the historical Majestic Theater and, occasionally, the Municipal Auditorium. Recent performances include Grease, Chicago, Rent, Phantom of the Opera and Cabaret. Outstanding local productions grace the stages at the Josephine Street Theater and Steven Stoli’s Playhouse, with recent performances including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Steel Magnolias. To enjoy great local talent and dinner, check out the Harlequin Dinner Theater at Fort Sam Houston. Guadalupe Theater and Jump-Start Theater typically produce more avant guard and cultural works.

Not to be left out, children can enjoy productions designed just for them at theaters such as Steven Stoli’s Backyard Theater for Kids and the Magik Children’s Theater.