What's Nearby?

Downtown & Uptown Waco

• Central Library   2 blocks – 18th and Austin
• Austin Avenue (Shopping, restaurants, Hippodrome theater for stage shows) .3 to 1.4 miles     Recommendations:  Portofino’s (Italian), Luna Clean Food Cafe, Dichotomy Coffee.
• The Clothesline    .3 miles     Resale clothing store operated by Mission Waco Mission World, a local Christian non-profit.  Amazing prices!   1817 Franklin Avenue
• Pinewood Coffee Bar  .4 miles     It’s been a favorite since it opened and was recognized as one of the top coffee places in U.S.  2223 Austin Ave.
• Harvest on 25th .6 miles   Lots of good reviews for this restaurant from people looking for gluten free, dairy free, seasonal produce.  112 N. 25th St.
• Sul Ross Park - 1301 Barnard (walking path, skateboard park, playground, pavilion, basketball, tennis)  .6 mile
• Splendid Oaks Chocolates and Ice Cream and Milk Bottle Cookies .8 mile.  Corner of 11th & Franklin Ave.  Both stores are above average in deliciousness!
• The Hotel 1928 (by Magnolia).  1 mile.  Casual dining, coffee bar and gift shop on ground floor.  Interesting “library” area in basement to sit and visit and read.  Roof-top restaurant for brunch and evening dining.  The rest of this city block includes Waco Escape Rooms and Tecovas (boots/leatherware).
• Magnolia Markets and Magnolia Press Coffee 1.4 miles     Webster and 6th-8th Streets
• Union Hall  1.1 miles.  20+ food vendors in indoor venue; seating throughout food hall.  Franklin and 8th Streets.
• Suspension Bridge, Indian Spring Park, food trailer court, Ninfa's (Mexican), Spice Village, Bangkok Royal (Thai – everything is good!), Mamaka Bowls (Delicious smoothies and bowls!  Be sure to get one with homemade granola on it.), DiamondBack’s (steaks, American Bistro), Olive Branch, Clay Pot (Vietnamese), Fabled (independent book store and coffee/café) - 1.5 miles      Franklin Avenue from 5th to University Parks Drive. 
• Dr. Pepper Museum  1.4 miles.    5th & Mary Ave. 
• Waco Convention Center    1.6 miles      Washington Ave and University Park Drive
• Texas Ranger Hall of Fame   2.4 miles    University Parks Drive and I-35 North
• Waco Tourist Information Center 323 S 6th St Suite 100
• Putters (Indoor Putt-Putt), J-Petal (Thai) and other restaurants – University Parks Drive and Mary Ave.   1.7 miles

 Near Northside Neighborhood / Brook Oaks Neighborhood / Sanger-Heights Neighborhood  1 mile

• World Cup Cafe and Fair Trade Market - 1321 N. 15th Street.   Open Tues-Fri 7am-2pm, Sat 8am-2pm, Sun 9am-2pm. World Cup Cafe and Fair Trade Market are part of Mission Waco, a local Christian faith-based nonprofit, and contribute to the redevelopment of the Near Northside neighborhood.    Great breakfast, weekday lunch plate specials, burgers/sandwiches/wraps, chicken salad, lentil wrap chef salad.  Try the Breakfast Bowl in the morning, or World Cup Burger and sweet potato fries for lunch.  Fair Trade Market offers beautiful and varied gifts from around the world – all created by people who are being empowered out of cycles of poverty.
• D's Mediterranean Grill - 1503 Colcord.   Homemade Lebanese and Greek food and amazing chicken tenders (fried or grilled), kabobs (beef tenderloin, lamb, chicken), wraps (gyro, chicken, falafel), hummus, tabouli, Greek salad, and more -- some of the best food in town!   Cooked to order, so either call ahead for to-go or allow time to visit while your delicious meal is prepared.  Try the fried green beans.
• Urban REAP (Renewable Energy and Agriculture Project).  Urban REAP sells seasonal plants for your garden like flowers, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, as well as high grade compost created on site with an impressive composting machine that eats 170 lbs of food waste a day.  Operated by Mission Waco, a 501c3 non-profit.
• Baked Bliss Baking Company - 1114 N. 15th Street.   Our favorite local commercial bakery has their own food truck -- so stop by to have some pastries, crustless quiche, kolaches, lunch box specials, cookies/cupcakes, coffee or tea on their deck or get some to go.  All delicious!   They also take online-orders if you want to order ahead or have a special event.  Their custom cakes are the best around.  Gluten-free products available.  Closed Sunday/Monday (check Facebook around holidays in case hours change).
• El Charro Tapatio  - N. 17th & Waco Drive.  .4 mile     Authentic Mexican food.   Seating indoors or on the covered patio. 
• Helados La Azteca #2  - Local ice cream shop with homemade popsicles, scoop ice cream, horchata and many other fresh fruit juice drinks, mangonado, etc.  (better prices than many other ice cream and popsicle places in town).  Typical flavors but also lots of unique flavors representing the Mexican heritage of the owners.  1500 Colcord Ave.  Corner of Colcord and N. 15th – across from D’s Mediterranean and World Cup Café.  Open 7 days a week – usually open til 10 or so at night. 
• Thrst Coffee Shop combines coffee, limited food menu, hang-out space and art!  1500 Colcord Ave.
• Seley Park - Corner of N. 18th & Bosque Blvd.  .9 mile    Walking path, basketball, playground, gazebo, outdoor fitness equipment.

