Salado, Texas is a quaint village on the banks of spring fed Salado Creek in the heart of Central Texas. This welcoming community is strategically located right off Interstate 35 which runs through the center of Texas and is approximately 1 hour north of Austin and 2 hours south of Dallas/Ft. Worth. It showcases many distinctive shops, antiques, art galleries, interactive artists’ activities, restaurants, brew houses and wineries. A few highlights to be sure and check out:
The heart of Salado is the 1.5-mile stretch known as Main Street which is divided by Salado Creek. On Main Street, check out the Sculpture Garden developed by the Salado Public Arts League and maintained by Keep Salado Beautiful. There you will find over 28 large sculptures by noted artists from Texas and other areas of the U.S.
Going south on Main Street takes you to where you will find architecturally distinctive shops such as Magnolia’s featuring unique jewelry, clothing, and home goods. Here, you will also find the Barton House restaurant. The Barton House was built in 1866 by Dr. Wellborn Barton and his wife Louisa Adeline Cox. Dr. Barton was a pioneering physician. The culinary delights and the historical significance of The Barton House makes restaurant one of the most unique restaurants in Central Texas. In this area of Main Street are many shops and artists studios such as Shoppes on Main, Prellop Art Gallery, Nature Company of Salado, Mud Pies Pottery, Magnolias, and more!
Going further south takes you over the spring fed Salado Creek Bridge where you will arrive in the Royal Street District. Here you will find artists at work in their places of business. One to not miss is Salado Glassworks Studio and Gallery. This artist in action showcases signature pieces from solid colors and traditional shapes to freeform vessels with extraordinary coloring and signature silver details. Don’t miss the other artists at Sirril Gallery, FGS Fine Jewelry, Ro Shaw Clay Studio, and culinary treats at Ramble Restaurant and Farmhouse Grill, the Stagecoach Inn, and Barrow Brewing Company.
Long before white settlers came into the area now known as Salado, Indians hunted and camped along the freshwater streams running through the rich, fertile fields. The Gault site a 75 –acre archaeological treasure located about seven miles southwest of Salado, offers physical evidence of Indian artifacts. This site, named for a local landowner, was discovered in 1929, around the same time as the Clovis site in New Mexico. The Gault site was one of the major areas of activity for the Clovis people in North America and contains relics that are at least 14,000 years old. The Clovis people, nomadic mammoth hunters who traveled from Siberia to Alaska across the Bering Strait, are thought to be the first people to enter the Americas. To date, the Gault site has produced more than a million artifacts.
Salado’s own outdoor amphitheater that plays host to a number of theatrical and educational events. One that is a must see is the Annual Salado Legends held in July and August. Ensconced in the Library of Congress for depicting life in the 1850’s, it is Central Texas’ favorite outdoor musical drama. Make it part of your holiday tradition by coming to the yearly portrayal of A Christmas Carol. Let Dicken’s Yuletide play put you in the right spirit for celebrating this special time of year.
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