Midway between Waco and Austin is a small arts town, Salado. The proximity of being less than an hour from Austin and just over two hours away from Dallas makes Salado the ideal weekend sojourn for the urban denizen. Forgoing a larger city, my husband and I opted to stay the fourth night of our cross country road trip in Salado, and it was one of my favorite days / nights of the trip.
While we wanted to stay in a town off the beaten path, initially we went into this day without an itinerary and without any idea of what was available. As it turns out, there is much more to do than we anticipated and we certainly did not have time to do it all. (Looking at you Fletcher’s Books and Antiques, Barrow Brewing Company, Axis Winery, and Lone Star eBikes history tour.) We were out and about when my husband and I ran into the director of Salado Tourism, Chadley, who verified something that we both pondered aloud as we drove into town: the tourism industry fuels the Salado economy.
The Salado Museum and College Park tells the story of the town and its inhabitants, dating back to the 1800s. The College Park portion of the property interprets the ruins of Salado College, which functioned as a nondenominational and (especially radical at the time) coeducational grade school through two year undergraduate college from 1860 to 1885. The Salado Museum and College Park is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Tuesday through Saturday.
Chadley recommended that we swing by Alexander Craft Cocktail Lounge for the best margarita in Salado. In order to get to the bar, we had to walk through secret bookshelf door. In addition to the margaritas, we risked spoiling our appetites for fried green tomatoes. We did not but regardless, it would have been worth it.
Sincerest thanks to the Stagecoach Inn for sponsoring my stay.
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