The Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast
Area
Attractions
- Armstrong Browning Library -
"The Library with its dedication to the great
British Victorian poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett
Browning is as surprising as the poets' own unlikely
love story." World’s largest collection of
materials relating to Robert and Elizabeth Barrett
Browning, housed in an imposing library with 56
stained glass windows depicting the poetry of the
Brownings. Also an extensive Wedgwood china
collection on display. Free Admission. For the
Library's website click on
Armstrong Browning Library.
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Armstrong
Browning Library |
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Cameron Park Zoo
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- Cameron Park Zoo - You'll find
many rare species living together at the Cameron
Park Zoo, the nation's newest natural habitat zoo
located in Waco, with a cascading waterway, includes
African savanna, Gibbon Island, Sumatran tigers,
lions, herpetarium, tiny Dik-Dik Antelopes, a new
South American Exhibit, and much more. For
details, click on
Zoo.
- Carleen Bright Arboretum -
Woodway residents and
visitors take pride in the City's rolling hills and
abundance of trees, grasses and wildlife. The
Carleen Bright Arboretum is at the center of this
natural beauty and offers an attractive center for
family gatherings and special community events. The
Arboretum includes a gazebo, concert green, the Todd
Willis Memorial Nature Trail and Whitehall Center.
An enhanced reproduction of the original Whitehall
Church which served the immediate area before
Woodway became a city, Whitehall Center has 1,800
sq. ft. dedicated for use as a rental hall. The
Center is used for tourist related events, public
meetings, art exhibits and rented for private
functions. The adjacent terrace provided an
additional 2,000 sq. ft. for outdoor activities
associated with the Center. There is a caterer's
kitchen in the hall and public restrooms. An office
is located in the Center to provide information to
visitors and take rental reservations. See
Arboretum for more details.
Carleen Bright Arboretum
- Dr Pepper Museum and Free
Enterprise Institute - Dr Pepper was invented by a
Wacoan and the museum is housed in the original
bottling plant. The 1906 "Home of Dr Pepper" with
exhibits, memorabilia and a working
turn-of-the-century soda fountain featuring floats
and shakes. You will connect to their site at
Dr Pepper.
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- Heritage Square - Visitors can
stroll through pergolas -- partially-covered
walkways -- while reading the names of past mayors.
They can listen to the sounds of trickling water in
one of the five fountains. Click on
Heritage Square.
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Homestead
Heritage |
- Historic Waco Foundation Homes -
The foundation maintains four historic homes.
Click on
Historic Waco. All are fully restored and
feature authentic period furniture,
china and decorative art from the late 1800’s.
Special tours arranged on request.
- Homestead Heritage - Traditional
Crafts Village - an inheritance of fine
hand-craftsmanship in a traditional village setting,
featuring handmade furniture,
pottery, blacksmithing, and more. Click on
Homestead Heritage.
- Lake Waco - Waco Lake is a U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers operated lake located in
McLennan County and is entirely within the city
limits of Waco, Texas. The lake offers various types
of recreation. Some of these are camping, fishing,
boating, swimming, hunting, biking & walking trails,
birding areas and much more. Click on
Lake Waco for web site.
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Masonic Grand Lodge - First formed in 1837, the
original Texas Masons met in the Houston Senate
Chambers, with Sam Houston presiding over the Grand
Lodge. All the Republic of Texas presidents were, in
fact, Grand Masters of the Texas Masons. Click on
Masonic Grand Lodge.
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Mayborn
Museum Complex -
provides a wide spectrum
of learning opportunities to engage all types
visitors. The exhibits and education programs
encourage families to learn together and design
their own museum experience.
Jeanes Discovery Center:
offers sixteen hands-on discovery rooms with themes
from vertebrates to transportation, health to sound.
Natural history exhibits are located both indoors
and outdoors and include walk-in dioramas and
exploration stations.
