So You Got Kicked Out of the Pool in Waco — Now What?

68,000 years ago, a herd of Columbian Mammoths died by mudslide together in Waco, Texas — creating the United States’ only place where you can examine an entire herd’s worth of mammoth fossils.

139 years ago, the Dr. Pepper soda was invented in Waco, originally designed to a drink served hot over a lemon.

71 years ago, one of the strongest and deadliest tornados in recorded history — an F5 twister — spun its way through Waco, Texas, killing 114 people.

31 years ago, the 51-day “Waco Siege” went down, where a cult known as the Brand Davidians, run by leader David Koresh, squared up against the United States FBI, leaving 76 people dead and becoming a worldwide media phenomenon.

And, finally, seven years ago, in 2018, a wavepool was added to the Barefoot Ski Ranch (BSR) Cable Park — now Waco Surf. Wavepools were now affordable enough, reliable enough, and close enough to be ridden by a non- pro or -gazillionaire.

All this to affirm that Waco is a bizarre corner of Texas — which is in and of itself a bizarre corner of the United States. “Don’t be afraid, Texas is a very different place from what you might imagine from the stereotypes and the sound bites of its national political figures,” Anthony Bourdain said upon overcoming his Yankee fear of the Lone Star State.

To save you time and money on your next Waco trip, we compiled this list of nine places you should visit when your session expires and the lifeguards kick you out (nicely, with a Southern drawl). We also enlisted the help of Cori Stephens, our Bourdainean proxy, to break it all down for us.

Here are the nine spots listed as well:

• Boots — Tecovas
• Food — Red Herring
• Food — Milo All Day
• Vintage clothes — Studio Grocery
• Food — Terry Black’s BBQ
• Coffee — Pinewood
• Dessert — Milk Bottle Cookies
• Hats — Standard Hat Works
• Food — Cultura Mia