Salado, Texas

Along dusty Interstate 35 on the northern edge of the Texas Hill Country, the charming village of Salado is a diamond in the rough. It started out as a college town in the 1850s and was a busy stagecoach stop on the Chisholm Trail.

The college closed, but Salado morphed into a casual, trendy artists’ colony and today thrives as a weekend getaway for people from Waco, Temple and Austin. With 18 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places, early Texas never feels far away.

Main Street is full of cute boutiques, fun antique stores, cool art galleries and delicious restaurants, many housed in historic, refurbished mansions. Nooks and crannies off the main drag hide even more places to explore. Many of the galleries sell goods made by local artists, and their glassworks, paintings, jewelry, sculptures and more come in all price ranges.

Each October, Art in the Park showcases the work of more than 100 artists, and September’s Chocolate and Art Festival celebrates all things chocolate with music, wine tastings and chocolate sculpting events. There is even an annual honoring of Scottish clans.

Large retailers are few. Many residents travel 10 miles north to Belton or Temple for everyday shopping and services. Most neighborhoods are leafy, and many homes are brick ranch ramblers. Pace Park, shaded by tall cottonwoods, sits next to Salado Creek and is a nice spot for a picnic.

Some people think of Salado as a smaller, less pretentious, and more affordable version of Santa Fe.