Since 1960, the Conservation Society Foundation’s Heritage Education Tours are a San Antonio tradition. In 2019, approximately 2,200 fourth-grade students from twenty-five schools participated in these tours. Schools are invited to participate in the tours on a five-year rotating basis. The Conservation Society Foundation furnishes charter buses as transportation, covers admission to various historical locations, and provides teachers with educational material for students before their tours. Students visit two historical sites within San Antonio on the day of their tour, sites they visit include: the Yturri-Edmunds Historic Site, the Spanish Governor’s Palace, Casa Navarro State Historical Site, and all five World Heritage Spanish Missions.
Teachers attend a workshop to assist in preparing students prior to the tours. Conservation Society members and the Professional Tour Guide Association of San Antonio members act as docents and guides to help ensure the Heritage Education Tours are a success.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Conservation Society Foundation initiated a new approach to this program by creating virtual tours of San Antonio’s historic sites.
Thanks to The Mirza Trust of San Antonio, H-E-B, the Edouard Foundation, Inc. and others who have made contributions which support the programs of the Foundation and the Heritage Education Tours.
