The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum: The Samurai Collection

Hard to find. I’ve posted a picture so you know what building you need to go in. Very nice and clean museum. Front desk could have had a bit more personality. I had to ask what do we do instead of her volunteering the information. Not really a huge deal though. Nice collection.

SAMURAI!
Free parking and free entry! Make sure you park in the correct parking garage that indicates Samurai Museum.
The museum is located on the second floor of the restaurant. Follow the signs to get to the restaurant and up to the museum.
Such an awesome small museum full of samurai outfits and weapons. I love the detail of the armor and masks.
A must visit.

On the way to the Dallas Museum of Art, my Dad and I passed by this Samurai museum, located mysteriously hidden above a restaurant where dirty Harry Hines merges with uptown in a maze of buildings including The Ritz Carlton, American Airlines Center, The Rolex building and other restaurants.
As royal as any of these American capitalist institutions sits this small and richly adorned museum dedicated to feudal Japanese warriors that existed from 600 to 1800 AD, with armor and dress as fierce and futuristic as any modern fashionista.
On our visit an exhibit of samurai helmets started as cute, but with the 40 plus different headgears on display and informative text proved more thought provoking.
I want one. I told my Dad. I’ll check EBay.
Such a random bounty of a gem niche is thankfully the type of treasure your starting to expect in the capital of American shopping mall culture.
Free admission
Closed on Monday
Gift shop

This is the best thing in Dallas. Absolutely incredible.

What a great little gem of a museum! It’s located above Saint Ann Restaurant & Bar, and to access it you have to actually go up the stairs inside Saint Ann. We wandered up there after brunch, and we were delighted to find that it’s totally free!
The woman at the front desk was so friendly and welcoming. She explained that this museum has the largest collection of Samurai armor outside of Japan. She said that the museum always has some form of Samurai armor, but the exhibit rotates regularly so that they’re always showcasing new items. When we visited, the featured exhibit was Warrior Crowns, a huge collection of ornate Samurai helmets. It’s a small museum, three rooms at the most, but it’s so much fun to wander through and look at each beautiful piece.
It’s fascinating, it’s unique, and it’s free. That’s enough to get five stars in my book.

If I told you there were an amazing collection of Samurai armor in Dallas, of all places, would you believe me?
Well, it’s there. And it’s FREE.
I was tipped off to its existence on TripAdvisor, where a user named NeoWasHere gave excellent parking advice…
«There is a street in between two buildings that looks like an alley. This is N. Harwood Street. Pull into the garage entrance that has 2501 N. Harwood Street on the building right above the entrance with the gate and badge swipe sensor box. Press the intercom button and tell the guard you are here to visit the museum. The guard will let you in. Parking is FREE here.»
When I visited, the garage was open and unguarded, so I parked easily. Then I took the elevator down and walked out of that building… across a short chunk of pavement to Saint Ann Restaurant. Yes, you have to walk into the restaurant. Then, just go up the stairs to the second floor. Now you’re in samurai heaven.
It’s a really cool collection of weapons, helmets and armor. Some of the displays aren’t even behind glass, so you can get a totally unobstructed view for a photo. There are some informational placards and even an iPad with background information about the samurai and their code.
Wander around and you’ll even see a badass dragon mask for a samurai’s horse.
This is all very cool.
The one (predictable) drawback is that there’s a security guard who rides your jock the minute you walk through the doors. It’s understandable because, as I mentioned, some exhibits aren’t behind glass. But it’d be cool if he gave me a little more space.
You can swing by here and get a good sense of the collection within 30 – 45 minutes.
This is an awesome thing to check out if you’re looking to kill a few minutes in Dallas!