Plan Your Visit

Click photograph to go to Church Information
top photo: Mission San Juan after 2013 preservation; bottom photo: before preservation

Church Services

The four mission churches within San Antonio Missions National Historical Park are active catholic parishes, and hold regular services. They are open to park visitors during park hours, except for special services, such as weddings and funerals.

UPDATE (3/1/2013): The church at Mission San Juan Capistrano is now open after 1 ½ years of preservation work.

 

The park has over 180 species of birds, including the
hummingbird and ibis.

 

The dam (top), acequia irrigation ditch and aqueduct (bottom) make up part of Mission Espada's 270-year old irrigation system.

Things To See and Do, Briefly

When visiting San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, plan to spend at least a couple of hours - four hours if you have the time. Free guided tours, movies, and demonstrations are scheduled throughout the week.

Besides the four historic missions and their churches, check out the grist mill at Mission San José, and the 270-year old Espada acequia (irrigation system) with its dam and aqueduct.

The Spanish missions were established on the frontier and there are still portions of native habitat excellent for birding. A section of the original river can be viewed from the nature trail at Mission San Juan.