Don’t Leave San Antonio Without It!
Aug 2021
OK, so reviews were excellent, but considering other highly rated tours in San Antonio; I had my doubts. NONE were anything special at all. Typical fare reminiscent of others taken in oh so many places.
Then we met Gary with this company. Our world of touring changed forever. It’s hard to over rate this guy. I mean, what doesn’t he know. I hate to hold anyone to such a high bar but you know what I mean.
He really understands the context of everything he discusses not just a rundown of trivia like so many companies. Gary even hypothesizes where no one knows the facts exactly and his personal reasoning has good basis!
We took the History tour and because of it, the King William tour afterwards. How can he know architecture in depth as well?
Next time we visit here we want him to ourselves, so we’re already booked for a Private VIP tour for next summer.
Really, don’t waste time elsewhere. The is an impressive tour company with someone that is FAR MORE than a tour guide.
New York City, NY 8 contributions
San Antonio and the Missions: Do Not Miss These Tours
Apr 2019 • Family
We are walking tour addicts; we travel often and always add at least one walking tour to our itinerary, even in cities we visit often and know well. Given the size of San Antonio and its rich history over several centuries, I was quite surprised by how few options for walking tours I was able to find on line, and of those few, only San Antonio Walks and Drives fit the bill — the others seemed rather mundane and kitschy. My 17 year old son and I just spent the day with Gary— first, on the amazing History Tour, and then on the stunning Missions Tour. Gary’s tours were akin to crash college courses. He is well versed on the subjects and passionate about the accuracy of the information. He is a splendid story teller, and we finished our day having learned what happened, To whom, where and why. There is so much more to this dynamic city, and its place in Texas, the USA and the world, than I ever imagined. If you want to really learn about San Antonio, and the history of South Texas, spending time with Gary is an absolute must.
Houston, TX 9 contributions
Best Day in San Antonio – Mission Tour Extraordinaire
Sep 2018 • Couples
Called same day for private tour of San Antonio Missions. Gary, the owner moved heaven and earth to make it happen for us. Luxurious car service, pick up at La Cantera Resort, and we were off for the best day ever! San Antonio has an Aqueduct!! The only one in the US and Gary took us there as part of the mission extravaganza. From detailed history of each mission, to the importance of the missions for Texas and US history Gary kept delivering the hits. And as we asked for more, he kept it coming. 4 of the best hours ever, learning what every Texan should know. Along the way he offered various historical facts about the city, the architecture, the guy is a real font of fabulous facts. Oh, and food recommendations… Gary knows where to go for the best eats. We plan to hook up with Gary for another tour in the early winter. Book him! Let him make your San Antonio stay an adventure.
Williamstown, MA 39 contributions
Best tour of any city I’ve ever been on: Non-cheesy, highly informative, and entertaining
Wary of organized tours for tourists, I wasn’t planning on touring in San Antonio. After reading the reviews, I decided to give it a try. What a great choice! The 2 hour tour flew by and I learned more per minute than I could have imagined. The guide’s story was artfully crafted to have an arc that took you from time period and location to the next. Fantastic ability to help us visualize the drama and bloodshed that is San Antonio’s legacy, including the lesser-known roles of native and Texano populations. I would recommend this hands down, and already have. A must-see in a must-visit city.
DavidB21431 11/27/2017 TripAdvisor
Our group worked with our Guide Gary on two tours during a November 2017 Art and Architecture Study trip to San Antonio. The purpose of our trip was to raise funds for our city’s Art Museum. First, Gary provided a walking architectural tour of downtown San Antonio. Over a two-hour period, Gary discussed the Alamo, its architecture and the great battle, and then pointed out a number of beautiful Art Deco period highlights downtown, including the Scottish Rites Temple and the Drury Hotel lobby. We concluded at the historic San Fernando cathedral. Our second tour highlighted the Spanish Colonial Missions. Over four hours, we visited each of the four missions. Gary provided many details about the missions, their purpose, culture and architecture, and showed us details that a casual visitor would likely not notice, such as the waterworks and the beautiful 18th-century frescoes.
Gary kept the tours interesting and adhered to our schedule. Our group is older, and the tours, while active, were well-paced. I highly recommend him for those who want more detailed information about this historic city and its architectural gems. He also offers a tour of the Alamo and the famous battle, but we did not try that one. I would particularly recommend San Antonio Walks for corporate groups, and anyone interested in history, architecture and culture. Best of all, Gary is a pleasure to work with! And, if you need restaurant recommendations, he knows the best chefs in town.
DavidB21431 11/27/2017 TripAdvisor
Houston, TX5 contributions
Excellent Tour of the City. Jun 2013 • Couples
My fiancé and I had never been to San Antonio and were looking for a way to learn about the city and orient ourselves for the remainder of our stay, so we decided to book the San Antonio Walks Historic tour. Our guide Gary was Fantastic! All facts said were researched from first hand testimonials of people who were there, not text books which gave this tour a different feel than ones I had taken in other cities. The guide was very knowledgeable, friendly and truly in love with the history of the city. I would highly recommend this tour – we are looking forward to taking the San Antonio Walks Fork in the RIver Tour with him next time we visit!
