A must stop for anyone visiting Waco. Mr. Miller, a Waco native was a hero during the attack of…read morePearl Harbor during WWII. This memorial was built to honor him.

"We can beat them, just for one day We can be heroes, just…read morefor one day" (David Bowie) Ever see that dopey 2001 Pearl Harbor movie with Ben Affleck and  Kate Beckinsale? For my money, the movie's greatest scene revolved around Cuba Gooding, Jr. He played the role of a cook aboard the USS West Virginia when it was torpedoed by Japanese bomber planes on December 7, 1941 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The movie shows him cradling his dying superior officer in has lap, then in a rage manning an anti-aircraft machine gun and without any training on the weapon, shooting down several Japanese planes. That movie character was based on a real man and the actions depicted in the movie are real. The Navy cook's name was Petty Officer Second Class Doris (Dorie) Miller of Waco, Texas. He was an athlete, and played fullback on his high school team. In 1939, when he was 20 years old, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a mess attendant third class. Two years later, his heroism and resulting newspaper accounts of his actions made him an American hero. He was the first Black American to be awarded the Navy Cross for combat valor. Miller was killed in action just two years later when his carrier was sunk by a Japanese submarine. In his honor, the Navy named an escort frigate after him (The USS Miller) in the 1970's. A nuclear powered aircraft carrier to be launched in 2029 will also be named in his honor. The memorial is located on the grounds of Doris D Miller Park on the banks of Brazos River in close proximity to the famous Waco Suspension Bridge. The memorial shows Petty Officer Second Class Miller standing tall and looking straight ahead in front of an abstract metal sculpture representing his ship. There are relief panels nearby that tell the story of this hero's life.

Its beauty is to aesthetically entice and attract the eyes visiting the Waco Convention Center…read more Unfortunately, it lacks servicing the close proximity of the EAST WACO Citizenry and Community's needs. The Bledsoe Miller Park has an overdue tribute statue of Doris Miller-but the city has erased Moore High School, Jefferson Moore High School, the late Indian Springs Middle School-leaving no where for the black community to access, heritage.., and the be active, and be a part integral to Waco pride. The Bledsoe Miller park located on Bridge Street-Elm/Washington Avenue was where black families had Easter Egg Hunts, played baseball and softball. It was where my dad pushed me high in the swing where I tried to touch the trees that grew upward seemingly enabling me to touch the sky. There are fewer park benches-no pits to roast hotdogs, grill burgers, or heat s'mores 'till the marshmallows almost melted away and burned ! .., There are the no public outdoor swimming pools on the East Side of the mighty Brazos-part of the Red River and the -Colorado River. Our Brazos River has 7 tributaries.. home of the historic Chisholm Trail, the route used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in southern Texas, across the Red River into Indian Territory, and ending at Kansas rail stops. A little further south was the great Cotton Palace that was erased also. The Cotton Palace was an exhibition ground in the area of Clay Avenue, Dutton Avenue and South Sixteenth Street in Waco, Texas, from 1895 to 1930. Waco was central to amazing history with Waco Connally Airforce Base has only remnants that still exist today. Along with the Waco Veteran's Hospital that has diminished where as the Olin E. Teague Veteran's Medical Center located in Temple,Texas; 40-45 miles south of WACO has grown and is basically replaced the Waco VA as an essential government based medical facility. Walker's Auditorium where WACO, Texas (a report done by FOX 44 NEWS) - When looking back at East Waco there are few things more iconic than Walker's Auditorium. However, the venue has been forgotten - there is not one picture of the famed building that seems to exist. On a street in East Waco stands the daughter of a trailblazer. Charlotte Floyd-Love, the only child of Herbert Walker - the legendary Black -Waco businessman who opened up the iconic Walker's Auditorium in 1945. Even though there are no pictures of it, remnants of the famed building is like time has passed on and remains only in the mind's eye of their grandchildren born in the late 1940's and 50's.. Behind the old bricks echoed the music of legends. "Ike and Tina" and "Little Stevie" rocked East Waco with their immense talent, but Charlotte shares there were so many more. *My mother, who worked for Mr. Charlie DeVall at the best restaurant in Waco-the Chicken Shack favored Walker's Auditorium, was fortunate to go there and swoon over her favorite, the incomparable Billy Eckstein. "B.B. King was one of my very special ones..." she gushes. "Bobby Blue Bland. I enjoyed all....love them. Gladys Knight. James Brown..." ***I am sad that the city of Waco is disappearing. WE NEED MORE WALKING PATHS LIKE THE MCC OUTDOOR WALKING TRACK- and the nice and adequate Baylor University Outdoor track named for the recently passed great Track Coach -Coach Clyde Heart whom I met and engaged with twice in the last year. He Coached my classmates Michael Beck, and Larry M. Davis-as well as several Gold Medalist Olympians, including Dallas,Texas native Michael Johnson, along with Jeremy Wariner, and Darold Williamson. We need a weatherized-cushioned walking path for all Wacoans: Extending from the Highway 77L and MLK Jr. Boulevard along to pass magnificent Baylor's McLane Stadium to extend pass Franklin Avenue near Indian Spring Park to down along the Brazos River Walk winding down past the Herring Bridge to Brazos Park East!! Make us all a safe, pertinent, durable walking path/ track to walk, build health, hope, and dream for the future, execute the present, and reminisce and improve upon the past. Why Not ? Because we surely do need it.., ...Why, because there is no insulated mapped out walking trail for us like the awesome McLennan Community College outdoor walking track located at 1400 College Drive 76708. Indian Spring Park seems to be only a place for a few people to picnic.

