Ignore this if you haven't visited San Antonio's Spanish missions before. If that's the case, you'll want to see their interiors too, which close each day at 5 p.m. But if you're a veteran of mission tours — which, not counting the Alamo, include Missions Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan and Espada — the best time to go is around dusk.
The temperature drops a little, and the tourists disperse. Walking or biking the grounds has an eerie feel around sunset, and it's easy to get from mission to mission along the hike-and-bike trail. There are B-Cycle stations at each of the missions, and the trail from Mission Concepcion in the north to Mission Espada to the south is about 5 miles. Visit the National Park Service's website (nps.gov/saan) for maps and other information to plan your visit.