Crow Museum of Asian Art, Dallas

Located across from the Dallas Museum of Art, this museum was truly a labor of love for Dallas couple Trammell and Margaret Crow, who amassed their fortune in real estate ventures. They started collecting Asian art in the mid-1960s and continued to do so for over 30 years, much of it having been bought by the lot to decorate various offices and hotels that they managed and owned.

Their entire collection – featuring pieces from China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia from 3500 B.C. to early 20th century – has been hand-selected and the ~570 works of art on display here are spectacular, ranging from a Tang-dynasty ceramic horse to over a hundred small bits of exquisitely carved jade, part of Trammell Crow's collection of 1,200+ jade items. You may also see lacquered pieces, an incredible samurai suit, a massive sandstone Mughal Wall from an 18th-century Indian home, or contemporary Asian art – and all in <90 minutes.

Visiting the Crow Museum is always a treat, more so now that they've had a major overhaul. With such an impressive renovated interior, the experience is well worth some extra time if you're visiting other places in the immediate area.