How to turn a few free hours in Waco into a mini-adventure with the Waco Adventure Pass.
You don’t always need a full day to get a feel for a place. In Waco, a free morning, a rental car, and the Waco Adventure Pass were all I needed to slip between wild habitats, sports history, and the larger-than-life legends of the Texas Rangers.
Because my hotel –the Hotel Herringbone– was so central, each stop was less than a 10-minute drive away, and parking was free. That made the whole experience feel relaxed and manageable, not like I was racing a checklist. With only a few hours to spare before heading to Frisco, I focused on three very different stops included with the Waco Adventure Pass: Cameron Park Zoo, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum. Together, they reveal a surprising amount about how Texans care for animals, celebrate sport, and tell their own stories.
Stop 1: A Quiet Morning Among Animals at Cameron Park Zoo
I started the day at Cameron Park Zoo, arriving shortly after opening. The paths were calm, mostly filled with local mums and small children discovering the animals together. It felt less like a tourist attraction and more like a neighbourhood green space.
Set along the Brazos River, this 52-acre natural-habitat zoo is home to well over a thousand animals from around the world, with exhibits that range from African and Asian landscapes to Brazos River Country, which highlights Texas wildlife. Habitats are designed to be open, leafy, and immersive, with plenty of shade and water features. Conservation and education sit at the centre of the experience, from interpretive signs to staff and volunteers answering questions.
Arriving early meant cooler temperatures, softer light, and a gentle start to the day. If you visit, wear comfortable shoes, move slowly, and let the animals set the pace—observing quietly rather than coaxing them into photos. I have mixed feelings about zoos. Places like Cameron Park Zoo clearly work hard to give animals space, stimulation, and care—but part of me still imagines a world where we protected habitats so well that animals never needed our enclosures at all. Until then, I’m grateful for the facilities that prioritise welfare, education, and conservation over spectacle.
1701 N 4th St., Waco, TX 76707 – Open: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Stop 2: Where Sports Feel Like a Second Religion – Texas Sports Hall of Fame
My next stop was the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, just a few minutes away. I walked in as a group of about 70 school children arrived, and suddenly the galleries buzzed with energy—kids debating their heroes, pointing out jerseys, and imagining themselves under stadium lights.
The museum celebrates athletes and coaches from across Texas in multiple sports: football, baseball, basketball, Olympic disciplines, and more. Under the same roof you’ll also find the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame, so it really is a full portrait of the state’s sporting obsession. Exhibits are thick with memorabilia—game-worn jerseys, balls, rings, photos, and highlight clips—that capture how sport in Texas can feel like a second religion.
With a Dallas Cowboys game on my itinerary, it was fun to connect to their history and highlights. Plan for at least an hour if you enjoy reading plaques and watching historic footage; it’s even more meaningful if you pair it with a live game while you’re in the state.
1108 S University Parks Dr., Waco, TX 76706 – Open: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Stop 3: Legends, Myths, and Real History – Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum
To round out the morning, I visited the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum near the Brazos River. If the sports hall honours modern heroes, this museum looks back at nearly 200 years of Texas Ranger history—a story that has long captured the imagination of writers and filmmakers.
Recognised as the official repository for Ranger heritage, the museum traces the force from its frontier origins to its present-day role within the Texas Department of Public Safety. Galleries display badges, saddles, personal items, portraits, and case exhibits tied to well-known investigations. It is easy to see why the Rangers loom large in pop culture, but there is also space to reflect on the more complex realities of law enforcement, frontier justice, and how different communities experienced that history.
What stayed with me most was watching Texans move through the space—families reading panels together, kids staring up at uniforms, older visitors trading memories of old television shows. It feels like a living conversation between past and present. Give yourself at least an hour here, and, if you can, a quiet walk by the river afterwards to let it all sink in.
100 Texas Ranger Trail, Waco, TX 76706 – Open: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Takeaway
Sometimes the best travel days are the simple ones: a quiet zoo, a loud museum full of kids, a hall of history, and the feeling that you understand a place just a little better than you did that morning.