A Romantic Weekend Getaway to Waco, Texas

When Andy surprised me with a fully planned weekend trip to Waco, TX for our anniversary he was so excited and very proud since I am the one who usually does all the planning for our trips. He and my daughter Angelina made a wonderful itinerary for the 3 day trip. I had never really thought of going to Waco for a weekend getaway, but I was surprised at all the fun things we were able to do there!

WINERIES - Andy made sure we had multiple stops at local wineries in the area.

Kissing Tree Vineyards in Eddy, is an amazing tasting room, definitely one that should make it on your list for a wine tour. Located in a restored historic bank it was full of rustic charm and great ambiance. The beautiful original ornate ceiling tiles, open brick walls, and the old bank vault turned wine cellar made it a very romantic and unique tasting room. There is a large open sitting room with plenty of comfortable seating for large parties. Of the wine offerings, there was a nice variety of sweet to dry wines to include a fabulous port. I liked the multiple options of wines they offer, sometimes I feel like enjoying a sweet wine (especially during those hot Texas summers) and sometimes I want to enjoy a velvety dry red wine. Also, Andy loves it when he sees a dessert port on the menu so it was nice to have all the varieties to sample. A few of their other offerings besides wine are specialty cigars, cheese plates, and live music and dinner on Saturday nights. We really enjoyed our wine tasting and touring the beautiful venue. Needless to say, we left with 2 bottles of wine (French Kiss and Ruby Cabernet) and big smiles. (Located in Eddy on I-35 between Temple and Waco).

Country Spring Vineyard in Lorena was just a few minutes drive off I-35. Entering the long driveway we headed past the lovely, well kept vineyard and were led to the tasting room. We entered under a large covered front patio, and found inside to have a big open seating area for socializing and a long wine tasting bar. There was also a nice outdoor side patio with a fire ring and relaxing Adirondack chairs, patio dining tables, and a pretty stone waterfall. We enjoyed our tasting with a well prepared charcuterie board along with great service and conversation from the owner and winemaker, Mary Timmons. They had a nice variety of dry and sweet wines on the tasting menu but we decided to try out the sweet flavored wines. We were delighted with the different varieties they offered and had a lot of fun tasting such unique flavors. After our very enjoyable wine tasting we brought home a bottle each of the Lime in the Coconut, Happy Puppy (I love watermelon wine), Rowdy Red, and their Chocolate Raspberry Dessert wine.

Red Caboose Winery in Clifton was a unique stop, with it being a winery tasting room and a distillery. They offer sweet and dry award winning wines grown from their estate vineyard which is located in nearby Meridian. They also have a distillery located in the Clifton winery where they make unique Texas vodka from grapes grown in their vineyard and even have jalapeno and cilantro infused flavors! They were a fun and “spirited” bunch (pun intended) at the distillery and we really enjoyed our visit and lively conversation with the owner, Gary McKibben. Definitely an experience when on a wine tour near Waco that shouldn’t be missed.

Valley Mills Vineyards is located just a few miles north of the town of Valley Mills and about a 30 minute drive west of Waco. Driving through the beautiful open iron gates you follow a winding gravel drive to the grand Tuscan style hillside winery. You enter through a grandiose wooden door with decorative iron hinges and are able to view the large tank room through the many windows as you climb the stairs to the tasting room. The open, airy, and exquisitely designed tasting room is beautiful and romantic. High ceilings, an inviting bar, tables, and large window filled doors, makes it a wonderful place to stay and enjoy their award winning wines and charcuterie or cheese boards. The outdoor patio and upper deck allow you to take in the breathtaking view of their beautiful hillside estate and valley below. You can also take a lovely stroll with your glass of wine through the vineyard to look upon the impressive old twisting vines and canopy. Their wines are mostly dry with the exception of their decadent port wines. We highly enjoyed our visit and tasting and a stroll through the vineyard. Our wine purchase was their fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon and a decadent Port called Tess. This vineyard and winery was a very romantic and memorable stop on our Waco area wine tour and of course we definitely recommend it!

SIGHTS - He found some really fun things for us to do around town.

River Cruise Tour by Waco Tours - a wonderful and romantic 2 ½ hour sunset river cruise down the Brazos river. We enjoyed some amazing stories of the history of Waco and different sights along the way by our knowledgeable and funny captain and guide. We were delighted by the beautiful scenery, wildlife, and Waco sights like McLane Stadium and views of Baylor University, the Waco Suspension Bridge (especially when lit up in the evening at the end of the tour), Cameron and Brazos park, and enjoyed a special River Cruise Tour treat. Also, since we went in October during a really cold weekend they even provided us with thick blankets to keep us warm. It was such an informative, entertaining, and very romantic cruise. I highly recommend the River Cruise Tour by Waco Tours when on a trip to Waco or even for a special night out.

Waco Downtown Farmers Market - Located in the heart of the downtown area across from the historic McLennan county courthouse the Waco Downtown Farmers Market is a wonderful place to wander around. We found so many unique booths with fresh fruits and veggies, local honey, beeswax candles, goats milk soap, farm fresh cheese with delicious samples, homemade jams and salsa, fresh baked items, local wines, handmade jewelry, art, and so much more. If you come hungry there's plenty of vendors/ food trucks to choose from to grab a bite to eat. They are open every Saturday year-round (excluding certain holidays and bad weather).

Shopping Downtown Waco - of course you can always go to the famous Magnolia Market but this first time trip we chose to see some of the other local shops in the area. There are many home and clothing boutiques, coffee shops, micro breweries, and restaurants, you can walk around downtown for hours shopping and dining. I found a giant wine bottle to store my many wine corks at The Findery (a really neat home, gift, and clothing shop).

Our weekend getaway to Waco was surely a memorable one. I was really excited about how much there is to do in this rapidly growing city and really enjoyed its historic downtown, the beautiful Brazos river cruise, and amazing Waco area wineries.

Here is a list of more unique places to visit if you choose Waco as your next destination: Armstrong Browning Library and Museum, Cameron Park, *Cameron Park Zoo, *Dr. Pepper Museum, Heart O’ Texas Speedway, Lake Waco, Magnolia, *Mayborn Museum Complex, McLane Stadium, Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Waco Hippodrome Theatre, *Waco Mammoth National Monument, and the Waco Suspension Bridge. If you need help planning your trip, I recommend Waco Tours.

*some of my other highly recommended places to visit.