the history shop

My husband loves history and really enjoyed our visit here. I had read about this place on Trip Advisor and looked for it when we arrived at the Alamo Plaza. If you are facing the Alamo mission front, walk around to the left side of the outside wall to see a small white sign that says "The History Shop." We listened to the sound recording by Phil Collins (surprising!) and also had a long conversation with the man working there. We learned much more about the Alamo because of that visit.

Not the most exciting place ever but for $5 you can see Diorama that Phil Collins donated to the Alamo. Good 12 minute presentation.

So glad I read TA reviews-- took my 10 and 8 yo and we really enjoyed touring this little shop. Loved the Alamo diorama and be sure to pay the $5 to get the audio tour. Enjoyed speaking to the gentleman working there-- he was very knowledgable and interesting to talk about Texas history. Definitely worth the stop!

You have to see tids before you even see the Alamo. The proprietor is very knowledgeable and the model of the Alamo with the talk give you a good picture of the time period. Great artifacts and maps.

Family visited the history shop today and couldn't believe what we have been missing when visiting the Alamo. The shop has a great model of the complete site of the Alamo with a show that tells you about the history. Also has great antique maps and artifacts for sale. Even has a part of a dig with artifacts in the floor.A must see.

Loved the History Shop. Definitely visit before going to the Alamo. Duke, the owner, answered all our questions and the audio story of the Alamo, told by Phil Collins (the singer) was wonderful.Duke let us in on a great little lounge with awesome happy hour prices too! (Earls)

Right outside the gates on Houston street from the Alamo is this shop. Best thing about it everything in side is forsale. Era correct guns and rifles that would of been used in the battle. Cool model of the Alamo grounds for an aerial view. Worth a walk through.

This little shop is directly across Houston Street from the Alamo and has a to-scale replica of what the original Alamo Mission grounds were like. Well worth the visit!!

This store is just across the street from the side of the Alamo. They sell old maps and other items. The real reason to visit here is the large diorama of the Mission. One gets a sense of the entire area involved in the Battle. It has a recorded program narrated by Phil Collins (yes THAT Phil Collins) who apparently is a huge Alamo fan and collector. As he speaks the diorama is lit to demonstrate the various locations. Well worth the $5.

I also make time for this place every time I am in town. I have probably been here at least a dozen times. I love all the historical things and the diorama of the Alamo is worth every penny they charge. No trip to the Alamo is complete without stopping by here.

Before going to 'The Alamo' Memorial - one should visit this shop. There is a large scale model of The Alamo and a narration of the events as occurred. All this helps prepare for the proper appreciation of the audacity and debit owed to those who defended the Mission.I found that I had a much better perspective of events and respect for the defenders of the Mission after visiting this place.$ 5.00 well spent

The History Shop is filled with old maps and muskets all ready for purchase in an old, small, boutique complete with an excavation site in the middle of it. The current owner is housing the Phil Collin's narrated alamo battle diorama which is a large scale model of the alamo, overlaid with a short, but loving narration of the battle. Fun to visit PRE alamo to get a good feel for the scale of the site.

What a great place to visit after the Alamo. Albert, the proprietor, was knowledgeable and interesting and filled in information that we did not get from the actual Alamo tour. The diorama and narration did a great job of describing historical events and demonstrating the size of the Alamo. The nominal fee ($5) was worth every penny. Thank you Phil Collins for your contribution to American history!

Thanks to Tripadvisor I knew to visit the History Shop first to listen to Phil Collin's narrative of the battle of The Alamo. It was the best thing we did, and once we crossed the road we could totally relate to everything we were seeing. At $5 it was money well spent.

Stop in and take the time to listen to the presentation of the Alamo history. After several days there we stumbled into the History Shop and it tied in the history of the Alamo in a scale model of the site as it was then. Highly recommend this stop!!