When someone mentioned I should see the Croatian Village model while in McKinney, I was wondering if it was a tabletop LEGO model.

I was headed to this near-Dallas area with my husband and asked a pro to point me to good times.

Adriatica is a life-sized spread filled with beautiful homes, eateries and a lake, all designed with old-world charm. A tower and a chapel highlight the landscape. My favorite part is brick homes that have spaces for spiritual quotes built right into the outer walls. It’s beautiful.

Here’s a funny bit. I did see a LEGO model of a church altar. Talk about detail. It was in the office of St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in McKinney. I attended morning Mass and a talk there and met some very hospitable people who loved sharing McKinney with me.

We were treated to Spoon’s, in the town square. It was kind of crowded, so we were shown around back to the “Garage” section where coffee comes in compact and SUV sizes to go with the theme. A plate of migas later and it was time for more adventures.

The town square is bustling with antique, clothing and gift shops. At Mom & Popcorn we tasted a Frito Pie blend. It’s hard to top the McKinney, with a sweet and spicy snap.

Main Street Magic shop was another hot tip. We got a magic trick from David Grubbs, who offered quite a production and history talk to our party of four. Grubbs has great stories and happened to have a magic industry magazine with the store featured on the front cover.

McKinney is a sprawling city with a long list of major employers and neighborhoods of spanking new homes spread out over the hills. Even the fast food restaurants have designer stony exteriors. The best part of this visit was meeting some of the people who call it home.

Darraghcastillo@icloud.com