The best arts & culture spots in McLennan County

East Terrace Museum packs the kind of creaky-floorboard charm locals secretly love, with many original 1870s furnishings and stories from its days as a residence, boarding house, even a sanatorium. Take a virtual stroll now, then plan a friend date to tour those parlors in person.

From the Waco newsletter, October 19, 2026

Waco Civic Theatre is lining up a seriously good season, featuring the Central Texas premiere of Dear Evan Hansen plus crowd-pleasers like Come From Away and A Chorus Line. Community-built, professionally polished, it’s the kind of place you go to feel the lights come up and remember why live theater hits different.

From the Waco newsletter, October 16, 2026

Skip the scroll and spend an afternoon at Homestead Heritage, a working farm and craft village where you can craft a leather belt, pinch a pot, watch artisans forge, throw clay, and build fine furniture, then refuel with from-scratch comfort food and waffles that fully justify a victory lap.

From the Waco newsletter, September 20, 2026

From the Southwest Conference to global podiums, Texas Sports Hall of Fame lines up more than 400 inductees, a podcast, and rotating events that keep Texas sports stories alive. If you need a quick mood boost this week, pop in and let the legends remind you why we love game day.

From the Waco newsletter, September 26, 2026

Part of Historic Waco’s trio of preserved homes, McCulloch House Museum gives locals an easy way to reconnect with real-deal Waco history through intimate house tours, rotating exhibits, and occasional special events, all put on by volunteer storytellers who actually know the good neighborhood gossip.

From the Waco newsletter, October 10, 2026

Because sometimes Waco just needs a little fizz, the Dr Pepper Museum turns a 1906 bottling plant into a deep dive on soda lore, quirky memorabilia, and Texas-born pop culture. Check out Make-A-Soda, the Keurig Dr Pepper Liquid Lab, and the Waco Lunch Counter Exhibit.

From the Waco newsletter, September 21, 2026

Part museum, part library, and home to the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in Texas, Lee Lockwood Library and Museum mixes rich fraternal history with seriously photogenic event spaces. Drop by to explore the collections, or keep it in your back pocket for a wedding, banquet, or big community moment.

From the Waco newsletter, September 29, 2026

Martin Museum of Art is Baylor University’s gem, mixing a five-century permanent collection with smart rotating shows. Swing by this week for Rosemary Meza-DesPlas’ Aquí, Escuchar (Here, Hear) running through November 7 and Christian Rieben’s Paradise Tossed, then leave feeling smarter than your group chat.

From the Waco newsletter, September 19, 2026

Whether you're chasing family lore or sharpening a history project, Texas Ranger Research Center is a nonprofit library and archives with service records, photos, and documents going back to the 1830s.

From the Waco newsletter, October 6, 2026

Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum packs artifacts, exhibits, and a research center into one Waco staple, with timely extras like the Texas America 250 panels in Taub Hall through August and the special Rangers Through Time exhibit in Spindletop Tower. Pop in this week.

From the Waco newsletter, October 3, 2026

Mayborn Museum Complex is a Smithsonian Affiliate that mixes hands-on science, natural history, and communications exhibits with a 19th-century village you can wander, so the kids learn while you sneak in some nostalgia. Rotating traveling exhibits keep things fresh...

From the Waco newsletter, October 13, 2026