The Waco Suspension Bridge is located in downtown Waco a few feet from the Waco Convention Center…read more It is filled with a rich history, built in 1870 with cables from John Roebling's, the same company that provided cables to the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge spans 475-feet, and at one point, was considered the longest single-span suspension bridge west of the Mississippi. The Waco Suspension Bridge is majestic, yet aesthetically pleasing. It now serves as a pedestrian crossing. When you walk out on the bridge, it is peaceful, quiet and serene. Listening to the water meander under the bridge almost puts you in a trance. In addition to the bridge, the steers in the front of the bridge are being renovating...painted and sealed with hot wax.

Used to be my local movie theater for first run movies…read more Then COVID hit and I don't know if they ever recovered for first run movies. Last movie I saw there was the Joker. They might have movies now but I don't think it's first runs and more.

It's a Hard No! Avoid the Waco Hippodrome theater if you desire to do a performance here…read more Our non-profit was going to be doing a performance sometime this summer 2025 and I reached out to this venue right after the holidays sometime in February I believe. I wasn't asking for much just to be able to come by and see the possible space that we would be using and get the particulars on how much it would cost us or if it would take a percentage of the ticket sales that kind of thing. Several days went by without a response. So I actually called and got The Lovable Miss Congeniality herself Michelle who was about as helpful as a snake bite in the desert with no medical. She explained to me there's only one person that can help me and that's aaron. Turns out it took another several days to total an exact week before he got back to me. I responded by both Facebook Messenger phone text email and it was still another 4 days. After that I gave him a few Choice words and said I would be looking elsewhere which I did. So I narrowed it down to a couple in the area but did not like the pricing from those other venues so I thought it would go back to Hippodrome one more time and give them a second chance...bad idea. This second time when I emailed unfortunately Aaron was up to his old tricks and after hours and hours from an email that I sent which I know we got cuz he's a younger guy he's younger people get their texts and emails instantly they look at them and then decide whether to respond or not. I'm quite certain he looked at it and decided again like he did back in February not to respond in a timely manner and thus we're pulling the plug on any hope with the hippodrome theater and leaving them this well-deserved bad review. As far as a spectator I saw the Eagles wanna group a few years ago... it's like a tribute group to the Eagles and we were up in the balcony and it wasn't very comfortable and you had to kind of see through either the beams or some of the hand railing. It wasn't a very pleasant experience up there in the balcony. Other reviews have said that the food really sucks and is horrible. I don't know about that I cannot comment on that. The physical location seems cool because its historic it is right downtown Waco but they're giving this Historic Landmark a huge black eye by having p*ss poor customer service, ...actually nonexistent customer service.

One of the best Segway tours I've ever had! Tim was an incredible guide--friendly, knowledgeable,…read moreand genuinely fun to be around. When I showed up and found the place closed, I called to check, and Tim kindly agreed to give me a tour even though I was the only guest. He made sure I felt comfortable throughout and kept the experience engaging with local history and stories. We cruised around the Trinity Garden, which ended up being one of my favorite parts. On top of that, he shared fantastic restaurant recommendations. It felt more like exploring the city with a friend than a formal tour. Huge thanks to Tim for making it such a memorable experience. I'd absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for something unique and enjoyable!

One of the coolest things to do in Fort Worth Texas. We planned the Segway tour a couple of weeks…read morein advance. This was my first time trying the segways. It's actually so easy to learn. I spent about 10 mins trying all the different things our tour guide asked me to practice. I pickled it up very easily. Everyone did so as well. Anyone can ride segways. I wish we had more segways all over the country. Tour started off in the downtown Fort Worth area. We stopped at many historic destinations along the way. Tour guide was very funny and very knowledgeable. My favorite part was by the riverside. Absolutely gorgeous weather to ride Segways and made our trip even more memorable with lots of great pics. Our tour guide took some incredible pics of us. Highly recommend this experience if you're trying to do something cool and fun.