Governor Bill and Vara
Daniel Historic Village - 13 acres located on the
Brazos River. From a homestead to a school, a saloon
to a church, the Historic Village has recreated life
in Texas during the 1890s. Click on
Historic Village.
Waco Mammoth Exhibit, guests can walk on a
see-through floor to look down upon casts of the
Columbian mammoth bones displayed exactly as they
were unearthed at the Waco Mammoth Site, just 5
miles from the Baylor Campus.
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McGregor Telephone Museum -
operated by the Spradley family, long-time
Southwestern Bell employees.
- McGregor Amtrak Station - This is
the Amtrak stop for Waco and the website can be
found by clicking on
Amtrak.
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McGregor Amtrak
Depot |
Recreation Hall
built by the CCC |
- President George W. Bush Ranch -
1580 acres located near Crawford, which is just
eight miles north of The Lighthouse. Click on
President Bush.
- Red Men Museum - Among the
artifacts on display is a watercolor by Adolf
Hitler, a bugle from the Gettysburg battlefield, a
peace blanket from Apache Chief Geronimo, and a Colt
.45 and a Colt .48 of Bonnie and Clyde. Click on
Red Men Museum
and then click on "Museum and Library."
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- River Square Center - located on
Franklin Avenue near the Brazos River and home for
numerous shops and such restaurants as Ninfa’s
(Mexican Food), Gratziano’s (Italian
Food), Diamondback’s (Steaks and Gourmet
Texas Style Food, open for dinner only),
Cricket’s (Pizza, Burgers, and Hot Sandwiches),
and Franklin’s (Seafood).
- River Walk at Indian Springs Park
- Enjoy free summer concerts in Indian Spring Park.
Stroll the
Riverwalk all year long!
- Sironia - a shopping market
including antiques and a tea room located on Waco's
old-time main street, Austin Avenue.
- Suspension Bridge - Built in 1870
and a model for the Brooklyn Bridge, this famous
Waco landmark provided cattle and cowboys following
the Chisholm Trail the only span across the Brazos
River. Click on
Suspension Bridge.
- Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and
Museum - The original enforcers of Texas laws (not
the baseball team) has a most unique collection of
the old west. Extensive collection of Texas Ranger
and Old West artifacts. Click on
Ranger Museum.
- Texas Sports Hall of Fame - See
Texas sports history come alive with the Tom Landry
Theater and interactive displays! Click on
Sports
Hall of Fame.
- Unique shopping areas
- Waco Convention and Visitors
Bureau - Click on
Waco
CVB.
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Waco Suspension
Bridge |
The Arts
- Art Center - The Art Center of
Waco makes its home on two and half acres of the
rolling hills of McLennan Community College. Click
on The Art
Center.
Art Center Waco
is housed in the historic, Mediterranean-style, William
Cameron summer home. Our studios overlook the Brazos
River Valley, a beautiful natural setting conducive to
creative learning and inspiration.
New gallery tours have been added.
Schools, preschools, groups and classes get personalized
tours and fun arts activities related to the current
exhibit. The two and one-half acre
Sculpture Garden is accessible daily. Visitors are
encouraged to explore!
- Hippodrome Theater - Built in
1914 in the heart of downtown as a vaudeville and
movie house and restored to a 1930s Spanish Colonial
style in the 1980s, the Waco Hippodrome Theater
hosts local and national shows alike. Click on
Hippodrome
to see a list of upcoming shows and tickets for
sale.
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Art Center Waco
is housed in the historic, Mediterranean-style, William
Cameron summer home. |
Education
- Baylor University - Chartered in
1845 by the Republic of Texas and affiliated with
the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Baylor is
the oldest institution of higher learning in the
state and the largest Baptist university in the
world. For much more information, click on
Baylor.
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Events
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- Annual Brazos River Festival -
held the last weekend in April every April. Click
on
Brazos River Festival.
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Christmas On the Brazos - a tour
of the historic homes of Waco the third weekend in
December. For more information, click on
Events.
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City happenings in Waco - a
current list of Waco events. For more information,
click on
Waco.
