On the Road

What to eat, drink, see, and do while in Waco for a weekend

Waco has something new to discover at every turn.

Photo courtesy of Waco CVB

When you think of Waco, two things might come to mind: Baylor and Magnolia. But in addition to these name-drop-worthy attractions, there are plenty of other reasons to put Waco on your list.

Here are 18 things to do when you’re in town:

Check out what Magnolia Market at the Silos is all about
Fixer Upper fans from near and far have been making the pilgrimage to the heart of Texas to see the Instagrammable empire built by Chip and Joanna Gaines.

And whether you’re a super-fan or not, it’s still worth the trip. Plus there's more than just the market — there’s a Magnolia Home outpost along with other Shops at the Silos. Grab a seasonal strawberry lemonade cupcake (or any number of other sweet treats) at Silos Baking Co. and caffeinate at Magnolia Press.

For brunch, Magnolia Table is just an eight-minute drive from the Silos.

Special events are also held regularly at the Silos’ big green lawn that’s equipped with lawn games, food trucks, and an outdoor stage. The upcoming Silobration from October 27-29, 2022, will feature daytime music, a roller rink, concerts under the stars, and more.

Browse the Waco Downtown Farmers Market
With the best local agricultural producers and artisan vendors within 150 miles of Waco, the market is a great way to spend a Saturday morning. Summer hours through August are 9 am-noon. There’s also a market hosted at the Silos on the first Wednesday of each month.

Walk on the wild side at Cameron Park Zoo
This award-winning natural-habitat zoo gets wild with its free-form surroundings and progressive attitude. The lush grounds, waterfalls, and natural shelters for the animals create a homey feel for species from around the globe.

See tortoises from the Galapagos Islands, birds from Africa, lions, Sumatran tigers, orangutans, Komodo dragons, and so much more.

Experience the natural treasure that is Cameron Park
Clocking in at 416 acres, this is one of the largest municipal parks in Texas. You’ll find towering live oaks, stunning bluffs overlooking the Brazos and Bosque Rivers, and a National Recreation Trail system. Mountain bikers, hikers, and equestrians share the park with disc golfers, picnickers, and bird watchers.

Hang ten at Waco Surf
As one of the largest inland surfing and water sports facilities in the country, this state-of-the-art surf and wakeboard water park features a two-acre lake that implements the PerfectSwell Infinite Ocean-designed, surf-generating technology.

There are also cabins onsite as well as Wedge Slides and the world’s longest lazy river.

Scope out the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum
Founded in 1968, this place is the official hall of fame, museum, and archives for the Texas Rangers, the oldest state law enforcement agency in the United States and a symbol of the American West.

Chill out at the Dr Pepper Museum
Learn all about the history of your favorite soft drink — and grab a Dr Pepper Float in a classic 1950s-style soda fountain — at this museum that includes the original 1906 bottling plant and the Kellum-Rotan building from the 1880s, one of the oldest buildings in downtown Waco.

Get a history lesson at the Mayborn Museum
Located on the Baylor University campus, this museum features both natural science and cultural history exhibits that focus on Central Texas with walk-in dioramas — including one on the Waco Mammoth Site — and exploration stations for geology, paleontology, archaeology, and natural history.

There are also 17 themed discovery rooms and a historic village that gives a glimpse into life in an 1890s community.

Channel your inner poet at Armstrong Browning Library and Museum
Also on the Baylor campus, this library and museum is dedicated to the study of the lives and works of Victorian poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning and houses the world’s largest collection of Browning material and other fine collections of rare 19th-century books, manuscripts, and works of art.

Explore the Waco Mammoth National Monument
It’s the nation’s first and only recorded discovery of a nursery herd of Pleistocene mammoths. The monument also includes a scenic trailway along with a breathtaking dig shelter that creates an atmosphere of an art gallery.

Natural light floods into the shelter from all directions and a suspended walkway provides a stunning overhead view of the mammoths.

Grab a drink at Balcones Distillery
With more than 40 internationally recognized awards, Balcones boasts world-renowned flavors that you can sample in the tasting room. Or take a tour of the distillery for fascinating insights into the whiskey-making process, from the grain silos to the copper pot stills from Scotland.

Splash around at Hawaiian Falls Waco
Open through Labor Day, this destination water park is 10 acres of fun with a wave pool, 800-foot-long lazy river, splash zones, and lots of slides including the six-story white-knuckler, Tempest Tower.

Ride off into the sunset at Brazos Bluffs Ranch
Saddle up for an unforgettable horseback ride or outdoor adventure at this ranch located at the point where the Balcones Fault, the longest fault line in Texas, and the Brazos River, the longest river in Texas, meet. With major ecosystems converging on the land, the flora and fauna is diverse and prolific.

Shop around at Spice Village
With more than 60 boutiques under one roof across 30,000 square feet in the iconic 1908 McLendon Hardware Co. building, Spice Village is a dream shopping experience with apparel, accessories, home decor, gifts, and more.

Get artsy at Art Center Waco
With rotating exhibits, classes, and events, the Art Center serves as a creative force in the community for teaching, displaying, promoting, and preserving vital, diverse visual arts that inspire the community and beyond.