Baylor University   

• Bookstore   2.1 miles    5th Street by the Bear Pit and Bill Daniel Student Center
• McLane Stadium   2.5 miles     Great place for a walk when no events are there.  Good lighting at night, by the river, and beautiful sunset views of the I-35 bridges.  Take a look at Touchdown Alley section and you can run out on the astroturf from the old Floyd Casey Stadium.    MLK Drive and I-35 North
• Foster Pavilion  2 miles.  New basketball arena, located at I-35 and University Parks Drive.
• Mayborn Museum   2.7 miles    Discovery Center for kids, museum, outdoor historic village, gift shop.    University Parks Drive – between Dutton Ave and Bagby
• Athletic Venues including Ferrell Center (volleyball, acrobatics), and also stadiums for Baylor baseball, softball, tennis, and soccer    3.1 miles       LaSalle and University Parks Drive

Churches

• Church Under the Bridge - Sundays 10:30am.  Meets under I-35 between 4th/5th Streets.  Look for parking on neighboring streets (or jump the curb under the bridge if you see other cars there).      1.4 miles
• Hope Fellowship (Mennonite) .5 mile
• Antioch Community Church   .6 mile
• St. Mary of the Assumption   .6 mile
• Mighty Wind Worship Center   .8 mile
• Greater New Light Baptist Church   1.3 miles
• Calvary Baptist   1.3 miles
• First Waco (Methodist) – several locations

Cameron Park

• Cameron Park Zoo  2.3 miles    Cameron Park Zoo was recently recognized as one of the 50 best zoos in the United States.  Entrances are off of N. 4th Street or University Parks Drive.
• Redwood Shelter, Pecan Bottom, Disc Golf  2.9 miles.   There are about 20 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails in Cameron Park.  Let us know if you want suggestions of trail routes to match your desired pace/fitness level.     University Parks Drive and Herring Avenue.
• Brazos Park East   3.7 miles.  Beautiful view of Cameron Park cliffs. Disc golf. Boat ramps.
• Zoo Sculpture Art walk – Interesting animal art sculptures, from Washington Ave to the Zoo entrance.

North Waco and Lake Shore Drive Areas

• McLennan Community College   4.2 miles      Beautiful campus, and also a ¼ mile paved walking loop path right off of N. 19th Street.
• Hawaiian Falls, Riverbend Softball Complex, Waco Regional Tennis Center   5.8 miles   Lake Shore Drive, between MLK Drive and N. 19th.
• Waco Mammoth National Memorial  6.6 miles    Take MLK Drive or Lake Shore to Steinbeck Bend road
• Waco Regional Airport   7.1 miles

West Waco

• Las Trancas Food Truck    - N. 25th & Waco Drive.  Good tacos, tortas, burritos.  Some covered seating by food truck.
• Helados La Azteca   1.4 miles.   Original location of local ice cream shop with popsicles, horchata and other fruit juice drinks, etc.  (better prices than some other popsicle places in town).  Inside seating area.    In the shopping center on Franklin Ave and 32nd Street.   Also there’s a new 3rd location at 1412 N. Valley Mills Dr.
• Pop’s Lemonade 1.4 miles.  Same owners as the Cheddar Box food truck at Magnolia Silos.  Drive through and small covered seating area outside. 3428 Franklin Ave.
• Taqueria El Mexicano #9   3.4 miles.  Great local Mexican food – they have the delicious “authentic” Mexican (and also some tex-mex if you must have it).  Homemade flour tortillas.  1420 N. Valley Mills Drive.
• Baris  3 miles.  Wonderful Italian food, pizza, rolls, etc.  904 N. Valley Mills Drive
• Extraco Events Center  3.3 miles    On Bosque Blvd, between New Road and Lake Air Drive.  The big arena hosts rodeos, concerts and other major events.  The BASE is the new exhibit event center.   The venue also has buildings for horse and livestock shows.
• Waco ISD Stadium  3.6 miles    Bagby and New Road
• Common Grounds and Slow-Rise Pizza.  5 miles.  Try the Choco Haze mocha.  Pizza sold by slice or pie.   Indoor and outdoor seating options.  7608 Woodway Drive.
• Richland Mall  3.6 miles    Dillards, Dick’s Sporting Goods, etc.  Waco Drive and Hwy 6

