Waco in a Weekend

Branding of the Brazos

The carful of kids have the opportunity to explore Waco, Texas, for the weekend and jump at the chance. Though we have driven through Waco many times, we have yet to give it a full weekend. Thanks to the Hubs, who has some business there, the carful of kids have the opportunity to explore.

Friday Night--After driving in from Austin, the carful of kids stop for some dinner at Health Camp (2601 Circle Road) on the Waco Traffic Circle--it's an easy exit from I-35 headed North and the carful of kids have stopped here for years. They are open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. everyday. We grab some hamburgers, fries, onion rings and a chocolate shake to share, we're trying to be healthy.

The Carful of Kids check out the Waco Suspension Bridge

After our quick eats, the carful of kids head over to the first suspension bridge built east of the Mississippi River. It is located in the Indian Spring Park along University Parks Drive between Washington and Franklin Avenues. The bridge and the surrounding park are free and along with the street parking.

The Waco Suspension Bridge was completed in 1869 with 3 million bricks. It is a single span bridge that spans 475 feet over the Brazos River. It was conceived as a toll bridge to make getting cattle to market safer as this is part of the Chisholm Trail. The legendary trail that cowboys herded cattle from South Texas to Abilene, Kansas, for transportation to the East Coast.

The carful of kids race across the bridge and back before stopping to look at the Branding of the Brazos sculpture, a life-sized bronze depicting the epic journey that cowboys and their cattle took along the Chisholm Trail. This public art display is a favorite for my boys because they love the sense of adventure that a cowboy's life conjures up.

The day is fading and I promised the kids some pool time and I need to sit in the poolside lounge chair reading my book. We have the pool to ourselves for two minutes before a family of four shows up.

I think the level of the pool is down six inches after all the cannonballs but I read on. The other Mom and myself unite and we pull the kids out at 10 p.m. and head back up to the room. The spell of pool works its magic and the kids are asleep in their bed before I finish my shower--great, we have a packed day tomorrow.

Saturday Morning--The carful of kids head over to the Cameron Park Zoo after the free hotel breakfast. It's summer in Texas which means the animals are smarter than the humans and they'll be hiding in the shade before too long.

We're excited to visit the zoo so the carful of kids pull into the parking lot at 8:45 a.m. and it's a pleasant 84 degrees outside. I figure we can see the majority of the zoo in two hours before it gets above 90 degrees.

Cameron Park Zoo (1701 North 4th Street) is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the adult admission is $ 9, for the kids 4 to 12 it's $ 6 and free for 3 and under. The parking is free and abundant; the zoo is easy to find even if you're from out-of-town.

My carful of kids are school-aged and love animals so this zoo is a great place for them. This is also a great zoo for families with young children in strollers. All the exhibits are easy to get to with wide paths and gentle inclines.

I give my oldest son the map and he leads the way. The map is full of pictograms so kids can read it alone and the zoo is laid out in a large circle--nothing to be missed.

The zoo has three main sections, an Asian Forest, an African Savanna and the Brazos River Country which the kids like the best. The Brazos River bisects Waco and the animals in this section of the zoo are native to this area of Texas.

Dr. Pepper Delivery Truck

We spend time in each exhibit and a little extra time in the reptile house before the carful of kids are at the entrance again. It's a leisurely walk that everyone enjoys and we finish up in under two hours. Nice since the temperatures are on the rise.

The carful of kids need a break so we head over to the Dr. Pepper Museum and Soda Fountain (300 South 5th Street). It is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4:15 p.m., though the soda fountain is open until 5 p.m. Admission for adults is $ 8 and for kids, it's $ 5.

Time for a treat at the soda fountain

This museum is dedicated to the history of Dr. Pepper through the years and encompasses three floors. There is a replica of the manufacturing room from the beginning and lots of nostalgic Dr. Pepper items; you can even watch commercials through the decades.

The carful of kids like the old Dr. Pepper delivery trucks the best. We walk through all three floors before finding our way to the antique soda fountain.

The carful of kids are amazed to learn this is how you had a soda over 50 years ago. We step up to the counter and order a Dr. Pepper and a Dr. Pepper Ice Cream Float. Yum.

This tour didn't take long but if you are short on time, skip the tour and visit the soda fountain instead. There is no charge to enter the soda fountain and the treats are reasonably priced--the carful of kids really enjoy it.