Get social at Cultivate 7Twelve — and its speakeasy
The main gallery at this venue features monthly exhibits that showcase and sell the work of Waco’s many talented artists. Cultivate 7Twelve also hosts weekly figure drawing and workshops — and is home to the one and only Undercroft Social Club.

The BYOB members-only speakeasy is in the basement of the gallery, and day passes are available for non-members. Interestingly, the basement was once home to Ms. Keaton’s Bakery, which operated from 1917 to 1972 and was famous for its maple-caramel cream puffs.

Get concert tix at the Waco Hippodrome
Since 1914, the Hippodrome has been hosting a wide variety of Broadway-style plays and shows. Now, as a live music venue, you can listen in on any manner of artists playing rock, country, blues, soul, punk, roots, and more.

See why the Texas Sports Hall of Fame scores big
With more than 6,000 pieces, the TSHOF Museum is the first hall of fame in the nation with sports memorabilia from each inductee, dating back to the first class of 1951. Additional highlights include a Southwest Conference Gallery, Texas Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in addition to the Tom Landry Theater.

Discover more things to do in Waco here.

Trace the history of the Texas Rangers, the oldest state law enforcement agency in the United States.

Photo courtesy of Waco CVB

Trace the history of the Texas Rangers, the oldest state law enforcement agency in the United States.

vacation museums promoted texas

Your Expert Guide

Oak Cliff: The underestimated historic and culturally rich 'hood

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman

Kay Wood

There are so many great places to live in Dallas that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

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Bishop Arts is a huge attraction, but Realtor Kay Wood wants people to know that Oak Cliff is a lot more than just Bishop Arts.

"Oak Cliff has a really rich and complex history," the Briggs Freeman agent says. "I think it's one of the most underestimated neighborhoods in Dallas."

Wood has lived in Oak Cliff with her high school sweetheart-husband since 2008, but she's been helping people buy and sell homes there for the past 15 years, currently with her business partner Brian Davis.

"The neighborhoods here are close to everything but still relatively affordable compared to other areas of DFW," she says. "I love all the historic homes with their architectural interest and variety, the strong sense of community engagement, and how there's so much to explore. Whether you're looking for the best new restaurant, the most authentic taco, film festivals, the zoo, the best public high school in Texas, parks, nature preserves — I could go on all day!"

Wood offered up a few of her personal favorites about life in "the Cliff." Here's her guide to the area:

Where to eat & drink
The list is long: Nova ("you have to get the hummus," Wood says), Encina (pro tip: don't skip the blue cornbread), Cibo Divino for pizza and wine on the patio, coffee from Peaberry ("my husband swears their Vietnamese coffee is the best in town"), oysters at Boulevardier, the Perfect Picnic at Eno's Pizza Tavern, tio's elotes next to El Si Hay, the pistachio ice cream at Joy Macarons, and the spicy lobster ramen at Ten Ramen.

Wood advises picking up a great bottle of wine from Neighborhood Cellars and some steaks from Cooper's Meat Market. And, of course, there are tons of taco options in the neighborhood: "We can't get enough of Maskaras, Trompo, and Taco y Vino," she says.

Where to play
Marvel at the best skyline views in town while playing a round at Stevens Park Golf Course, take a walk through Twelve Hills Nature Preserve, bike along the Trinity River, or play disc golf at Founders Park.

The Kessler Theater is "such a great and intimate venue" for concerts, while the Texas Theater adds a touch of history to movie-watching. Escape to The Wild Detectives for books, music, and poetry, or head to the Dallas Zoo for a wild day out — "our whole family loves to feed the giraffes," Wood says.

What to see
Oak Cliff is home to the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial at Kiest Park and the La Reunion Monument at Stevens Park Golf Course that honors some of Dallas' earliest settlers.

On Jefferson Boulevard, you can pop into the Oak Cliff Cultural Center for regular art shows, and "my daughters love to walk down the street and look at all the quinceañera dresses in the shop windows," she says.

Where to live
A few years ago, Wood helped her buyers purchase 626 Rainbow Dr., a rare, two-acre midcentury modern estate that's wrapped on three sides by a babbling creek.

"When you're there, it's really hard to believe you're less than four miles from downtown Dallas," she says. The buyers hired local architect Eddie Maestri to update some aspects of the house while carefully preserving its midcentury style. There was an original barn that had been previously converted to a studio, but the buyers reinvented it as a guest house and added a pool and outdoor kitchen.

"It's hard to say what a 'typical' Oak Cliff house would be, because we have some of the very best examples of almost every architectural style in town," Wood says.

"In Winnetka Heights, you'll find Craftsman architecture (four squares, bungalows, Sears catalog, etc). Kessler Park has Tudors and Colonials and Texas eclectics from notable local architects like Charles Dilbeck and David R Williams. Stevens Park has all of these, as well as Spanish Revival and Dutch colonials. Wynnewood, North Kiestwood, and Wynnewood Hills have some of the best midcentury moderns in Dallas, as well as wonderful ranches. East Kessler has cutting-edge contemporaries that take advantage of the rare-to-DFW hilly terrain. You could teach a pretty comprehensive architectural history of Dallas without ever leaving Oak Cliff."

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Kay Wood lives, works, and plays in Oak Cliff. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email kwood@briggsfreeman.com, or call 214-908-5442.