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Photo by Jason Hagerup
RECREATION
ocated in the Heart of Texas, Greater Waco and the surrounding communities enjoy great weather and wonderful recreational and sports venues. From Little League baseball and triathlons to popular hike-and-bike trails, dozens of sporting and recreational events take place each week in and around Waco.
PARKS AND RECREATION Parks and Recreation
The City of Waco Parks and Recreation department provides residents with the chance to explore the great outdoors, enjoy an active life and join with neighbors at fun community events. The City maintains numerous neighborhood parks with playgrounds scattered throughout Waco, including five spray parks.
Cameron Park is a fantastic system of trails used by mountain bikers, trail runners, hikers and walkers.
Hike and Bike Trails
With 15 miles of twisting trails, Cameron Park features an amazing, multi-use National Recreation Trail system. Hikers and bikers meander along the River Trail, zigzag up 100-foot bluffs to overlook the rivers, or rip down trails like Root Canal. The Waco Riverwalk includes approximately seven miles of multi-use, lighted trail that loops along both banks of the Brazos River. The scenic riverwalk stretches from Baylor University to Cameron Park and passes underneath the Suspension Bridge. The 2.8-mile hike and bike trail that the Army Corps of Engineers built across the Lake Waco Dam offers a beautiful view. The trail welcomes dogs on leashes and hosts hikers from one hour before sunrise until one hour before sunset. Other Waco-area trails include the Lake Waco hiking trail and the paved Cottonbelt Trail, a 2.5-mile trail located atop an old rail line along Highway 84 and crosses the South Bosque River.
Lake Waco
Beautiful Lake Waco is an ideal fishing, boating and swimming venue within the city limits. With nearly 12 square miles of surface water, the lake is a popular year round recreational amenity.
Disc Golf
The city of Waco maintains disc golf courses at Cameron Park including a more challenging course at Cameron Park East. Weekly tournaments are held every other Monday, and PDGA events are held throughout the year. Woodway Park features a course with scenic lake views and Hewitt Park features an 18 hole course.
Golf
Waco boasts several beautiful golf courses that give players the best value around. Numerous golf tournaments are held each year, including the Chamber’s own annual Starburst Junior Golf Classic, which attracts over 300 players, and the Allen Samuels Chamber Classic, a favorite for Chamber members. The Chamber Big Cup Classic is played with golf holes cut nearly four times the size of a standard golf hole. These 15” holes are for anyone wanting to experience a twist to the traditional golf tournament.
Soccer
The Heart of Texas Soccer Complex spreads across 28 acres leased from the Army Corps of Engineers. Children of all ages compete on its 23 fields located on Airport Park Road. Across the street, Airport Road hosts another 19 acres of fields that are leased by the Waco
Soccer Association. The facility includes five adult fields, two parking lots and restrooms. Visit HOTSoccer.net for more information.
Tennis
The Waco Regional Tennis & Fitness Center, a state-of-the-art facility with 18 outdoor lighted hard courts, a 1,500seat championship court and a pro shop, is located at 800 W. Lake Shore Drive. The center was awarded the 2006 Outstanding Facility Award by the United States Tennis Association. For more information, call (254) 753-7675 or visit WacoTennis.com.
Baseball/Softball
The Dubl-R Fields at Riverbend Ballpark are Waco’s premier softball and baseball facility, which sits on the Bosque River and features eight fields. The park fills with hundreds of players each weekend from youth baseball to adult softball tournaments.
Water Parks & Swimming Pools
Waco has a number of water attractions, including five spray parks located at Cameron Park, Kendrick Park, Chapel Park, Dewey Park and Mountainview Park. Hawaiian Falls is the newest water attraction on Lake Shore Drive near the Waco Regional Tennis & WacoChamber.com | 59