Coleman is nestled between the Rolling Plains of West Texas and the northern edge of the Hill Country, offering the perfect blend of rich Texas heritage and exciting modern attractions. From a once-sleepy small town, Coleman has been undergoing a renaissance that has attracted award-winning wineries, fine dining from James Beard nominated chefs, stylish boutique shopping, and a vibrant local art scene.
You’ve heard of Marfa, right? Don’t want to drive all the way out there? Coleman is destined to be the next Marfa (but, shh, let’s keep the secret!). Downtown Commercial Avenue is dotted with beautiful murals by Texas artist Calina Mishay, and the revitalization of the town is evident in the beautiful shops, restaurants, bakeries, antique stores, and wine bars that line the streets. (Seriously, the dining and shopping have been written up in the media and magazines including Texas Monthly).
Coleman is home to scenic views, beautiful sunsets, western culture, bountiful wildlife, excellent hunting and fishing opportunities, and the Top 5 PRCA Rodeo in the nation. The area offers bountiful lakes, parks and hiking trails, historic forts, antiques, shopping, golfing, good food, and friendly folks. In 2023, Bassmaster named O.H. Ivie Lake the best bass lake in the nation!
The main street, Commercial Avenue, is only two minutes down the road from Stardust Retreat. Check out the fab Bonneville mid-century modern and vintage vinyl store; longtime local favorite Owl Drugstore, with its old-fashioned soda fountain (the second oldest in Texas, serving since 1923); upscale dining at Rancho Pizzeria and James Beard-nominated Black Cur Steak; and great shopping finds at Prickly Pear Boutique, Buckethead’s, Parker’s Goods and more.
Stardust Retreat is on extremely quiet, private residential street that sits high up on a hill overlooking Coleman, highlighting stunning West Texas sunsets and beautiful twinkling town lights below at night. The street is a dead-end road with only one other property besides the two Stardust houses, at the end of the road past us. The retreat is spread over three-and-a-half rolling, heavily wooded acres; therefore the entire property is very peaceful, quiet and private.
Discover Coleman
Visit Commercial Avenue, Coleman’s main drag, to go shopping at the many wonderful boutiques and grab a famous Owl Burger and ice cream float at Owl Drugs; or some sweet treats at Maxwell’s Bakery. Check out the awesome murals around town, painted by Calina Mishay (how many can you find?). In the evening, enjoy a glass of wine at RLVenue Wine Bar or a cocktail at the Cattle Drive Bull Bar before heading to dinner (we suggest Rancho Pizzeria, Black Cur or Scotty’s Bistro).
Get Outdoors
This region of Texas is truly a paradise for outdoors enthusiasts and sportspeople, with plentiful spots for fishing, hunting, boating, hiking, and biking. It’s part of the Texas Forts Trail system, with hundreds of miles of heritage trails for hiking and exploring history. Water sporting enthusiasts come from all over Texas and nearby states to go to O.H. Ivie (named best bass lake in the U.S. by Bassmaster!), Hords Creek Lake, Lake Coleman, and Lake Brownwood State Park. Golfing is available at Coleman Country Club. You can check out the Step Outside Guide to Coleman as well.
Family fun
There are so many great places in Coleman for kids (of all ages!). One of our top recommendations for a fun activity in town is Jackalope’s Golf & Games. This cool immersive video game experience offers golf course simulations, baseball, wildwest shootout, soccer, hockey, foot golf, disc golf, bowling, zombie dodgeball and more. Afterwards, stop in at Sinclair or Maxwell’s bakery for some sweet treats. You might even pop into our little public library – it’s open to all and has a fantastic children’s area with toys and games (don’t miss the murals on the side!).
Antique Treasure Hunting
There’s no better place to start than Bonneville, especially if you love that mid-century design look as much as we do! Parker’s Goods and Odd & Company are also fun places to browse and maybe make a good find, or even the Humane Society Thrift Store on Pecan (just off Commercial, and help a good cause too!). Outside of Coleman, drive 10 minutes to Santa Anna where you’ll find Southern Charm Antiques and Traveler’s Treasures. Abilene is also well worth the 50-minute drive for serious vintage lovers —there are a multitude of stores and it’s a cool city to explore as well!
Wine & Beer Tasting
Enjoy some of the region’s vineyards and distilleries. Start at RLV Wine Bar in downtown Coleman or head to their vineyards, Rancho Loma, a short drive away, for a multi-course wine pairing dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. 10 Mile Productions in Brownwood (35 minutes) offers 100% Texas wine and craft beer, along with Teddy’s Brewhaus craft brewery. Spirit of Texas Winery is 40 minutes away in Early, with a tasting room and frequent events. 45 minutes the other way, in Abilene, you’ll find the Winery at Willow Creek, with tastings and small plates in a peaceful setting on the creek. (Psst: Watson Vineyards tasting room is coming to downtown Coleman soon!)
Attend an Event or Festival
The Coleman area is home to many recurring annual events and festivals, including the Coleman Rodeo, Fiesta de la Paloma, Hill Country Harvest, Great Western Trail Days, Christmas on Commercial, Hunters Festival, Dove Fest, and more. There are regular events hosted at the Coleman Expo grounds and Bill Franklin Center, such as the Petticoats on the Prairie vintage market held every March.
Just Relax at Stardust
This might be our favorite way to spend Coleman time! The property is so beautiful and peaceful, and the houses well equipped for lounging in hammocks or swings, bird and wildlife watching, movie binging, reading and napping. Numerous indoor board & card games and puzzles are available in both houses, and outdoor recreation includes cornhole, ladderball, giant Jenga, giant Connect-4, sidewalk chalk, pickleball & more.