I had an amazing tour experience with Shannon and Don! I…read morehappened to be in Plano over the weekend for a conference so since I came this far, I hopped on a bus and scheduled myself for less than 24 hours in Waco! I didn't realize that the #Magnolia properties are closed on Sunday, so I found other fun ways to get the Waco hospitality from the moment I arrived. I was actually glad that I got to see the town for what it is a few days before people traveled there from all over for #Silobration. I look forward to returning to Waco for a longer visit! I booked this tour through the Viator website and the tour group was really responsive from the beginning. I was actually concerned that my bus arriving to town might cause the tour to be delayed if they waited for me, but they were so kind with accommodating my schedule. It all worked out as it should timewise. I really enjoyed learning about Waco from Shannon and Don's perspective. First of all they are super friendly and welcoming and make you feel like neighbors! They shared stories of individuals from this small town who had done great things. They talked about big natural disasters that the town overcame! They showed us the natural beauty of the area around the zoo, and the rivers around town. I loved the college town feel too that made me long to go back to those college days. I also got to see several of my favorite fixer upper homes as we drove through town - many of which are now airbnbs! I don't want to spoil all that they shared, but I highly recommend their tour and will definitely return to do their river sunset tour. I also really appreciated that since they knew I was on foot and trying to get to the Dr Pepper Museum before they closed in less than an hour, they offered to drop me off there, which is not the normal ending point for the tour.

This is a good tour. Brad and Don are incredibly knowledgeable about the area. They are…read morepersonable and funny! My friend and I drove around on our own and passed many of the points of interest that are on the tour. However, without being in Brad and Don's company, we would have never known about the history of the city... or been there for their dad jokes (ha,ha!). The reason I didn't give it a full five stars is because it's mainly a driving tour. It's hard to hear the commentary from the back of the bus; and, we only stopped twice: once to see Common Grounds and get a drink, and the second to stop in a park to see a view. It was quite chilly in their Sprinter; and I would have preferred to have more places to explore from outside the vehicle.

This was a neat experience. It was highly recommended and I had no idea about the history of Dr…read more Pepper. Overall, it was really cool to learn more not only about the soda, but the city of Waco, and the overall history of soda too! I like how the areas of the museum were split up and there was a lot to see and learn. I thought it was going to be a little less historical, more fun, with all kinds of products to try. At the end of the tour you can get a hand crafted soda from one of the soda jerks and I don't know if it was the Texas heat, the fact that it was so freshly made, or that I just hadn't had a full sugar soda in a while but oh my goodness!!!!! I still think about how sweet and refreshing the root beer and Dr Pepper we had were. When in Waco, get a Dr Pepper.

This was such a fun experience. We took a speed tour as we got there 40 minutes before closing and…read morewere truly there for the gift shop and drink at the end. This is your usual gimmicky side of the road stop that feels very old yet interesting to experience. Bonus Points for the "Lil Sweet" Funko Pop i got to purchase Also shout out to the employees all of them were wonderful, informative and kind. I'll be suggesting this to anyone I know who comes through town.

In downtown Waco near the Alico building, this marker points out the history of a recent tragedy…read morethat struck the city. It is also near the courthouse so there is plenty of parking. The marker reads, "One of the most disastrous tornadoes in Texas history swept through downtown Waco on the afternoon of May 11, 1953, killing 114 people, destroying 346 buildings and creating property damage in excess of $50 million. Some of the worst devastation occurred at this site, where 22 employees of the R.T. Dennis Furniture Company died when the building collapsed. Aid to the city came in the form of volunteer and, military rescue forces and donations totaling over $9 million. The rescue and restoration efforts that followed reflected Waco's strong sense of pride and community spirit." This is marker number 5449 and it was erected in 1983 by the Texas Historical Commission. [Review 816 of 2024 - 571 in Texas - 21847 overall]

A bit faded, this marker stands next to the First Baptist Church of Waco and points out the history…read moreof an institution that has since merged with another. There is some parking here though it might be busy if there is a service underway. The marker reads, "In 1861, Dr. Rufus C. Burleson (1823-1901) resigned as president of Baylor University (then located at Independence) to become head of the Waco Classical School, which had been founded in 1856 as the Trinity River Male High School by the Rev. Solomon G. O'Bryan. For 25 years Burleson worked tirelessly to make Waco University, as it was renamed in 1861, the pre-eminent Baptist College in the state, and by the early 1880s enrollment had reached over 400 students. In 1886, the Waco and Independence institutions were unified as Baylor University at Waco." It is marker number 5695 and was erected in 1986 by the Texas Historical Commission. [Review 826 of 2024 - 581 in Texas - 21857 overall]

I was unable to check in and the location on Yelp was incorrect…read more I walked around this park on 3/3/25 alone. My daughter stayed at the hotel as her knees hurt from walking too much earlier. This was a nice walk. Saw a few homeless people. They were nice and friendly. I understand that they had renovated the suspension bridge recently. It's a nice park and area to walk around.

Located on both sides of the Waco Suspension Bridge, this is a tribute to the Chisholm Trail on…read morewhich Waco was a part. (I've just come from Paris where I visited the Burial Site Of John Chisum.) The sculptures feature a trail boss and a herd of steer being driven. They are life size which gives you the opportunity to see the power of these huge beasts and what it must have taken to bring them to market. [Review 820 of 2024 - 575 in Texas - 21851 overall]