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    Small-town escape

    This charming Central Texas town offers the ultimate weekend escape

    Julia Bunch
    Apr 20, 2017 | 9:15 am

    Those who think Waco is only a college town Texans use as a pit stop between Dallas and Austin have seriously underestimated this gem. From one of the country's largest city parks to hip watering holes and top-notch dining and shopping (there's more than just Chip and JoJo's Magnolia Market home store), this town is more than worthy of a weekend getaway.

    So, fill up the gas tank and make room in the trunk for all the treasures you'll be bringing back.

    Stay
    Wacotown has all your usual suspects of centrally located hotels. But for a town now known for home renovations, home rentals on Airbnb and HomeAway will put you in the right frame of mind for a weekend away from the real world.

    Explore
    At 416 acres, Cameron Park is one of the largest city parks in the U.S. Work up a sweat at Emmons Cliff, take a leisurely stroll around Lovers Leap, or pack a picnic to eat at Circle Point. Rent a kayak at one of several rental companies and spend an afternoon floating through the Brazos River. After a day outside, catch a flick at the historic dine-in theater Waco Hippodrome that first opened in 1914.

    For a comprehensive tour of this small town, Waco Tours highlights the town history, Baylor University, beautiful homes, and winding roads all from the window of a tour van driven by a local guide. History buffs should view a nursery herd of Columbian mammoths from a suspended bridge at the Waco Mammoth National Monument.

    Shop
    If you only know one attraction in Waco, it’s probably Chip and Joanna Gaines’ home decor haven Magnolia Market at the Silos. Mitigate the crowds by arriving early. Spice Village has a collection of shops with home decor, stationery, fashion, and gifts in a 10-minute walk from the Silos. Chip and Jo’s friend Clint Harp has his woodworking studio-turned-storefront called Harp Design Co.

    Dine
    Steps away from Spice, grab lunch at the food trucks on Franklin Avenue and University Parks Drive. The brunch food at Mad Hasher Waco will help you carb load for all your exploring. The Grape is a modest little bistro with a hefty wine list and daily changing menu. Bangkok Royal, Baris, and 1424 Bistro please guests and locals alike.

    Drink
    Common Grounds
    is a coffee shop turned concert venue. Sip on a No Bull from the Cowboy Menu while listening to a some local musicians. The Backyard has a calendar full of well-known and local country artists with bar games, bar food, and (of course) a full bar. For a quieter vibe, Dichotomy Coffee & Spirits offers, as the name suggests, caffeine and alcohol. Sit on the roof for a sweet view of the city. Wine connoisseurs will find tasty vino sourced from family-owned growers and plenty of Instagram-worthy photos at Wine Shoppe.

    Waco offers a mix of shopping, dining, the great outdoors, and more.

    Magnolia Market Silos, Fixer Upper
    Magnolia Market at the Silos/Facebook
    Waco offers a mix of shopping, dining, the great outdoors, and more.
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    BACKSTAGE PASS

    Universal Music unveils new hotel and amphitheater near Texas Hill Country

    Brianna Caleri
    Jun 23, 2026 | 2:02 pm
    UMusic Hotel & Private Residences Austin
    Rendering courtesy of UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle
    A rendering of the property, with another building extending off-screen to the right.

    Texas travelers who want to make sure their next weekend trip takes full advantage of the “Live Music Capital” have an upcoming community to consider: UMusic Hotel & Private Residences Austin, an effort owned by White Rocks and developed in partnership with Universal Music Group, will bring 150 hotel rooms, 600 private residences, and a new amphitheater to a 71-acre site at the edge of the Hill Country.

    A representative says an opening is projected for the first quarter of 2029, with construction beginning in the first quarter of 2027. Residences are on sale now. Different units cost $850-$1,450 per square foot, depending on variables like locations, views, and more.

    There is already one UMusic Hotel operating in Madrid, Spain. The Austin location will introduce private residences for the first time.

    The keystone of the property will be White Rocks Amphitheater, an open-air venue that takes advantage of the natural surroundings. More than 70 percent of the site will "remain green open space," the release says. There will also be a performance venue inside the hotel, plus professional recording and content studios.

    Music is the central force of the property, but it's not the only thing to do at the hotel. There will also be a bar, a nightclub, a comedy club, dining, a rooftop pool and fitness center, and a spa and wellness center.

    At the spa, visitors can get traditional treatments like massages, facials, hair, makeup, and manicures, while the wellness center offers weight training, steam rooms, hammam (a Southwest Asian or North African bath), plus more advanced technologies including red-light therapy, peptide therapy, cryogenic chambers, and more. Sometimes the amphitheater will host yoga, weight training, and other physical events.

    Similarly, the residences will have access to their own set of amenities including, a private pool and fitness facilities, underground parking, and common areas, the release says. They can visit the hotel anytime and enjoy the culture there, too.

    "The result is a living environment that offers the peace of a private retreat alongside the vibrancy of an international cultural hub," the release says.

    Since nature is such a big part of the plan, the developer has a number of sustainability commitments going into the project. Those include a mostly hidden plant for hot and cold water and power, microgrid energy tech, a closed-loop water system that developers say complies with a 100 percent water reuse goal set by the city, and DarkSky-compliant practices that help reduce light pollution, which is better for wildlife and seeing stars. That will help at monthly stargazing events held at the amphitheater.

    The developers have also committed to the creative community that made them want to work in Austin to begin with; things like allocating a portion of ticket sales to a perpetual endowment for local artists and nonprofits, setting up paid gigs for emerging talent, and partnering with schools and other cultural institutions, sometimes for mentorship opportunities.

    “Our vision is to create places where culture is made, shared, and celebrated," said UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle president Jordi Solé in the release. "This property combines performance, wellness, nature, and community into a single living ecosystem, reflecting Austin's creative spirit on a global stage.”

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