Stagecoach Inn: The Most Historic Hotel in Texas

SALADO, Texas (FOX 44) – Through heavy Interstate 35 construction, hurricanes, tornadoes, a deadly pandemic and decades of wear-and-tear, one Texas landmark in Salado has remained unscratched.

The Stagecoach Inn is a true Texas icon, dating back to the days when it was a stop along the Old Chisolm Trail and an early stagecoach route between Waco and Austin. Ever since then, it has caught the attention of big names.

“A lot of really famous people that have come through here, from Sam Houston to Sam Bass to Lady Bird Johnson,” says Cole Di Carlo, of Alexa Management.

The Inn originally opened in 1860, and has since become a Texas landmark. As the second-oldest continuously running hotel in the state, this iconic establishment has been a haven for travelers – whether on wagons, horses, or vehicles – for over 160 years.

“People like being a part of history and having their own memories there,” says Di Carlo.

After taking over management in October 2023, the Austin-based company Alexa Management breathed new life into the Stagecoach Inn and Restaurant, preserving its past moniker and historic charm.

Now the property is home to….

“48 hotel rooms. We have indoor and outdoor events, space, beautiful grounds. So we do everything from corporate meetings to weddings. We have a great resort style pool, an outdoor pavilion,” Di Carlo says.

Catering to travelers and locals alike, the Stagecoach Restaurant is also a longstanding traveler’s pit-stop and town watering hole, serving Salado locals and passersby since 1947.

“[This] Regionally famous, and at one point nationally-renowned establishment, should be reopening in the next couple of months as well,” says Di Carlo.

Di Carlo says the Stagecoach Inn unities different generations.

“What you’re seeing in travel trends right now, of people wanting to go back to places that have history now is great, but there’s people that are that are trying to rediscover, sort of, those areas that were popular or the places that kind of bring them back to maybe their family,” says Di Carlo.