Gunning for a Great Weekend in Waco

Museum Day!

The carful of kids are in Waco for the weekend so far we have visited the Cameron Park Zoo and the Dr. Pepper Museum. We toured the newest National Monument in the National Park System--Waco Mammoth National Monument then walked across the Waco Suspension Bridge all the while eating at three different burger joints. It's a new day and still more sights to see.

Sunday Morning--The carful of kids sleep well after a day of non-stop activity, to get them moving I remind them of our first stop. We load up at the free breakfast buffet before we check out of the hotel.

We are not to old to dress up.

I know what my boys love and when I found the next museum online, I knew they would love it. They are all about the Old West and guns, this place has both.

It's a quick drive to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum (100 Texas Ranger Trail), they are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission for adults is $ 7 and for the kids 6 to 12, it's $ 3.

The Texas Rangers are the oldest state law enforcement agency in the U.S. They were unofficially created by Stephen F. Austin in 1823 to protect the early settlers from Indian raids and they served as surveyors to settle property disputes.

Guns, lots of guns.

In 1881, the Indian Wars ended and the role of the Texas Rangers changed, becoming a law enforcement agency. They have statewide jurisdiction and their duties range from investigating crime, controlling riots and protecting the governor.

Throughout their history the Texas Rangers have tracked down such notorious outlaws as John Wesley Hardin, Sam Bass and Bonnie and Clyde. This museum is a great tribute to the unique law enforcement agency and those interested in Texas History will enjoy it.

The carful of kids, especially my boys, love guns from every era and every size. They decide to count all the different guns and the unofficial count is 279. This includes the Colt revolver that kids can assemble themselves.

Is it time to go already?

The carful of kids even watch the entire 45-minute documentary that plays in the auditorium. After a couple of hours exploring the Texas Rangers Museum, the carful of kids need to move on.

Though this museum is geared towards adults, especially men of all ages, my boys love it. I even see a troop of Boy Scouts touring it when we are here. It's not the best for families with small children due to the subject matter.

Sunday Afternoon--The carful of kids stop for a quick bite to eat before heading over to the Mayborn Museum on the Baylor University Campus. It's part natural history museum, children's discovery center and outdoor historic village all in one facility.

The Wind Machine at 78 mph!

The Mayborn Museum (1300 South University Parks) is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m to 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The admission for adults is $ 6 and for children 18 months to 12 years, the admission is $ 4.

The Mayborn Museum features a traveling exhibit entitled Shipwrecked that showcases the cargo that the Odyssey Marine Explorer has discovered in recent years. The exhibition also includes a pair of wind machines that you step into to experience hurricane force winds (74 mph)--the carful of kids love this and do it multiple times.

Using a hand pump for water

The natural history part of the Mayborn Museum features interesting skeletons and life-sized walk-through dioramas. They even have a casting of the Waco Mammoth Site that the carful of kids visited on our first day.

Ringing the church bells

The outdoor historic village includes a one-room school house, a church, an office, a general store, and the planter's house along with a cook's house. All the buildings are furnished and some are open so you can experience life 100 years ago. Even in the afternoon heat, the carful of kids run from building to building exploring.

After we complete the first floor, we head up to the children's discovery center. Since my kids are school-aged I let them walk around and discover at their own pace. There are several benches in the hallway in between the open-concept themed rooms, I take a few moments to rest my feet.

Playing with bubbles.

The carful of kids run from room to room doing experiments and I finally have to tear them away because it's closing time. The carful of kids spend over two hours at the museum.

The Mayborn Museum is a great place for families of all ages even the smallest of kids will enjoy the children's discovery center.

It's late in the day and the weekend is almost over so time to load up in the SUV and head home. Our weekend in Waco has been fun and I encourage you to check out Waco on your next free weekend.