Alamo

Lonely Planet review

The mission church and a few barrack-wall fragments are all that remain of the Alamo, moved to the present sight as the Mission San Antonio de Valero in 1724. (The well-recognized church façade dates from 1846.) Today the church serves as a shrine to the fallen, including several Wild West luminaries of the day - James Bowie, William Travis and Davy Crockett.

A 17 minute film describes how on February 23, 1836, Mexican general Antonio López de Santa Anna led 2500 Mexican troops in an attack against Alamo. Santa Anna's troops pounded it for 13 days before retaking it and executing almost all of the surviving defenders, including James Bowie, William Travis and Davy Crockett. Bowie's and Travis' black slaves (Sam and Joe, respectively) fought alongside their masters during the battle and survived the attack.

Today the shell of the mission sits front-and-centre downtown. The Daughters of the Texas Revolution run an on-site museum complete with 17-minute introductory film.