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Heart O' Texas Coliseum - home to
the annual Heart O' Texas Fair and Rodeo, as well as
the site for many other events, including the
circus, concerts, auto and boat shows, and
livestock events. Click on
HOT Fair.
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Historic Homes
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Earle-Harrison House |
- Earle-Harrison House and Gardens
on Fifth Street - Ante bellum, Greek revival style
home with 5 acres of lawns, pond and gardens. Built
in 1858 by Dr. Baylis Wood Earle and his wife, Ann Eliza
Harrison Earle, this Greek Revival style mansion is the
only restored antebellum home in Waco. Built of cypress,
it features fourteen foot ceilings, walkthrough windows
onto verandas, and spacious rooms. It's fine Victorian
furnishings and artifacts were gifts from Waco citizens,
along with pieces from the Earle and Harrison
descendants. This photograph was taken prior to its
restoration in 1967. Click
on
Earle-Harrison House.
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Earle-Napier-Kinnard House -
814 S. 4th St. The house is of the Greek Revival
style, characterized by white, pillared porticos like
Greek temples. Built of pale pink handmade brick, which
was made nearby, it has a graceful Ionic portico,
ornamental wooden banisters, made to resemble the
ironwork of New Orleans, on both the upper and lower
galleries, and cypress shutters. This house is said
to be the second brick house built in
Waco. At the time it was built, in 1858,
Waco was but a small village. Not long after the
original one-room house was built, the Civil War began
and many of the men from
Waco went off to war. The first owner of this
property was John Baylis Earle, who came to
Waco Village in 1855 when it had fewer than 700
citizens. He purchased the land in 1856 and built the
original one-story brick house on the property. In
December 1866, H. S. Morgan purchased the property, a
total of about three acres of land. The purchase price
was four thousand dollars in gold specie. Mr. Morgan
started the walls for the dining room and the two-story
addition. In May, l868, the property was sold to Dr.
John S. Napier and his wife, who enlarged the house so
it was as we see it today. Click
on
E-N-K House.
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Earle-Napier-Kinnard
House |
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East
Terrace |
East Terrace - 100 Mill St.
The architectural style of
this house is Italianate Villa, with small cozy rooms and a tower room
where the owner could survey his acreage. This style was popular along
the Hudson River, and in that area it is referred to as Hudson River
Architecture. Note the square cupola, tall hooded windows and mansard
roof. The dining room and large bedroom above it were added about 1880.
The second addition, the Entertainment Wing with its own entrance hall
was added in 1884. Mr. Mann had his workmen put aside the most perfect
bricks to use for his house, the terraces, storm cellar and the large
chimneys of the four servant houses.
The Hudson River was better behaved
than the Brazos. Every few years the Brazos would flood and the house
was under water numerous times and, at least once, up to the second
floor galleries. Howard Mann once told that, during the big 1913 flood,
his mother had her favorite cow taken up to the second floor, out of the
water, before she would leave.
Click on
East Terrace. |
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Fort House - 503 S. 4th St.
The house is Greek Revival Style,
constructed in 1868 of pink brick, locally made. On
either side of the front door are fluted ionic columns;
which are original to the house. They were made of
Cypress in New Orleans, shipped to Galveston, then
transported to
Waco overland by ox cart and flat bottom boat on
the rivers and streams. The cypress shutters are also
original to the house. The trim is made of pine. The
balcony above the front door originally extended to the
columns.
The home is on its original site.
The original plot of land, on which
Fort
House stands, extended from South 4th and Webster
to encompass six or more acres. The western boundary was
5th Street. The family kept horses, cows, and poultry
and maintained extensive vegetable gardens and orchards.
Originally, a white picket fence enclosed the property.
The wrought iron fence replaced it sometime prior to
1890. At the time the home was constructed, South 4th
Street was just a dirt road. On the corner of South 4th
Street and Webster Avenue, stood a white arbor covered
with greenery that offered a cool escape from the hot
Texas summers.
Click on
Fort House.
