I'm a sucker for history especially when it comes to institutions,prisons,insane asylum,hospitals…read more In this case,the old original Hood County Texas Stone jail house. This style is very indicative of what was built as counties were establishing their infrastructure back in the 1800s. This is a good one. Don't miss it,.

The Hood County Jail and Historical Museum was such a great find! It was surprisingly dog…read morefriendly, although we held our little terriers most of the tour. The docents there are very knowledgeable and passionate about the Jail history and the history of Hood County. Upstairs has the jail holding areas, and downstairs has the old sheriff's quarters. There is also a few rooms that are dedicated more to Hood County history and have a museum feel to it. Our docent was super friendly and also took us over to see the historical cabin a few doors down. Highly recommended for any history buff!

What a neat place to visit for dinosaur fans! We spent a little over 3 hours here with my almost 2…read moreyear old. She had a blast looking at all the dinosaurs. I was shocked how few I recognized. Many dinosaur books do not talk about some of the ones here. I wish they had a book about all of the books you saw during the visit. I would definitely buy it! Most of the books at the gift shop were cartoons or with just a few pictures and a lot of facts. Some fun little things: feeding koi fish on the path, some benches in the shade to eat a snack while walking, two large playgrounds with many picnic tables and a museum to look more facts about dinosaurs. I do wish they would tell us more about the dinosaur prints found in dinosaur state valley park. Many dinosaurs here were found in Canada, Asia, Europe, or Africa. Only a few were around here. I did love to learn about the only one found in a cow farm in Kansas! Overall, it was a great trip, and I would recommend to any dinosaur fans! If you come on a day, 80+ degrees, it will be hot, so bring lots of water, hats, sunscreen, fans, and cool clothes. There is some shade on the trail to get some relief. There is a changing table in the bathrooms with 4 stalls, so it's not too long of a wait when lines form.

Not ADA friendly. May need to limit age and tell public the trail is steep. Hard to negotiateread more

If you have "20 minutes" to give to the employees they will give you a lifetime of memories! My…read morefamily and I can't stop talking about the doll museum. We are telling all our friends about it. Words can't adequately describe the full experience of this wonderful gem. A must see if you are near by.

This little gem is WELL worth an hour or so. The volunteers are extremely knowledgeable and they…read morehave thousands of dolls/doll accessories from various time periods. They rotate some their collections by month. The dolls are displayed nicely and are arranged in like groups. I learned a lot about the history of dolls and the material they are made of. A MUST if you're a collector, a history buff or are around Granbury.

Think of this is as cheap children's museum in your backyard. It's an old school building, and…read moreevery classroom has a ton of activities for elementary and under. It's not super clean, or super new, as it runs mostly on volunteers and donations, but if you're looking for an indoor place to take your kid(s) for some imaginative playtime with role playing, art, building, and a little bit of being active, then this is a great option. $5 per kid and $2 per adult (cheaper for grandparents and under-twos).

My kids love the Imagination Station! Originally it was in Joshua but has moved to an old school…read morebuilding in Cleburne. It still very much looks like a school inside but all of the classrooms have been changed into themed playrooms. They have a room with a big sand pit, an arts & crafts room, a music room, a black light room with lots of fun glow in the dark play, a Lowes construction room, a stuffed animal hospital, and a party room. It's a little small and a bit dated but it's extremely affordable and my kids have a ton of fun. They have picnic tables outside so you could easily pack a lunch and spend a whole day there. Check out their Facebook page for upcoming events. Prices $2.00 Adults 18+ $5.00 Children 2-17 $3.00 Children 12 months-23 months $1.00 Grandparents

nice little nature center. If you don't pay for the extra room, there isn't much to see inside the…read morenature center building. The walking trails are nice, and there is a nice pond as well. The interior of the building is kinda bare, not a lot of glass containers of animals, and the ones they have are typically reptiles and or spiders. I don't know if there were more walking trails, but i didn't see too many trails. I walked by the one where there is a creek running through. They also have different exhibits going on. I think they had in insect where they teach kids all about them.

