The television series Dallas told a glamorized story of America in the 1980s. But compared to the McMansions in the neighborhood these days, the modest size of the real Southfork Ranch (which is north of Dallas) doesn’t quite match the romance of the story.

Southfork is now a tourist destination and museum, giving 11 tours a day. Although the television show Dallas did not film inside the house, its bedrooms are decorated in the style of various characters. This is Sue Ellen's room (with producer Julia Barton visible in Sue Ellen’s mirror).

Careful camera work was necessary to transform the tiny pool at the Southfork Ranch into the huge one seen on television.

The American Dream depicted in Dallas still draws tourists to Southfork. These visitors from the Democratic Republic of Congo are checking out the decor.

The allure of the American Dream depicted in Dallas crossed the Iron Curtain, where it gained traction in the old Eastern Bloc of nations. The owner of "Hotel Dallas" at Parcul Vacante Hermes in Slobozia, Romania, tried to copy the Southfork Ranch he saw on television.

The Romanian "Hotel Dallas" doesn’t quite match the high-wattage glamor of the televised version.

The gate to Romanian Southfork. The hotel and ranch complex was built on empty farmland by the local business tycoon Ilie Alexandru, who wanted to be the “JR of Romania.” The name “Hermes” is a nod to the Greek god of commerce and business.

Rodica Florea (right), the manager of Parcul Vacante Hermes in Romania, with producer Julia Barton (center), and interpreter Natalia Petrea (left).

The offices at Parcul Vacante Hermes take the cowboy motif even further.