Insider Tips

Waco — yes, Waco — just may be Texas' next great tourist destination

Waco is a wonderful place to grow up. Baylor University offers educational and athletic events, the symphony and local community theaters present concerts and plays and Lake Waco provides a weekend place to be for water skiing and boating. Getting from one end of town to the other in minutes — even on bicycles — is easy and there are even more small-town charms.

But when members of the Waco & The Heart of Texas marketing team began promoting the area as a tourist destination though, I was surprised.

Pleasantly surprised, that is, as this home of the Baylor Bears has truly grown with attractions that out-of-towners can definitely enjoy. People flock to the 500-plus-acre municipal park and the city's zoo. The property along the Bosque and Brazos Rivers is lined with sidewalks stretching from the park to the historic Waco Suspension Bridge (the longest single-span suspension bridge west of the Mississippi when it was built in 1870), creating the city's own Riverwalk.

Downtown is thriving with shopping and dining. And the opportunities to make this trip a weekend getaway extend to nearby cities like Bellmead, McGregor, Hewitt and West.

As a native Wacoan, I've chosen what I think are the top 10 reasons to visit Waco on the Brazos. Some suggestions are places that I frequented when young, some have dramatically improved through the years and others are more recent additions. I think you will be surprised at how much Waco has to offer.

Cameron Park
Cameron Park, as mentioned above, is teaming with activities for walkers to cyclists to nature lovers. Now in this 1910-dedicated natural sanctuary, disc golf courses are at hand, playgrounds abound and water sports like kayaking are available.

Be sure to hike up (or drive) to Lovers' Leap for incredible vistas of the river below from 100-foot-tall limestone cliffs. You'll be impressed with Cameron Park Zoo, too, designed as a natural habitat for its animal family.

Balcones Distilling
Yes, Waco has spirit, and not just of the green-and-gold kind. In fact, the distillery (named after the Balcones Fault that runs through the region), was declared winner of Whisky Magazine's 2012 and 2014 Icons of Whisky awards, as well as earning the distinction of being named Craft Whiskey Distillery of the Year. The Waco establishment's products include handmade blue corn whisky; “rumble,” a spirit made from Texas wildflower honey, Mission figs and Demarara sugar; and Balcones Single Malt, a single malt whisky made with traditional ingredients and aged in new ways.

Balcones Distilling is open by appointment only.

Brazos Valley Cheese
Every one of the cheeses from Brazos Valley Cheese is made with raw cow’s milk drawn from the grass-fed cows that graze freely on three local Brazos River valley dairies. The hard cheeses are aged in an underground cheese cave.

Sample them all. My favorite: Eden, a brie garnished with a layer of vegetable ash and wrapped in fig leaves grown at the farm.

The Armstrong Browning Library
Located on the Baylor University campus, the Armstrong Browning Library is a popular stop for travelers and school groups who are attracted by the love story and poetry of the Brownings or the unique beauty of the grand three-story Italian Renaissance-style building — or both. Sixty-two stained glass windows, black walnut marquetry paneling, intricate ceiling designs and an impressive terrazzo entrance floor also make this library a place to stay awhile.

Dr Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute
The 1906 Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Co. was the first building dedicated to the manufacturing of Dr Pepper. In 1997, it became the largest tribute to the imagination and talent that fueled the soft drink's success.

Enjoy the displays and listen to commercial jingles that became singable through the years, from Vim, Vigor and Vitality, Drink a Bite to Eat at 10, 2 and 4, I’m a Pepper to Just What the Doctor Ordered. And remember: There is no period in Dr

Spice Village
Get ready to shop until you drop at Spice Village, a 30,000-square-foot space housing more than 80 different shops and services under one roof. Find apparel, accessories, home décor and vintage goods, as well as a skin care studio, spray tan parlor and The Olive Branch Express for a bite to eat. You'll discover a whole lot more while strolling through this restored 1908 building.