Saturday Afternoon--It's getting close to lunch and I want to catch a hamburger joint that comes well recommended before they close--Dubl R Old Fashioned Hamburgers (1810 Herring Avenue). They are open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed Sundays.

I pull into the gravel driveway to park and the first thing that I notice is the grill exhaust, it makes my mouth water. This is a locals place and not recommended for the people of the world that cringe at joints and dives.

Dubl R Old Fashioned Hamburgers is where you would have eaten a hamburger on Saturday a generation ago. I open the door and spy a counter filled with neighbors chatting while the kids watch the grill cook make their burgers.

Sitting at the counter watching the grill

The carful of kids get hamburgers to go around with a side of fries and onion rings. Since we are in Waco, we fill up our cups with Dr. Pepper. This will be my second of the day and I can't tell you the last time that I have had two Dr. Pepper's in one day.

They bring the burgers to our table in the red baskets that kids love and I take a moment to smell it. It looks like your typical grilled Texas hamburger with buttered and toasted buns that hold the patty, lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions, mustard and mayonnaise together but it is not.

Not much left

I open my mouth big and take my first bite then I set the burger back in the red basket and look at my oldest boy and say, "now that's a good burger". He agrees as he eats his in five bites.

The french fries and onion rings are a great accompaniment to the burger and then to wash it down with a Dr. Pepper. It really just doesn't get any better on a hot Saturday August afternoon in Texas. It is that good.

I would have eaten another hamburger but the Dubl R was calling it a day and cleaning the grill by the time we finished. We said our goodbyes and head to the SUV for our next destination.

The Waco Mammoth National Monument (6220 Steinbeck Bend Drive) is the newest national monument as proclaimed by President Obama on July 10, 2015. The carful of kids couldn't wait to get back from our Rocky Mountain RoundUp Road trip to visit it.

Waco Mammoth National Monument is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last tour of the day departs at 4:10 p.m. It is accessible via guided tour only and the National Park Service Pass does not cover tours. Adult admission is $ 5 and admission for kids 4 to 12 is $ 3 and 3 and under are free. It is closed Sunday and Monday.

The first mammoth bone was discovered in 1978 by a couple of young men out fossil hunting. After the pair dug up the large bone, they took it to Baylor University for identification.

Baylor University staff identified it as the femur bone of a Columbian Mammoth from the Ice Age. Columbian Mammoths, named after Christopher Columbus, inhabited the more temperate areas of North America including Alaska all the way to Costa Rica. Columbian Mammoths, with heights that reach 13 feet tall and weights exceeding 9 tons, are larger and less furry than their distant relatives the Wholly Mammoth.

Baylor University dispatched groups of volunteers and excavation began that would take over 20 years. In all, the group discovered a nursery herd of 19 mammoths that were killed at the same time between 65,000 and 72,000 years ago in what appears to be a flash flood. Other floods occurred in the same spot at different times killing and covering an additional six mammoths, a Western camel, a dwarf antelope, an American alligator, a giant tortoise and the tooth of a Saber Toothed cat.

The dig area is now protected from the elements in an climate-controlled building; the Waco Mammoth National Monument leads 45-minute long tours along an elevated platform over the dig site. There are six of the mammoths still intact and the rest of the mammoths discovered are housed at Baylor University.

Since this is the newest National Monument, they don't have a Junior Ranger Badge yet but one is in the works according to park staff. This is a great stop for school-aged kids and any kid that loves dinosaurs.

After learning about mammoths, the carful of kids are hungry again and we are on the hunt for another burger joint. Since we are north and west of Waco, we head over to Dave's Burger Barn (600 North Patricia Street in Lacy-Lakeview).

My third burger of our Waco Weekend

Dave's Burger Barn is home to the Zipper Ripper Challenge, a five patty bacon-cheeseburger that one must eat in 12 minutes to get their photo posted on the wall. The carful of kids didn't take the challenge, instead we order burgers with a side of homemade chips.

This location is convenient to the Waco Mammoth National Monument but a little far from Waco itself. They have a full kids' menu though it lacks the authentic atmosphere of Dubl R Old Fashioned Hamburgers. Dave's Burger Barn serves a solid burger and it's great for families.

The carful of kids refuel and head back to the hotel for a little pool time. We have another full day planned in Waco.

Up next: Wrap-Up to our Waco Weekend