On our way south to San Antonio, we made a short stopover in Waco. What is there in Waco, except the horrible stories of the Waco siege (which you can now learn about on Netflix)? Well, there's the Texas Civil War Museum, for one. It's always interesting to get both sides of a story, and boy did we get the other side! There was almost no talk of slavery, as people here will say that the main reason for the war was territory (and they'll also tell you slavery was becoming less and less a "thing" in those years, and only a select few rich people had slaves anyway). So basically, the Confederates were defending their homes. With that new perspective, we can now better understand why they would want to keep statues of Confederate leaders despite what they represent for the north. The volunteers here are amazing, and they'll gladly let you handle some artifacts and answer all your questions! We learned a lot here: Americans already had impressive hand grenades, the Confederates didn't have the same uniform within their troops, and the first submarine to sink a ship was used by the Confederates. 😮 How amazing is that?
Apart from the amazing collection of war-related artifacts, you'll also see a wonderful collection of flags, Victorian dresses, an introductory movie about Texas' role in the Civil War, and you'll even get a chance to see Scarlet O'Hara's velvet hat from the movie Gone with the Wind.
Another reason to visit Waco is for the Dr Pepper Museum, where the story of Dr Pepper began. And although it was not originally created by a doctor, a pharmacist is credited for its creation and it was sold in a drug store first. With every admission, you get a free Dr Pepper, too! Old-style, with the syrup put into the cup first and then the fizzy water is added.
We also saw a lot of vintage advertising for the drink, including lots of them encouraging kids (and everyone else) to drink it at 10, 2, and 4 o'clock... so basically, anytime is good for Dr Pepper! And at 5¢ a drink, it was pretty cheap. Now it seems a little creepy, though!
Despite the short time we spent in Waco, we learned a lot of interesting facts and went to bed with a belly full of sweet syrupy drink. The next day would bring us even more adventure in San Antonio! Stay tuned, folks! 💜
TL;DR: If you want to know more about the American Civil War and get a Texan's perspective, head over to the Texas Civil War Museum. If you like sweet drinks, there's no better place than the the Dr Pepper Museum! Or if you're really into that kind of thing, you can learn more about the Waco siege.
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