Small-town escape

This charming Central Texas town offers the ultimate weekend escape

Those who think Waco is only a sleepy college town have seriously underestimated this gem. From one of the country's largest city parks to hip watering holes and top-notch dining and shopping (there's more than just Chip and JoJo's Magnolia Market home store), the Central Texas city, located about a three-hour drive from Houston, is more than worthy of a weekend getaway.

So, fill up the gas tank and make room in the trunk for all the treasures you'll be bringing back.

Stay
Wacotown has all your usual suspects of centrally located hotels. But for a town now known for home renovations, home rentals on Airbnb and HomeAway will put you in the right frame of mind for a weekend away from the real world.

Explore
At 416 acres, Cameron Park is one of the largest city parks in the U.S. Work up a sweat at Emmons Cliff, take a leisurely stroll around Lovers Leap, or pack a picnic to eat at Circle Point. Rent a kayak at one of several rental companies and spend an afternoon floating through the Brazos River. After a day outside, catch a flick at the historic dine-in theater Waco Hippodrome that first opened in 1914.

For a comprehensive tour of this small town, Waco Tours highlights the town history, Baylor University, beautiful homes, and winding roads all from the window of a tour van driven by a local guide. History buffs should view a nursery herd of Columbian mammoths from a suspended bridge at the Waco Mammoth National Monument.

Shop
If you only know one attraction in Waco, it’s probably Chip and Joanna Gaines’ home decor haven Magnolia Market at the Silos. Mitigate the crowds by arriving early. Spice Village has a collection of shops with home decor, stationery, fashion, and gifts in a 10-minute walk from the Silos. Chip and Jo’s friend Clint Harp has his woodworking studio-turned-storefront called Harp Design Co.

Dine
Steps away from Spice, grab lunch at the food trucks on Franklin Avenue and University Parks Drive. The brunch food at Mad Hasher Waco will help you carb load for all your exploring. The Grape is a modest little bistro with a hefty wine list and daily changing menu. Bangkok Royal, Baris, and 1424 Bistro please guests and locals alike.

Drink
Common Grounds is a coffee shop turned concert venue. Sip on a No Bull from the Cowboy Menu while listening to a some local musicians. The Backyardhas a calendar full of well-known and local country artists with bar games, bar food, and (of course) a full bar. For a quieter vibe, Dichotomy Coffee & Spirits offers, as the name suggests, caffeine and alcohol. Sit on the roof for a sweet view of the city. Wine connoisseurs will find tasty vino sourced from family-owned growers and plenty of Instagram-worthy photos at Wine Shoppe.

Waco offers a mix of shopping, dining, the great outdoors, and more.

Magnolia Market at the Silos/Facebook

Waco offers a mix of shopping, dining, the great outdoors, and more.

museums wine texas

look up

Houston airport's massive new art installation celebrates Texas flowers

A field of glass flowers above the new terminal at IAH

Photo provided by Houston Airports

Dale Chihuly's beautiful new art installation at IAH

Holiday travel in Houston just got brighter. A gargantuan new art installation will welcome flyers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

The piece is called Coastal Prairie Fiori. Inspired by the famous wildflowers of the Texas coastal plains, the construction is made up of 537 colorful, hand-blown glass elements and stretches nearly a third of a football field over the 17-lane TSA screening area in the new International Central Processor (ICP). Suspended on five custom armatures, the piece adds both color and a sense of adventure to flying to and from the city.

Coastal Prairie Fiori is the work of Dale Chihuly, arguably America’s best-known glass artist. He started working with the material in the 1960s during a weaving class, working shards into tapestries. Chihuly then moved into glassblowing, growing in expertise in the art even after being blinded in the left eye in a 1973 car crash. In the last several years, he has been specializing in airport installations, including Denver International Airport (DEN) and Will Rogers Airport (WRWA) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

“The way an installation interacts with a space — its light, dimensions, energy — is important to me as an artist,” Chihuly said in a statement. “The relationship between art and its environment is key. Coastal Prairie Fiori embodies that relationship; it’s hundreds of elements, when combined with the natural light that pours in through Bush Airport’s atrium, transforms the space. The way this shifting light interacts with the glass is incredibly dynamic.”

The ICP checkpoint will be fully operational by summer 2025.

Chihuly’s installation is the latest in Houston Airports’ commitment to enriching the travel hubs with various art. In February, Houston Airports installed two art cars in IAH and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU). These cars honored famous Texas musician Stevie Ray Vaughan and the legendary late singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury. The airports have increasingly become a space to display the work of artist both local and international as travelers pass through.

“The installation of Coastal Prairie Fiori represents our commitment to enhancing the international passenger experience through art that captures Houston’s natural beauty and cultural vibrancy,” says Jim Szczesniak, Director of Aviation for Houston Airports. “As a key part of our larger IAH Terminal Redevelopment Program, the new International Central Processor provides an ideal space to showcase this impressive installation, which we hope will inspire and captivate travelers from around the world.”

The Houston Airport System is renowned for its art, winning World's Best Art in the Airport from Airport by Skytrax in 2023 and 2024. Both Bush and Hobby were highlighted in the award for having exceptional art displays that celebrated Texas culture.