History
Tower of the Amercias
Located in downtown San Antonio, the 750-foot-tall Tower of the Americas provides guests the most spectacular view of the Alamo City.
Origin
The tower was built in 1968 for the Hemisfair World's Fair The fair celebrated San Antonio's 250th anniversary.
Construction of the tower began in 1966 and was completed in 18 months. In 2019 the tower turned 50 years old.
Visit The TowerToday
Known locally as "The Tower", this is the tallest observation tower in Texas, and was the tallest in the U.S. from 1968 until it was surpassed by the Stratosphere Tower, Las Vegas in 1996.
The Tower now features a revolving Chart House Restaurant, an indoor and outdoor observation deck, a cafe, a gift shop and a 4D theatre show titled, "Skies Over Texas."
Ticket InformationTower Facts
The tower weighs 80 million pounds and has 952 steps to get to the top. The concrete shaft in the center is 45 feet in diameter. The three elevators can carry 1,950 passengers per hour. At 800 feet-per-minute, it takes only 43 seconds for the elevators to climb to the top. The height of the concrete shaft - which is partially hidden inside the top house is 605 feet tall.
Fun Facts
The "top house" - the round revolving structure at the top of the tower is 76 feet tall. The "top house" is so well-balanced that it takes just a 1 horsepower motor to rotate the structure.
The tower's restaurant at the top is named "The Eyes of Texas" and occupies 10,150 square feet. The surrounding observation levels are 8,800 square feet and the external observation deck can accommodate a maximum of 340 people, while the internal deck can accommodate 500 people.
The stairs, elevators, and mechanical in top house occupy 1,150 square feet.