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Fort
House |
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McCulloch
House |
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McCulloch House - 407
Columbus Ave.
McCulloch House was begun in 1866
and completed in 1872.
The original house consisted of a
two-room structure. The house was enlarged to its
present two-story Greek Revival house made of local pink
brick. There was a dependency: a detached kitchen to the
north of the original structure that was incorporated
into the main building when the house was enlarged.
Dr. Josiah H. Caldwell, a
Waco Physician, and his wife built the house in
1866. Mr. and Mrs. Champe Carter McCulloch purchased the
house in 1872. Mr. McCulloch was a prominent
Wacoan. He was a local merchant who made frequent
trips to New York to but merchandise for other
Waco merchants. He served as Mayor for about 11
years. Emma Bassett, later to become Mrs. McCulloch, was
brought
to Waco from Corsicana,
Texas, by buggy, to teach piano and penmanship at
the
Waco University when the teacher of those
subjects left for the Civil War. The McCullochs had ten
children. The last descendant, a daughter-in-law, lived
in the house until 1971.
Click on
McCulloch House.
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Hoffman House - 810 S. 4th St.
This 1890s Queen Anne style Victorian
cottage is the home of Historic
Waco Foundation and now serves as the
Foundation's office. Its teal green color was found
beneath layers of paint and is now set off by its
original white “gingerbread” trim.
Mr. Hoffmann was the son of a
German physician who immigrated to the United States
during the Civil War and was immediately conscripted
into the Union Army. During Reconstruction he was sent
to
Texas with Union forces and decided to make
Texas his home. Mr. and Mrs. Hoffmann were the
dedicated parents of two daughters, Fay and Bird, and a
son Harry at the turn of the 1900s.
In 1987 this house was moved over 20 blocks to
810 S. 4 th Street from 19 th and Webster Avenue. In
order to make the move, the roof was removed, the porch
was dismantled, and cross streets were closed. After the
move was complete and the house placed on its new
foundation piers, the work began on restoration of the
exterior and interior.Click on
Hoffman House.
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Hoffman House |
Recreation
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Cameron Park
Cottonwood Creek Golf Course |
- Cameron Park - The 416 acres of
Cameron Park offer something for everyone. For the water
lover, the Brazos and Bosque Rivers make for a fun day
of fishing, canoeing, or kayaking, complete with
easy-access boat ramps. For wildflower enthusiasts, Miss
Nellie's Pretty Place showcases Texas' many native
wildflowers and plants, with rock-lined paths, a
picturesque pool, and amphitheater—just the spot to rest
and soak in the outdoor beauty. For the athletic crowd,
Cameron Park offers sand volleyball courts, hiking
paths, mountain-biking trails, bridle paths, horseshoe
pits, and two scenic disc golf courses. Cameron Park is
great for families; parents can picnic in riverside
pavilions or under giant shade trees while the kids play
on the playgrounds and spray parks. For the nature
lovers, the Park Rangers offer outdoor treks to explore
Waco's rocks, trees, fossils, and critters. Click on
Cameron Park.
- Cottonwood Creek Golf Course - a
public facility located conveniently in the center
of McLennan County at 5200 Bagby. Golfers will find
a unique course layout winding through the rolling
plains of Waco along with Bermuda grass greens and
an abundance of cottonwood trees. Measuring 7,140
from the championship tees, the course is a par 72. The
course features pristine greens and landscaping.
Cottonwood Creek was voted 13th Best Municipal Course in
Texas. More information
can be found at
Cottonwood Creek.
- Fort Fisher - a park adjacent to
Interstate Highway 35 where The Texas Ranger Hall of
Fame and Museum complex is located, along with the
Visitor Information Center. It is also near the
Texas Sports Hall of Fame and features sprawling shade
trees and riverfront picnic spots perfect for an
afternoon break. Click on
Fort Fisher.
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For details on this book, featuring our B&B on the cover,
and a "One Night Free" certificate valid here or at
1600 other inns listed, 
