Unwrap Western fun and meet Cowboy Claus at the Briscoe Western Art Museum’s annual Cowboy Christmas, 10a.m. – 2p.m., Sunday, December 4. This year’s Cowboy Christmas falls on the museum’s monthly “Locals Day,” when the Briscoe greets locals with free general admission. Cowboy Christmas is also free, making the Briscoe the perfect way to enjoy holiday fun and make memories with your family. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2022)

Cowboy Christmas features a day of family fun exploring the museum with holiday crafts and visits with Cowboy Claus onsite 11a.m. – 1:30p.m. Families are welcome to snap pictures with Cowboy Claus, while a special 12 Days of Christmas scavenger hunt will lead you through the Briscoe’s fantastic collection. Christmas crafts, including ornament making, will give everyone a bit of the West to take home and of course, a stroll through the museum’s McNutt Sculpture Garden is the perfect path to enjoy the River Walk and all of its holiday beauty.

Everyone enjoying Cowboy Christmas can also get wild while they are at the Briscoe thanks to the museum’s fall exhibition. The museum is a photographic zoo featuring 40 of the renowned nature photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen’s most resonant photographs. Thomas D. Mangelsen – A Life In The Wild takes viewers on a journey across the West and around the globe. One of the most prolific nature photographers of our time, Mangelsen is an award-winning photographer whose images have been exhibited internationally and published in iconic mediums such as “National Geographic,” “Good Morning America,” and “60 Minutes.” The exhibition is open to the public through January 29, 2023, and is included in general admission, making it free for locals to enjoy on Locals Day.

To show how friendly the West is and to thank the San Antonio community for its continued support, the Briscoe Western Art Museum makes the first Sunday of each month “Locals Day,” greeting locals with free general admission. Bexar County residents can enjoy Cowboy Christmas and Locals Day by registering online.

Not a local? The Cowboy Christmas fun is included with general museum admission. As always, children 12 and under receive free admission at the Briscoe, as do active duty members of the military, making the museum a terrific spot for families to add to their holiday plans. Active duty military families receive half-price admission when accompanied by their active duty family member. Year-round, retired and former members of the military also received discounted admission.

The first weekend of each month is also Bank of America Museums on Us, allowing Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust cardholders to gain one free admission to the museum. Through Museums for All, recipients of SNAP, WIC, and MAP receive free general admission to the museum through Museums for All.

For everyone looking to fill their gift lists, the Briscoe’s Hendler Family Museum Store features something for everyone on your list. Shopping the museum includes holiday finds, home décor, and gifts for men, women and children that are not available at traditional retailers. Something sure to be popular in Cowboy Claus’ bag of gifts this year: gift memberships to the Briscoe. Share the wide open spaces of the West – and all of the art, heritage and programming of Briscoe – with someone special on your gift list by giving them a museum membership. Membership includes free and discounted museum event admission, exclusive member events and so much more, all on the banks of the River Walk.