When looking for an inexpensive activity for my kids I came upon this place. It's a beautiful…read moreoutdoor nature park with a few inside elements. They have a room with a few interactive games that my kids liked. For my 2 kids and I it was $11 to go in that room. Honestly it wasn't really necessary, and we wouldn't have missed out if we didn't go in there. But I didn't mind since everything else was free. We only stayed for about an hour. It was nice to just enjoy the outdoors. There weren't any animals outdoors to view. But it was still super pleasant. I would say skip the special room unless you want to just donate to the center.

This museum is more of a place to take your kids or get some cool pictures. I certainly got mine -…read moreI recommend everyone going here at least once. They have a lot of fun brain teasers and educational pieces that upset your understanding of reality. A must go!

It's kinda cool - my son enjoyed it . I thought the staff was very friendly and would go out of…read morethere way to help -prolly best I've seen with the staff - I did think it was alittle pricy but I guess this is what they do to Keep the riff-raff out. I'm Okay with this over all - a solid 4 stars for the staff

For those that like dusty museums, this is one for you. It is a small location with more than just…read morestuff from Billy the Kid. There is wartime memorabilia section at the entrance from most wars including WW1, WW2, etc. There are displays of guns and rifles from earlier eras, as well as medals and uniforms. However, the atmosphere is thick with the smell of dust and enclosure (not good if you're asthmatic or have breathing concerns). You are required to leave a minimum $5 donation per person.

This is the neatest place!! Military memorabilia, gift shop, original jail cell, and the museum…read more Truly Great Experience. The curators are wonderful!!

Really impressive to step into an archaeological dig site. Nicely air conditioned, short outdoor…read morewalk to the dig site. Nice gift shop. Didn't realize there was a national park service thing in Waco!

As a National Park enthusiast, I was really excited to learn this site wasn't too far from my…read morefriend's house and so I was ecstatic to visit Waco Mammoth National Monument while in Texas. I'm also glad I happened to bring my National Park passport (you just never know!) Anyway, Waco Mammoth is definitely one of the more unusual units of the National Park System I've visited but also worth the visit!!! The history behind the site is fascinating. After two men discovered bones in 1978, researchers from Baylor University and other institutions began excavating the area and quickly realized they had uncovered something incredible! More and more fossils were found and in 2015 my guy President Obama established the site as an official unit of the National Park System. Though, one thing visitors should know ahead of time is that even though this is a National Park Service site, our America the Beautiful passes do NOT work here. General entry to the park grounds is free, but there is a separate fee to enter the dig shelter because it is operated in partnership with the City of Waco to help support preservation efforts. The actual dig shelter is absolutely the highlight of the experience, though you'll need to join a guided tour led by a docent. Hopefully you end up with one who is especially knowledgeable and enthusiastic because that really makes the experience come alive. I loved seeing the nation's first and only recorded evidence of a nursery herd of Colombian Mammoths from the Ice Age! So neat. At least 19 mammoths were discovered and the jury (err, scientists) are still out on how exactly these mammoths came to be trapped at this site/the reasoning for their passing. Anyway, this is a fascinating stop and absolutely worth visiting if you're in the Waco area, especially if you enjoy history, science, paleontology, or just visiting National Park units. It's not a full-day destination by any means, but it's definitely educational, memorable, and offers something very different from the typical national park experience!

I brought a family friend here (elementary school) to spend a fun day! We spent a little over two…read morehours here looking at exhibits and playing in the kid zone. I think we would have loved to stay even longer. This museum is geared towards kids and I think it wouldn't be the best experience for children free adults, although the planetarium may still be enjoyable! We didn't not get to do that today. If you come, I'd plan to eat before. The pretzel bites were okay, but the hummus plate was way past expiration. Staff was kind and did refund me, though! Definitely a blast for the kiddos!!

My husband is a big science/history museum buff, so we obviously had to check out this museum. (We…read moreare child-free, so I can't review that portion). Our first visit was a 9/10. Cleanliness of the entire facility is 10/10 and the staff is very friendly and patient. There are lots of interactive displays, and a plethora of history about various topics! There is also a dedicated kids area and café on the first floor. Upstairs you can sit in for a movie in the planetarium, and explore more aviation/space/science based. It's also inspiring to watch the live scientists work in an actual, functioning, lab! There's a plane simulation, and video interviews with military aviation specialists that you can sit and watch. We've been there 4 times, it's always a great way to spend an afternoon!