Located 90 mi/145 km south of Dallas and about halfway to Austin, Waco (pronounced
WAY-ko) straddles the Brazos River, and it was the river that gave the town its start. At one time, back in the 1800s, Waco was known mainly as the site of a ferry that settlers used to cross the wide river. The ferry produced enough local revenue that the town elders commissioned a toll bridge to replace the ferry. Designed by John Roebling, the genius behind the Brooklyn Bridge, the long suspension bridge is still used for pedestrian traffic.
Much to the chagrin of town leaders, Waco is perhaps best-known for the deadly confrontation between the Branch Davidian religious group and federal agents that took place in 1993.
Sightseeing
Aficionados of western history will want to spend a few hours at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, where they can learn about the Texas lawmen who carried out their own brand of justice in the frontier days. Today some 100 Texas Rangers still work throughout the state, although they're now more likely to be investigating murder and drug-smuggling cases than cattle rustling. http://www.texasranger.org.
The best attraction in Waco, in our opinion, is the Dr Pepper Museum, which is devoted to the Waco-born beverage whose slogan was "the most misunderstood soft drink in the whole wide world." The museum's authentic 1945 soda fountain is the place to sample a Pepper—or better yet, to have a Pepper-and-ice-cream float. http://www.drpeppermuseum.com.
Waco is also home to Baylor University, a sizable academic institution administered by the Baptist church. The university's Armstrong-Browning Library has an extensive collection of material pertaining to the lives and works of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning. http://www.baylor.edu and http://www.browninglibrary.org.
Sports fans will like the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, with displays about Lone Star athletes such as golfers Lee Trevino and Babe Didrikson Zaharias and boxer George Foreman (http://www.tshof.org). The Cameron Park Zoo has a variety of animals in natural-habitat enclosures. http://www.cameronparkzoo.com.
The site of the Mount Carmel compound (15 mi/25 km northeast of Waco—ask for a map at the Visitor Information Center in town) has become an offbeat travel attraction/memorial site. The foundations of the Branch Davidian complex remain on the grounds, along with a burned-out bus and a small visitors center operated by followers of David Koresh. A rival group of Davidians sometimes operates its own info center on the grounds. Trees with granite markers have been planted in a desolate field, one for each member of the religious group that was killed in the incident. The atmosphere is eerie, to say the least.
Day Trips
To
Temple. The area around Waco is home to many residents of Czech heritage. A museum in Temple, about 40 mi/65 km south of Waco, details their experiences. Its rather unwieldy name is the Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas Museum, and it includes exhibits on prominent figures and a number of historic artifacts.
To West. About 15 mi/25 km north of Waco is another Czech stronghold, West. Visit the locally famous Czech Stop for a kolache and other Czech baked goods (http://www.czechstop.net). The West Fest, staged on Labor Day weekend, celebrates the cultures of central and eastern Europe.
