Millions of people visit The Alamo each year in downtown San Antonio, site of 1 of the most famous battles in history.

Now visitors can also listen to the history of what has become a source of Texas' undying pride.

The Alamo unveiled a 55-minute audio tour in May that gives each listener music, sound effects and perspective from historians. The tour also contains dramatic readings of eyewitness accounts of the 13 days in 1836 that ended with the fall of the Texas-defended mission-turned-fort.

The self-guided $5 headset tour takes visitors throughout the grounds, including the shrine dedicated to those who died and the long barrack that now serves as a museum.

Alamo Director David Stewart said some visitors come to the Alamo simply to say they've been there. Others are historians who know the story already. Then, there's a "huge group that is really interested in what happened."

The audio tour also offers trivia a visitor might not otherwise learn, like the fact that the bump on the top of the Alamo church that distinguishes its famous facade was added in later renovations.

If You Go...

THE ALAMO AUDIO TOUR: San Antonio; http://www.thealamo.org/ Alamo admission is free; the audio tour costs $5, or $6 to keep the ear buds. Summer hours (through August) are Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. The tour is available in English, Spanish, German, French and Japanese.

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