When you’re roaming the highways and byways of Texas, certain things are as inevitable as wishing you’d filled your tank at that last gas station. Stopping for dinner in a small town means burgers, enchiladas, and chicken-fried steaks, and staying the night means an Econo Lodge or the Saggy Springs Motel. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. Scattered among the homey cafes and bargain inns are hidden gems where you can dine on tenderloin of elk and blissfully slumber on Frette linens. All you have to do is find them. So late this summer, a small but stalwart band traveled several thousand miles to uncover ten places where the food is so tempting, the beds so Goldilocks-worthy, and the sights so seeable that you could easily make them a weekend’s destination. Our choices range from a gracious Victorian manse in East Texas to a stylishly rehabilitated railroad hotel in West Texas. All exceed the small-town norm by a country mile. So now get in the car and go.
