A NOTE TO OUR READERS:
"Top 10 Texas Retreats" is from the May 2007 Texas Living issue of Southern Living. Because prices, dates, and other specifics are subject to change, please check all information to make sure it's still current before making your travel plans.

Get lost. That's exactly what couples do when they sneak away for the weekend at places such as Carol's at Cat Spring. (See "Blessed in Bliss," in our "Texas Living: People & Places" section in our May issue of Southern Living.) This reclusive ranch retreat, with a great restaurant to boot, serves as a quick, quiet getaway, especially for nearby Houstonians.

Want more? Here are 10 more places around the state--inns in small towns, reclusive retreats in far corners, and even hideaways in the hearts of cities where you can relax and recharge. Let us know your favorites too.

Plein Air on the Prairie
If you love to paint Texas' great outdoors, bring your canvas and brushes to the outdoor painting workshop at Wildcatter Ranch and Resort, a retreat up a breezy, high hill near Graham, about 90 miles northwest of Fort Worth. The Outdoor Painters Association leads the weekend workshop, May 23-25, as part of Wildcatter's Signature Series Workshops of monthly events. If you can draw only breath, come anyway. You can ride horses (you can also bring your own), hike, and canoe and fish on the Brazos--all prelude to dinner at Wildcatter Steakhouse. Visit www.wildcatterranch.com, or call 1-888-462-9277.

More Ice Cream, My Dear?
Some couples sip Champagne in their rooms at Ant Street Inn in downtown Brenham. Others binge on Blue Bell. They pad down the hall to a refrigerator for free cups of the locally made ice cream. Fans of Ant Street Inn love its expansive rooms, elegant antiques, and Capital Grill restaurant. Outside, they stroll through shops in downtown Brenham, stop to smell the roses at the Antique Rose Emporium in Independence, and catch a concert at Festival Hill in Round Top. Visit www.antstreetinn.com, or call 1-800-481-1951.

Tubs for Two
Beside their Old Mulberry Inn in Jefferson, Donald and Gloria Degn have added two vintage cottages that deftly blend new comfort and old charm. Memories Cottage and Moments Cottage feature luxury guest rooms with soaking tubs and showers built for two. Guest room names indicate what's inside: Monterey Bay, Carmel Valley, Tuscan Suite, and more. All guests may gather in the main inn for a three-course breakfast, featuring California artichoke quiche, Rocky Mountain grits, baked pears with cranberries, and mulberry almond coffee cake. The bountiful morning meal sends them off ready to explore this 19th-century village in East Texas. Visit www.oldmulberryinn.com, or call (903) 665-1945.