The Cameron Park Zoo has the distinction of being the nation's newest natural habitat zoo. The sights and sounds of some of the world's most extraordinary animals await you at this family fun attraction. Explore the Flower Garden Banks Reef and follow the Brazos River to see a herd of bison graze, or watch otters, black bears and jaguars coexist in an amazing recreation of their natural habitat. And don't forget your camera because you'll want lots of photos of the elephants, lions, white rhinos and giraffes.
Saddle up and get ready for a whole lot of fun at the Heart O' Texas Fair & Rodeo held at the Extraco Events Center in Waco operated year-round along side more than 500 active volunteers, fulfilling their mission to produce events for education, entertainment and agricultural experiences at the premier multi-use facility while giving back through youth scholarships and a positive economic impact to Central Texas. Over the past 65 years, the Fair & Rodeo has offered Central Texas a place to come and support the community while enjoying the sights, sounds and smells that make the Heart O' Texas Fair & Rodeo what it is today. The Fair is held annually with close to 200,000 in attendance making it a must event for your Texan social calendar every year.
Explore the rich and crisp tastes of some of the finest wines produced in Texas by gathering your fellow wine-lovers over to the Tasting Room of Waco Winery & Vineyards. There you will happily encounter a rooftop patio for the enjoyment of customers along with music and dancing every week on “Wine-Down Fridays and Saturdays,” while sponsoring local performers and artwork. Ask about their “buy the vine, buy the wine” program whereby you can actually purchase grapevines that Waco Winery will plant, care for and ultimately produce wine specifically for you with grapes grown from those vines. Be sure to taste their port-type wines especially their Malbec and Tempranillo selections. You'll discover among many that there is truth found in wine.
A piece of America's Civil War history is still very much alive at the Earle Harrison House and Pape Gardens. Here, visitors can visit the only restored antebellum house in Waco that was built by Dr. and Mrs. Baylis Wood Earle, whose brother was a Confederate general. The home has been meticulously recreated and includes fascinating and rare Victorian furniture and artifacts. And once you've taken in the house's inner beauty, enjoy a leisurely walk through the home's adjacent Pape Gardens.