Tampa, FL 17 contributions
Great History Tour – Truly Discover San Antonio
Oct 2012 • Couples
Great Tour. Highly Recommend. My wife and I arranged for a private 4 hour tour on Friday, our first day in San Antonio. We are not history buffs, by any stretch, but we wanted to get a deeper understanding of the area. More than we would normally get on a superficial quick tour or on any self guided trips. Gary has a great way of taking the history and connecting timeframes, events and locations throughout the tour. Even beyond that, his explanation of the multi-national cultural influences that shaped this history is what surprised and intrigued us the most. If you really want to learn about the amazing history of San Antonio, you must take this tour.
Northampton, MA 35 contributions
Oct 2012 • Couples
My husband and I took this 2-hour walking tour in mid October with Gary. He was an extremely knowledgeable and interesting tour guide in this beautiful neighborhood. The houses we discussed represented many different styles of architecture which he explained clearly, and each had a story he told about its history and occupants. This is one of the best architectural and historical walking tours I have taken and I strongly recommend it to anyone who has a serious interest in either subject.
Written October 25, 2012
Tampa, FL17 contributions1
Great History Tour – Truly Discover San Antonio
Oct 2012 • Couples
Great Tour. Highly Recommend. My wife and I arranged for a private 4 hour tour on Friday, our first day in San Antonio. We are not history buffs, by any stretch, but we wanted to get a deeper understanding of the area. More than we would normally get on a superficial quick tour or on any self guided trips. Gary has a great way of taking the history and connecting timeframes, events and locations throughout the tour. Even beyond that, his explanation of the multi-national cultural influences that shaped this history is what surprised and intrigued us the most. If you really want to learn about the amazing history of San Antonio, you must take this tour.
Written October 21, 2012
Canton of Neuchatel, Switzerland 111 contributions
I had the opportunity of having a “VIP” tour, since I was the only customer on that Monday morning for the standard tour. The guide was very professional, gave me a lot of explainations about the different phases of the battle and also about the growth of the city.
The walk itself was not so long, with plenty of place to sit if you’re not as fit as you could.
I would definitely recommend this walking tour.
Written October 10, 2012
Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Mexico116 contributions
Easy flat walk filled with information
Sep 2012 • Friends
My sister and I recently took the History walk and really enjoyed it. Gary spins a great tale of the history of the city, especially the battles around the Battle for the Alamo. He re-creates the scene very vividly and you are transported to the past. He then walks you around the downtown area explaining the history of Texas, San Antonio, the river and virtually everything you would like to know about the beginnings of Texas. The walk is easy, and through most of it you are seated. He does ask you to wait until he finishes at each stop to ask questions. Well worth the money and far superior to those on-off bus tours where you spend half the time waiting for people to get on and off, This is individual attention
Written September 30, 2012
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Von Ormy, TX22 contributions
Mar 2012 • Friends
I brought my resort guests to the King William Historical Neighborhood Walk and one and all thoroughly enjoyed learning about the various types of architecture that make up this long time famous neighborhood. “Boring,” you say…not at all. Mr Pepe, our guide intertwined the architectural facts regarding these beautiful homes with the perfect amount of human interest about the home residents and the history of the home itself. Most interesting was the great variety of different building styles evident even in each individual home.
Being from San Antonio, I felt there’d be little I hadn’t heard in the way of history but was amazed at how informative our guide was about interesting details and stories that brought the tour alive.
All eight of us on the tour, of varying ages and stages of physical health were all easily able to handle the two hour tour and I got rave reviews myself for suggesting the San Antonio Walks experience.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 3 contributions
Expectations were high based on reviews but the tour was better than anticipated. Gary brought history alive through great story telling which all comes together as the tour progresses. San Antonio has far more history than you hear on the other tours in town. The Alamo is explained in great detail as well as cause and effect of the battle. Fascinating!! Best value in San Antonio. Please include this tour on your next visit. You will not be disappointed!!
Tahoe Vista, CA 2 contributions
Nov 2011
I grew up in Texas but have lived in N Tahoe California for the last 14 yrs…I have always loved history, so on a trip back to see family I decided to spend a couple of days looking around San Antonio. Saw a good review on this so decided to give it a try.
I’m so glad i did..I learned more on this tour than I ever learned in (Texas) schools. The guide was very knowlegable, so many details explained that made it all come to life…not just the battle of the Alamo but the atmosphere and culture(s) that led up to it, and the development of Texas as a state. Fascinating for a history buff! Tour included many downtown landmarks that i had walked by for years without realizing the stories and personalities behind them…
Many thanks, the tour was the best part of my week in Texas!
I highly recommend it and will be taking it again with friends and family.
