What to See in Waco - Top Sights and Attractions

Coliseum in Waco, Texas. The Heart O' Texas Fair Complex, now known as the Extraco Events Center, is located in Waco, Texas. It was once the prime basketball facility for Baylor University. The H.O.T Coliseum was constructed after McLennan County voters authorized a bond issue of $1.2 million in the early 1950s. Despite public criticism that might be directed toward the board and individual members, it was the board's unanimous decision to build portions of the entire plant that the available money would permit. The last of five contracts was signed on January 9, 1952, and construction of the Coliseum began soon afterward. The Coliseum, livestock barn, ticket booths and several small buildings were constructed, paving was done and fencing enclosed the grounds. In the spring of 1953, the Coliseum was completed, and on April 11, the formal opening was held. The Coliseum remained home to Bears basketball, and Waco's largest concert venue, until Ferrell Center was built in 1988.

All facilities and grounds of the Fair Complex underwent renovations and/or reconstruction throughout the years of 2000 to 2005. The Complex now covers 50 acres (200,000 m2) of land containing modernized facilities, 700 stalls, 250 RV hook-ups and parking areas able to accommodate over 3800 vehicles. Its facilities consist of the Heart O’ Texas Coliseum, Back Porch Club, Show Pavilion, General Exhibits Building, Creative Arts Building and the recently constructed Stall Barn. The Events Center coliseum seats 6,000 for rodeos and up to 9,000 for concerts.

In August 2010, officials announced that Extraco Banks signed a long-term naming rights deal, officially changing the name of the grounds to the Extraco Events Center.

The Heart O' Texas Fair & Rodeo, held for a week in October, is its largest attraction of the year, hosting a PRCA rodeo event and accompanying fair, which attract hundreds of thousands.

The Extraco Events Center also hosts yearly events such as the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus, Monster Trucks, major concert acts, and has also hosted WWE Monday Night Raw on several occasions.^[2]

Suspension bridge in Waco, Texas. The Waco Suspension Bridge crosses the Brazos River in Waco, Texas. It is a single-span suspension bridge, with a main span of 475 ft. Opened on November 20, 1869, it contains nearly 3 million bricks. It is located north of downtown Waco, connecting Indian Spring Park with Doris D. Miller Park. Every year on Independence Day, the bridge serves as a place where thousands of locals gather to watch fireworks. Indian Spring Park marks the location of the origin of the town of Waco, where the Huaco Indians had settled on the bank of the river, at the location of an cold spring.

Before 1869, crossing the Brazos River was a time-consuming and sometimes dangerous ordeal. The only way to cross the river was by ferry, and due to the location of Waco on the growing Chisholm Trail, local businessmen knew that a bridge was needed to support commerce. For this reason, members of Waco Masonic Lodge #92 proposed the creation of such a bridge and they assigned a committee which would form the Waco Bridge Company, responsible for funding and building the project. A charter was received from the state in 1866.

Col. John T. Flint, an Austin lawyer and banker, who had moved to Waco after the war and established a firm named Flint & Chamberlain, went personally to New York to handle the contract for building a bridge.

In October 1868, the engineer he hired, Thomas M. Griffith, began to supervise the construction using cables from the Roebling company of Trenton, New Jersey. The logistical and engineering difficulties he encountered were abnormal because of the remote location.

Due to lack of machine shops in the Waco area, getting the materials to the building site was a journey in itself. The nearest railroad was 100 miles (160 km) away, and the closest town with artisans with the skills needed was Galveston, over 212 miles (341 km) from the build site. Supplies were loaded onto a steamer in Galveston, and ferried to Bryan. From there, they were loaded onto wagons pulled by oxen. The pothole-filled dirt road from Bryan to Waco was bad, even by 19th-century Texas standards.

The twin double towers that anchored the span were considered to be a marvel of engineering at the time, containing nearly 3 million bricks, which were produced locally.

The bridge collected its first toll on January 1, 1870. Its 475-foot (145 m) span made it the first major suspension bridge in Texas.

The bridge was wide enough for stagecoaches to pass each other, or for cattle to cross one side of the bridge, and humans to cross the other side. Being the only bridge to cross the Brazos at the time, and the primary river crossing for the north-south travel through Texas (including cattle drives on the Chisholm Trail), the cost of building the bridge, which was estimated to be $141,000, was quickly paid back. Tolls were 5 cents per head of cattle that crossed, along with a charge for pedestrian traffic.

In 1889, the bridge was sold to McLennan County for $75,000, which removed all tolls. In 1913-1914, major reconstruction occurred on the bridge, replacing the older steel with higher gauge, and trusses were added to accommodate the span to carry heavier weights. This doubled as a new pedestrian walkway.

By 1971, the bridge had seen over 100 years of traffic. What started out as a cattle bridge had become a vehicular bridge, and the state historical committee decided that it was time to be retired, with larger and arguably safer bridges being built since the inception of the Waco Suspension Bridge. The bridge, by all accounts, helped to transform Waco from a small frontier town to a major commercial center. Today, the bridge is open to foot traffic only.

Beginning in October 2020, the bridge was closed as part of a $12.4 million rehabilitation project that involved replacing the suspension cables that had been installed in 1914, reinforcing the anchors, and replacing the decking. Temporary piers were placed in the river to support the deck while the cables were removed.

The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and was designated as a Texas Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1971.^[7]