Baylor’s bear mascots, courtesy Waco and the Heart of Texas
Sunsets on the suspension bridge
As beautiful as the convention center has become, there’s still a call for offsite venues, and Waco’s offerings are surprising in their scope.
The closest is the Waco Suspension Bridge, a Waco icon built in 1870, across the street from the convention center.
At the time it was built, the span was the longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi. Now the pedestrian-only bridge can be booked for dinners and receptions. By modern standards, it is narrow, only 16 feet across, so when eight-foot-round tables are used, “they must be staggered,” said Pendergraft.
About a mile from downtown in Waco’s 460-acre Cameron Park, the Cameron Park Zoo is 53 acres of natural setting. A medium-sized zoo, it’s “not so big that you wear out the kids.” said Jim Fleshman, the zoo’s director.
There is plenty to see, including one of the nation’s larger exhibits of orangutans. The apes are often enlisted when the zoo is asked to provide an educational animal encounter for groups.
Among the favorites for small dinners and receptions is the zoo’s saltwater aquarium complex, built to look like a ship, where 100 people can dine in front of a 25-foot-long window into a Gulf reef aquarium.
Group events are also welcomed at many of the city’s museums, a colorful collection that includes the Texas Ranger Museum and Hall of Fame, and the Dr Pepper Museum.
Fans for life
What stands out in conversations about Waco is that allegiance to the city predates its new developments. Sanders, with the baseball coaches association, polled his coaches several years ago about conference sites.
“More than 80 percent said they wanted to stay here,” he said. “Coaches are very loyal, and when things go right, we don’t see a need to make changes.”
Worthey hopes this summer’s combined Missionary Baptist of Texas convention “knocks it out of the park. People have been wanting to come back to Waco for years; if every convention could be held in Waco, they would be happy.”
Its central location is a selling point, but it is “mostly the hospitable spirit of Waco” that makes church members want to return, said Worthey.
Waco’s welcoming citizens also want their city to be its best. Six years ago, they got the ball rolling for the convention center makeover and a number of other city improvements by approving a $63 million bond issue, the first in 40 years in the city.
“The city realized it needed to send a message to private developers that Waco was committed to development,” said Taylor. “Our convention center project is in the forefront. It has stirred emotions, that this is our city and nobody is going to take care of it other than us and to build it other than us.”