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Restaurants & Bars
Very upscale steakhouse, also serving housemade pasta, seafood, and salads. Beautiful space and amazing food. James Beard nominated chef! Reservations highly recommended.
Rancho Loma Vineyards RLV Wine Bar
This gorgeous wine spot is in a beautifully redone historic space. Decor and artwork is sublime, huge fireplace for cool evenings, and they usually have live music. Selection of small bites and cheese plates, except for their once-a-month full wine dinners. Great pre-dinner spot!
Also owned by RLV, this fantastic restaurant serves wood-fired pizza and thoughtfully selected Texas wines. The intention is to build a sense of community around great food and beverage. Featured in Texas Monthly. Seriously incredible pizza.
Owl Drug Store & Soda Fountain
Open since 1923, the Owl is a cute little pharmacy and boutique gift store, with a small but really nice selection of clothing, jewelry, kids items, home decor, etc. It also boasts a true old-fashioned soda fountain — the second oldest one in Texas — and serves great breakfasts and hamburgers.
Down-home Southern cooking such as chicken fried steak, burgers, steaks and seafood, in a family-friendly spot. Named after the cattle drive that came right through here in the 1800s. Don’t miss the branding wall, where local ranchers made their brand iron marks! The attached Bull Bar is fun, with “Big Willie” — a huge bull hanging over the bar. Live music on weekends.
Coleman’s newest restaurant serving comfort food and very inventive cocktails, like the smoking Blue Hawaiian. Major renovations resulted in a pretty decor in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.
Coffeeshops & Bakeries
Adorable coffee house in a gorgeous renovated building. Cactus serves up gourmet coffee and tea along with pastries, gelato, and a fun assortment of vintage candies. A nice little back patio makes a pleasant place to enjoy your treats.
Fantastic and cute bakery with a wide assortment of delectable goods, from cookies and cupcakes to pies and cakes. It’s located in the historic Sinclair gas station — kids will love it!
Shopping
Beautiful, incredible collection of true mid-century antiques, very high quality. Large store and constantly-changing selection. The retro vinyl shop in the back is also fun to look through. If you love mid-mod, you will love browsing this store. Collectors actually come from all over Texas (and even out of state) just to buy pieces here.
My favorite boutique in town, it’s in a gorgeous restored historic building with a fab selection of clothing, jewelry, and some personal care items (soap, lotion etc). A little cafe in the back serves a nice set-menu lunch Mon-Fri.
One of Coleman’s newest boutiques, this shop is actually in the old Earle Smith Jeweler’s location (the family who built the Stardust Terrace house!). It’s a really pretty store with a nice selection of home items, gifts, clothing and more.
Fun little vintage and gift store that’s set up like an antique mall, with different vendors having their “booths” or sections. Just fun to browse for sure, you never know what you will find! Another similar one is Odd & Company, check that one out too!
Gourmet olive oil shop and tasting bar. All of their olive oils are imported from Tunisia from olive groves that have been producing olives for thousands of years.
Each candle is hand-poured in a variety of different containers and shapes (there’s even a Texas-shaped candle!) and fragrances.
Attractions
Hop on down to Jackalope’s Golf and Games for an amazing video game experience in our 12′ simulator bays. We offer professional golf courses from all over the world, an analytic driving range, baseball, wildwest shootout, soccer, hockey, foot golf, disc golf, bowling and zombie dodgeball and more.
Coleman County Museum & Gallery
Displaying interesting history from the county along with a gallery of works by local artists. Open June to August – Fridays through Wednesdays. April, May and September – Saturday and Sunday. Afternoons only.
Cool little outdoor farmers’ market open every Saturday from 9-noon (May through September). Located at College and Commercial Avenues.
Located 5 miles south of Coleman on Highway 206. It consists of a 9-hole Golf Course, Ballroom, and Swimming Pool. It is open to the general public with green fees and cart rentals.
Woody’s Classic Cars & Baseball Museum
This is an amazing little gem of a museum in nearby Cross Plains (about a 25 minute drive). It concentrates on beautifully restored classic cars from the mid-century 1950s-60s era. No admission charge. Upstairs is dedicated to Texas baseball legends and allows a nice view of the classic cars below.
Recreated Western town with a saloon and mock gunfights. Located in Early, about 30 minutes away. The operating saloon serves food and drinks, and there’s always live entertainment and music. Super unique and fun experiences and kids love the staged gunfights.
Outdoor Recreation
In-town park with playground, small river and lots of areas for play and picnics. Public swimming pool in summer.
Cool little outdoor farmers’ market open every Saturday from 9-noon (May through September). Located at College and Commercial Avenues.
Nice nearby boating, fishing and picnic spot (about 15 minutes from Stardust).
Popular nearby lake for fishing and boating. It’s about 40 minutes away from Stardust, and also has plenty of lakeshore and picnic/day spot areas.
Large park with plenty of trails, and also shoreline on the lake with swimming. Lots of picnic areas, camping, and even cottages you can rent.
This region of Texas is truly a paradise for outdoors enthusiasts and sportspeople, with plentiful spots for fishing, hunting, boating, hiking, and biking. It’s part of the Texas Forts Trail system, with hundreds of miles of heritage trails for hiking and exploring history.
Day Trips
About 25 minutes from Coleman, this is a cool little city with a thriving historic downtown area filled with boutique and vintage shopping, brewpubs, restaurants, the historic Lyric theater and the fabulous Intermission bookstore.
Great day trip from Coleman! About 50 minutes away, there are a ton of things to do and it’s a cool city. Known as the “Storybook City,” there are dozens of sculptures around town from classic children’s stories. There are also great museums, restaurants, and vintage/antique shopping.
