The Shady Villa Hotel was founded in 1861. It was known for years as the Stagecoach Inn, but has recently returned to its original name. The second floor balcony is said to be where Sam Houston delivered a fiery anti-secession speech. Generals Robert E. Lee and George Custer, as well as cattleman Shanghai Pearce, are believed to have stayed here. The restaurant didn’t open until 1943. Still, its innovative menu – whose favorites included hush puppies, tomato aspic, banana fritter and, the Strawberry Kiss – earned accolades from state and national media. Many of these dishes will be on the menu when the hotel and restaurant re-open in the next few years after a top-to-bottom renovation.
Nearby, the 1866 home of pioneer and area physician Wellborn Barton – by which the Chisholm Trail passed – is now a restaurant.