San Antonio Museum of Art

The San Antonio Museum of Art, known locally as SAMA, is the city's best art museum and one of its most handsome buildings. It occupies the former Lone Star Brewery, a turreted, castle-like brick complex from the turn of the twentieth century, converted into a museum in the early 1980s, with glass elevators and skywalks linking the old brewhouse towers. Its location on the Museum Reach of the River Walk makes it a natural stop on the stroll between downtown and Pearl, with its own river landing and garden. Inside, the collection spans more than 30,000 objects across about 5,000 years. Highlights include one of the finest collections of Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities in the southern United States, with sculpture, vases and mosaics; a deep Asian collection of Chinese ceramics, Japanese art and works from South and Southeast Asia; and the Latin American galleries, a particular strength in a city with such deep ties to Mexico, covering ancient American art, Spanish colonial painting and sculpture, Mexican folk art and modern and contemporary Latin American work. American and European painting and contemporary art round it out, and temporary exhibitions rotate through the year. The museum is closed on Mondays, open from mid-morning on other days, with later evenings on Tuesdays and Fridays. Admission is moderately priced, with free hours offered at certain times — check the museum for the current schedule — and the Tiqets entry ticket lets you skip the desk. A cafe and shop are on site, and the riverside grounds are lovely for a pause.

Start at the top and work down. The antiquities galleries showcase Roman portrait busts, Greek painted vases and Egyptian objects in a space that feels intimate rather than overwhelming, and the Asian collection, especially the Chinese ceramics, is quietly world-class. The Latin American galleries are the museum's soul: you can trace the art of the Americas from ancient Mesoamerican sculpture and Andean textiles through colonial altarpieces to the folk art of Mexico and the work of modern Latin American artists, which gives deep context to the missions, Market Square and the city's living culture.

The building itself is worth noticing. The Lone Star Brewery produced beer here from the 1880s until Prohibition, and the surviving towers, brick walls and industrial bones were adapted with skill, so the museum feels like a castle of art on the river. Combine it with the walk up the Museum Reach — public art under the bridges, the river lock and the shaded path — and you have one of the best low-key half-days in San Antonio, ending with lunch at Pearl.

Practical notes: the museum is about a mile and a half north of the Alamo, an easy walk along the river or a short rideshare, and there is parking on site. Allow two hours for a good overview. It is also an ideal refuge on a hot summer afternoon or a rainy day. Families will find the antiquities and the colorful Mexican folk art engaging, and the museum runs family programs on some weekends.