Valdez says the Selena museum was never meant to become the place it is today.
“What we do here is record we’re all musicians here,” said Valdez.
The museum is actually a recording studio, and in fact, it was the last place Selena recorded ‘Dreaming of You’, arguably one of her most famous songs.
“But after her passing, so many people showed up here to pay their respects to learn more to just take a little bit of Selena in their hearts,” said Valdez.
Now the museum sees visitors from all over the world.
New England, Japan, Australia, Chile,” said Valdez.
“Little by little they started adding an item here and before you know it the idea of making the Selena museum came about,” said Valdez.
One of the most popular spots for tourists to visit is the statue of the Tejano legend along the bayfront.
“It’s a life-size statue of Selena she was known as the white flower so there is a bronze painted white flower on the other side of her,” said Shelly Rios.
The memorial plays music as people walk up to it. It’s also one of the top 10 statues and monuments to see in Texas according to TripAdvisor.
“We get about anywhere from 20 to 50 thousand visitors a year,” said Rios.
And below the bayfront memorial are five rose murals painted by youths around Texas.
For those looking for a quieter spot to remember Selena; her gravesite is located at the Seaside Memorial Park, where anyone can come and pay their respects.
The site, however, is gated to protect it from being vandalized.
