I would like to visit a small town not more than 50 miles from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area (pop. under 50,000). I'm looking for older areas with a lot of old architecture, victorian houses, odl trees, maybe a lake or river, etc. I would love to see towns located in hilly areas.

Any recommendations? Thanks!

If you go West of Fort Worth there is the town of Grandbury. Years ago it was cute and charming but it is growing so I think it has lost a lot of charm. But with that said as you drive West there are more hills as you are headed into what I would call the Hill country. You are going to have to drive more than 50 miles to get to towns which I personally think have charm. Now Waxahachie has a lot of old homes etc..that is worth checking out.
Sorry I am not much help.

Lindale might be good a choice. It's near Tyler and has that old town feel. Don't know exact distance or how hilly it is.

Waxahachie and Jefferson also came to mind for me in terms of older architecture. We stayed in a nice old B&B in Jefferson, visited the House of 4 Seasons, and canoed on Caddo Lake.

Shannon - Waxahachie and Denton come to mind. Denton has some lovely old, Victorian homes as well as a beautiful downtown Court House that it's well known for.

Tyler, itself, is a very nice town with hills and several lakes in the area but it's beyond 50 miles of Dallas/Ft. Worth.

Yes I second Tyler but it is about 2 hours from Dallas to the East. It is a neat place. In the spring they are known for their azalea trail. They are also famous for their roses.

I second Jefferson (which is out of your range) and Waxahachie. You might enjoy Mckinney for a day of antique shopping.

I've read that Waxahachie has more than 50% of Victorian architecture than in the entire state of Texas. There's an annual event called the Gingerbread Trail in which tours of homes are open to the public. I'd definitely check out this little town. It's only about 30 miles south of Dallas.

The only towns that I am aware of that fit your requirements are Waxahachie, Granbury, and McKinney. Unfortunately, none of them have many hills (they ARE in TEXAS), but the architecture and trees they definitely do have. Waxahachie's Gingerbread Trail is the first weekend in June.

Thanks for all the ideas! They all sound good to me!