Lansing, MI 983 contributions
Best way to understand the Alamo
Nov 2011
We took the History tour with Gary and found this to be an excellent tour. Gary is a great tour guide and very knowledgable about the history of San Antonio. This is a serious history tour and probably isn’t for kids or people not that interested in the history of the Alamo or the city of San Antonio. We went on the 9:45 tour, on a weekday during November, and we were the only people on the tour. So not only did we get an excellent tour but we got a private tour, which made it even better.
Surprisingly, there is actually very little information about the battle or the history of the Alamo when you visit the Alamo. Even though this was the third time I had seen the Alamo, I never quite understood how the battle went down or why the Alamo was so important. Gary makes it easy to understand the battle and the roles the Alamo has played in history.
After giving you all the details on the Alamo, the history tour moves on to other areas of San Antonio and you get a brief history of La Villita, the role of German immigrants in San Antonio, and the Riverwalk. Also, very interesting.
Littleton, CO25 contributions5
The Best Historical Tour we have taken!
Aug 2011
We took two of Gary’s tours. The King William historical tour and the history of San Antonio tour (which includes the Alamo). Gary, the tour guide, has incredible knowledge and enthusiasm for the area. His presentation was exceptionally interesting and fact filled. He showed the big picture; how events happening around the world affected the events that happened in San Antonio. We discovered how the Alamo shaped the overall history of Texas. You will walk away with a whole new perspective of Texas history. We so very much recommend Gary’s “walks”. He makes it fun and educational at the same time!!!! Thanks Gary.
London, UK1 contribution4
History in a nutshell – delivered in an informative and engaging way
Jun 2011
The two hours we spent with Gary went by really fast. Knowing practically nothing about the Alamo, Texas or even early US history, we felt that we understood all three by the end of the tour. Gary blends the history, the people, the buildings, the context and the meaning in an engaging story-like talk.
There was just the right amount of walking around, and care taken to ensure that the stopping points were in the shade and mostly places where we could sit down. In the heat of a San Antonio summer, we really appreciated that.
We’d definitely recommend it to anyone else who visits who wants education rather than entertainment. That’s not to say it wasn’t entertaining – it was – but we learnt more in two hours than we have all week.
Thank you Gary – you were the highlight of our San Antonio visit.
Santa Barbara, CA129 contributions5
The best history class we ever took!
Feb 2011
What a professional presentation of the history of this lovely city — from the early 1800s to the present. The Alamo may be the center of the city’s past, but it was so helpful to have the Alamo put into the context that made it all so much more meaningful. Far too interesting to call this walking tour “too much history”. The history of San Antonio is one of the city’s prime draws! Wear comfortable walking shoes.
Port Saint Lucie, FL762 contributions2
We love to travel and learn. Gary, our tour guide, brought the history of San Antonio alive with his wealth of information on the peoples of this area. We took our tour the first morning after our arrival in town. Afterwards, we were equiped with the knowledge we needed to tour the Alamo.
Three Rivers149 contributions4
Provides insight into the complex history of San Antonio…must see!
This +2 hr walking tour is something I would highly recommend to anyone visiting San Antonio. Fully expecting it to be a glorified “Alamo history” tour, we were extremely pleased to instead be treated to an indepth story of the surrounding neighborhoods of the city, the people, and the influence of many cultures coming together to make San Antonio a center of beautiful people and rich history. We were relieved that our guide avoided taking our tour through the walls of the actual Alamo site, and instead spent the beginning of our tour in the beautiful & shady square within sight of the area. There were only 6 of us on the tour, and we moved quickly from one spot to another, leaving time at the end of our tour for more extensive questions. We enjoyed this tour and our guide so immensely that we returned the next afternoon for the architectural tour of the King William District. This is a professional quality tour, and most definitely worth the “price of admission”!
Fairfield, CT3 contributions3
Much more than a typical your — a real education in the history of San Antonio
We found this tour here on TripAdvisor. Our guide, Gary, gave us a detailed, in-depth narrative on the history of San Antonio and its place in the history of Texas. He makes the Alamo literally come alive with his stories: the events that led up to the famous battle, the battle itself, and its aftermath. By the time you walk away, you can imagine yourself knowing the main players and having actually been there at the time.
The Alamo is central but there is much more. He also talks about the roles played by the various cultures who settled the area, about the architecture, and about the development of the city and the River Walk.
This is not a touristy highlight-reel tour, but a real education by someone who clearly knows his stuff. We’ve taken a lot of tours in a lot of places (including another in Texas that was virtually info-free) and this was unquestionably one of the best. If you’re visiting San Antonio (and especially if you’re a history buff), then this is a must-do.
RFBoisvert
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Reviewed February 19, 2013
Best thing we did in San Antonio
Booked the history walking tour while we were in town for a weekend get-away. We showed up at the appointed hour (9:45 am) and wondered where everyone was. Turned out that we were the only two booked for the tour. Instead of cancelling for too few, we got a personal 2-hour walk through the city center by a guide that was not only extremely knowledgeable, but passionate about his city and its unique place in American history. He made the history come alive. It was the best investment that we made during our stay. I can’t recommend it enough!
Date of experience: February 2013