East Waco 

• Downtown Farmer's Market  1 mile.   MLK Drive and Bridge Street (across from Suspension Bridge)
• Revival Eastside Eatery  2.2 miles   Texas-sourced and house-made salads, sandwiches, and burgers.  704 Elm Ave.  Same folks also own Street Dog Café, just a few blocks away at 406 Elm Avenue.
• Slow-Rise on the Brazos – Expanded location for this local pizza restaurant.  Right on the Brazos River, with indoor and outdoor seating.  Boat dock available if you are kayaking or canoeing or boating.  On sidewalks that are part of hike/bike trail around the Brazos and Cameron Park.  Very popular site, and prices are pretty reasonable too for a slice, pizza pie, salads, etc.  1620 N. MLK Blvd. (near Herring Avenue bridge)
• Texas State Technical College   8.7 miles
• World Hunger Relief Inc.  8.9 miles     A Christian non-profit working farm that trains people in sustainable agriculture.  Watch for announcements about "farm days" and other events.  Also look for them at the weekly downtown farmer's market.   Spring Lake Road off of Hwy 77-Business.

South Waco

• Health Camp    2.3 miles.   Get the Super Burger (like a homemade "Big Mac").  Shakes. It's been around for generations of Wacoans and visitors to enjoy.   Nothing on the menu is healthy - - the name probably came from the early days when dairy (milkshakes) was promoted as part of a healthy diet.  On “The Circle” near Magnolia Table.
• George’s Restaurant   1.3 miles.   American food.  Try the Crazy Wings appetizer – chicken and jalapeno cheese wrapped with bacon.  1925 Speight.
• Cajun Craft    1.1 miles.   Good Cajun food.  Corner of Clay and S. 11th.
• Tejun The Texas Cajun    4.5 miles.  Good Cajun food.  711 N. Robinson Drive, Robinson TX
• Oakwood Cemetary  2.8 miles.  Beautiful old trees and lots of Waco and Texas history.  2124 S. 5th Street.
• Top Golf, Cinemark Theaters, etc.    4 miles.   Located along I-35 access road between the New Road and Hwy 6 exits.   Next to Central Texas Marketplace.
• Central Texas Marketplace  4.6 miles     I-35 South and Hwy 6.  Big box retailers, restaurants, etc.

Day Trips

• Gatesville   38 miles (with McGregor and Crawford on the way).   Gatesville has a beautiful historic court house, and the delightful Coryell County Museum featuring an extensive spur collection and lots of other interesting items from this rural Texas community.   Stop for some great barbecue at J&M's Hill Country BBQ or Bare Bones, or Mexican food at El Tapatio.   There's also a drive-in movie theater.  
• Clifton   35 miles
• Salado   50 miles
• Glen Rose    70 miles
• Fort Worth    90 miles
• Dallas   97 miles
• Austin    101 miles

Ways to Connect with Waco community during your visit

• Waco Walks - monthly casual walks around Waco, usually accompanied by historical narrative provided by walk organizer.  Check facebook page or website for upcoming walks.
• Waco Striders Running Club - weekly group run details, plus list of local 5Ks and other races
• Waco Bicycle Club - weekly group ride details.
• Act Locally Waco - non-profit website with lots and lots of info on upcoming activities and non-profits in Waco area.  NEW - one of the ways that ALW raises funds is through donations for a very informative history tour of Waco.   Visit their website to see when the next one is scheduled.
• Learn about Other Side of Waco (reservations required)
• Playground tour of Waco:  Cameron Park has 3 playgrounds (Pecan Bottom, Anniversary Park, Northern Gateway), Bledsoe-Miller Recreation Center, Mountainview Elementary (park behind it) are just a few. 
• Live Music Calendar for Central Texas