Stock tanks add a nice touch, are available in lots of sizes, and are not too expensive. Some have a bung at base to connect a hose.

A barrel is a barrel, but maybe you can surround it with some kind of decorative stuff, like a wooden container. Or paint the barrel with some design or theme.

I already had a funky but functional (food grade material) rain barrel but wanted another. Here in Ulster County, New York, we are fortunate to have the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency, which, besides other valuable services it provides, sells rain barrels from RTS Home Accents. I purchased from UCRRA the barrel for $65 and the elevation stand for $20. It's great! Many features besides the spigot! I looked online to see who else is selling the RTS barrel here, and it seems the prices are higher than what I got mine for. If you have an agency that's encouraging conservation, maybe they can get a deal for you. Here's the RTS link:
http://www.rtscompaniesinc.com/home-accents-home.htm