If you’re new to Waco, visiting for the weekend, or looking to rediscover downtown, the Waco Welcome Center should be your first stop.

Located in the heart of Downtown Waco, the recently relocated Welcome Center places visitors right in the middle of the city’s culture, community, and energy. Previously located off I-35 near the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, the center officially reopened downtown in December 2025 to better connect visitors with everything happening around them.

According to Austin Johnson, information associate at the Waco Welcome Center, the move was intentional — and what surrounds the Center now tells you exactly why. Today, that “heart” includes everything from local coffee shops and restaurants to boutique shopping, hotels, museums, public art, and events happening throughout downtown.

Tourism in Waco has transformed dramatically in the last decade. While the city has always welcomed visitors, Waco has experienced major growth in recent years, especially throughout downtown. Magnolia played a significant role in that transformation by bringing new visitors, businesses, and investment into the city — and the Welcome Center is positioned to capture that momentum and channel it into the broader downtown experience.

“Magnolia impacted Waco significantly when it came to bringing more businesses downtown to Waco as a whole,” Johnson said. “It’s really gone off the charts.”

But Magnolia is just one part of the story. Many visitors are surprised to discover just how much more Waco has to offer. Johnson shared that one of the biggest surprises for visitors is learning that Dr Pepper was invented right here in Waco (shoutout to our friends at the Dr Pepper Museum for sharing that history). Other surprising attractions include the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum and the Waco Mammoth National Monument. 

As Waco continues to grow, preserving the city’s history remains an important part of its identity — and that history includes difficult chapters as well as triumphant ones. Much of Downtown Waco’s historic district was destroyed during the devastating 1953 F5 tornado, making the historic buildings that remain even more meaningful today.

Landmarks like the ALICO Building and Dr Pepper Museum continue to serve as reminders of Waco’s past while blending into the city’s growing future. The Welcome Center itself reflects that balance between old and new by intentionally highlighting local businesses and artists throughout the space.

For Johnson and many other Wacoans, Waco is more than a growing tourism destination. It’s home.

The Welcome Center now sits at the heart of it all — and it’s easier than ever for visitors to experience that feeling for themselves.