San Antonio Museum of Art

Formerly the historic Lonestar Brewery, this 1884-era building received a renovation worth €7.2 million US dollars and has been wonderfully restored to become the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Since its opening in 1981, the museum has amassed an encyclopaedic collection of Asian, Latin American, Greek & Roman, ancient Egyptian and American art, spanning 6,000 years. Look out for the 17th-century Korean Buddha statue or the Chinese bronze steamer dating from 1600 B.C.

Vases, statues and engravings feature among the exhibitions of relics from ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome and the Near East. As you enter the Egyptian gallery you can't help but stop in awe of the gigantic statue of the goddess Sekhmet.

A trip to the Latin American gallery is a must. This is the single largest collection of Latin American art in the United States. Here you will find significant pieces laid out chronologically. An ancient Peruvian drinking vessel dates back to the year 400, while an ornately decorated Guatemalan platter dates back to the year 600.

The museum is intuitively curated and rooms blend art and artifacts with seamless transition. The Islamic gallery has a ninth or tenth century page from the Qur'an, while Europe is represented by Irish Silver and an impressive collection of Wedgewood China.

The American Art gallery also exhibits contemporary art by master painters such as John Singer Sargent and Ernest Lawson.

With such an extensive collection of artworks, you will be forgiven for spending the day at the San Antonio Museum of Art. Refuel with a meal in Café des Artistes which overlooks the river, or visit the gift shop for a selection of books, prints and souvenirs.

Located on the banks of the San Antonio River, you can easily access the museum via bus or water taxi. It's approximately a 30-minute walk north of the city centre, however public art lines the “Museum Reach of the River Walk” so you will be pleasantly engaged as you saunter along.