Tanks for the Memories: You Say Salado
- Lindsay Britts
- Nov 2, 2017
- 3 min read
Getting inspired to do a little cruisin’ of your own? Ready to hit the road for a weekend ride to a place you’ve never been before? We can show you the best trips in your neck of the woods and you won’t even have to stop to fuel up. Each week, we pick a starting city and plan a getaway to some of the most charming, energetic, and just plain fun places that you’ll only need one tank of gas to reach. When it’s all over, you’ll be able to say… TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!
Starting City: Dallas, TX
Destination: Salado, TX
Distance: about 145 miles
Many people travel back to their small hometowns for the holidays, trekking through airports and bumping over roads to make the journey to family and friends. But what if you’ve always been a city slicker and want to venture outside of it for a change? Luckily there are places you can go to visit that’ll make everything seem a little warmer and brighter than the concrete jungle. In Texas, you’d think it’d be hard to find a quaint stay seeing as Everything’s Bigger there, but the small town of Salado will help you escape Dallas and find yourself in a homier place.
Source: Wikipedia
Salado (whose name rhymes with “potato”) sits along the former Chisholm Trail, a cattle-drive trail that ran through Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas in the mid-1800s. The area may be one of several sites in the US to host artifacts of some of the first inhabitants of North America; these findings are dated to be 15,500 years old. Settlement by Anglo-American pioneers first occurred in 1850. The Chisholm Trail brought commerce to the area but once the railroads were established away from the town, little was left until the highways of the mid-20th century allowed the town to reestablish itself.
The village has 19 buildings in the National Registry of Historic Places, including one place you can stay on your visit: the Stagecoach Inn, which is the oldest continually run inn in Texas. There are also several bed and breakfasts in the village to make your trip seem like an adventure. The Yellow House has cottages or rooms to stay in, along with an event center for hosting. And in case you need cases for a party or just your own enjoyment, there are breweries like the Chupacabra Craft Beer brewery and wineries like the Lone Star to whet your whistle. There are several restaurants in town that could pair well, from a Tex-Mex eatery to a good ol' steakhouse.
Source: Salado Village Voice
Events through November and December will appeal to anyone looking for a small-town experience. For those who wish Halloween would last longer, the Historic Salado Ghostwalk is a walking tour through town where you can hear lore about ghosts among the streets. And for those who dive headfirst into Christmas celebrations, the Thursday after Thanksgiving kicks off the season with a Christmas Parade and two weekends of the annual Christmas Stroll. The town pulls out all the stops--and all the shops!-- to bring the community holiday cheer, and the website encourages shopping for everyone on your list! This achievement is very possible due to the variety of stores in the main shopping district, including a glassworks, a bookstore, galleries, and more. The town is renowned for its artists, so you’d be remiss to leave without a piece of original work.
When Dallas feels a bit less inviting this holiday season, just one tank of gas can get your boots a little dirtier and bring you to a small town full of tidings and joy. Consider Salado in your holiday plans! Happy Cruisin’!
STRETCH YOUR LEGS: If you really want to dive deep into the heart of Texas, you can visit the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum and learn about the Texas Rangers, the “oldest state law enforcement agency in North America” and at current “an investigative division of the Texas Department of Public Safety.” There are artifacts from the Wild West as well as from the Lone Ranger TV series among many others, and if you want your own souvenir you can buy a commemorative buckle from the museum. Hi-ho, Silver!
LEARN MORE:
http://www.salado.com/
http://www.saladotx.gov/
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