Waco Mammoth Site
The Waco Mammoth Site sits on more than 100 acres of wooded parkland along the Bosque River and provides a glimpse into the lives of Columbian mammoths who walked the area some 65,000 years ago. Using hand tools such as brushes and bamboo scrapers, crews slowly excavated this lost world, uncovering from 1978 to 1990 the fossil remains of these giant creatures. An additional six additional mammoths were excavated later.

Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
Brush up on your history at this state-designated memorial commemorating the service and sacrifices of 30 Texas Rangers who gave their lives in the line of duty or made significant contributions to the development of the service. Inductees are selected by a committee of serving and retired Rangers.

The Rangers, who have protected the people of Texas since 1823, have been called one of the most effective investigative law enforcement agencies in the world.

Homestead Traditional Crafts Village
Residents of this 510-acre community welcome visitors year-round to visit the shops of the craft village, watch craftsmen and craftsmen at work and even attend classes to learn a skill. Enjoy a homemade meal at Cafe Homestead with baked goods to purchase. Inside The Barn, you'll find for sale handcrafted furniture and accessories plus hundreds of one-of-a-kind heirloom gift items.

And West, Texas, is just up I-35 a bit for the most authentic kolaches made in the town's Czech family-owned bakeries — and the giant WestFest celebration held every Labor Day weekend, too.

McLane Stadium
Finished just in time for the Fighting Baylor Bears' 2014 football season, McLane Stadium welcomes not only students with its on-campus location but football fans from across the country. Get ready to join the crowds raising their bear claws into the air and roaring "Sic 'em Bears" in this state-of-the-art facility.

Lovers' Leap in Cameron Park.

Waco & The Heart of Texas September 2014 Lovers' Leap at Cameron Park

Photo courtesy of Waco & the Heart of Texas

Lovers' Leap in Cameron Park.

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Airline News

American Airlines employs new tech in Austin to catch early boarders

American Airlines

American Airlines cabin

In what feels like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, American Airlines is expanding a new system to catch passengers who try to sneak ahead in line.

According to a release, the airline is deploying a program it previously tested in which technology is used to deter passengers who try to board before their official group has been called.

Passengers who try to board early will not only hear a beep when they scan their boarding pass, but a tattletale message will pop up on the scanner, alerting the American Airlines employee of the passenger's correct group.

If a customer boards before their assigned group is called, the new software will not accept the boarding pass. In these instances, the American team member will invite the customer to rejoin the line when their boarding group is called.

The airline trialed this modern technology over the past month at Albuquerque International Sunport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Tucson International Airport. It will now be deployed at more than 100 airports across the U.S., including Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

According to a story in the NY Post, airline employees have a name for these people: “gate lice."

A statement from American Airlines says that those passengers who are paying for early access should get their just desserts. People who are paying extra are mad when others get the same benefits.

"The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease," it says.

Surely a factor is the way American Airlines' current boarding system has become an exercise in the haves vs. the have-nots, with nine levels of boarding groups, from elite status members and credit card holders all the way down to the Basic Economy nobodies. It's gotten worse since the pandemic, with extra charges applied to every element of flying, including a charge if you want to choose your own seat.

As an explanation of why people might do it, the NY Post cites a theory that travelers try to get ahead "out of a tendency of conformity and a sense of competition."

Public shaming is a powerful motivator, and Larry David fans would surely agree that line-cutters should always be called out — but in this case, there is an actual valid reason for trying to get a jump in line, and that can be summed up in two words: overhead bins.

Too many travelers place their luggage in overhead bins that are not located over their seats. Who has not seen the guy breezily stash his suitcase in whatever bin is closest? And this is an inequity that is not addressed by flight attendants, who admittedly have enough on their hands.

But the fact remains that if you get on the plane when your boarding group boards, the odds are slimmer that your designated overhead bin is going to have room for your suitcase.

If the airline is not going to enforce the overhead bin situation, then it's hardly fair to blame gate lice for worrying about where their suitcase is going to end up — or worse, whether they'll face the horror of having to get their bag checked at the last minute because some other passenger stole their overhead space.

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