Creating spaces to experience wonder and belonging in nature

Outdoor education from your backyard to the backcountry

Children in life jackets and kayaks holding paddles outdoors, with adult instructor leading kayak skills training.
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"Keep Waco Outdoors" Donation Gift T-shirt
$25.00
The Keep Waco Outdoors Expo and Mt. McLane Races are back! Join us on Saturday, October 25th, at 8:00 am for a morning filled with community, outdoor adventure, and fun for all ages. The Expo is completely free—come explore local outdoor clubs
Families Around The Fire. Our initiative to get more families outdoors into nature. When was your last time you went camping with your family? Early in the spring were excited to do an outing here at our local camp grounds at airport park! If you e
We love being apart of @keepwacobeautiful and their adopt a park program at Jacob's ladder. A big shout out to the members of our board of directors who got out to clean up the hard-to-reach places at Jacob's Ladder this spring! We couldn't do our
This spring we had the privilege of leading a nature-based community development day for @bufirstinline! We had fun recreating and reflecting together as we enjoyed a beautiful day at Cameron Park! #gtgoutdoors #adventuretogether #findyourselfoutdo
Who here loves Cameron Park?!? Each year we hike Cameron Park front to back in sections, showing our youth the depth of the best intercity park in Texas!

TYPES OF PROGRAMS

EXPLORE: Programs aimed at experiencing natural spaces as you are.

LEARN: Programs designed to support your outdoor education and skill building.

GROW: Programs focused on personal growth and development.

2025 FALL CALENDAR

  • Family Camp Out

    Family Camp Out

    $25 per family

    Fri - Sun, October 10th-12th

    Start Time: 6:00 pm

    Finish Time: 10:00 am

    Register
  • Illustration of a bear reading a map in a forest, with a raccoon sitting by a campfire and a hedgehog holding a mug, promoting a family outdoor event called 'Families Around the Fire' on October 10th and 11th at Airport Park, Waco.

    UBC Campout

    PRIVATE EVENT

    Register

  • State Park Day Trip

    $10 per family

    Saturday, October 18th

    Start Time: 8:00 am

    Finish Time: 8:00 pm

    Register
  • Event poster for the Waco Outdoors Expo 2025, scheduled for Saturday, October 25th at South Plaza, McLane Stadium. Includes colorful text and a logo with a compass symbol and the tagline "Find Yourself Outdoors."

    Keep Waco Outdoors EXPO

    FREE

    Saturday October 25th

    8:00am - 12:00pm

    Learn More
  • Graphic overlay with a stadium background, promoting a race event with distances of 5K, 10K, and a half marathon, featuring a rising bar graph and a lightbulb icon, with the slogans 'Together We Race' and 'Together We Rise,' and an elevation of 254 feet.

    Mt McLane Races

    10K, 5K, Fun Run

    $25 (Children run free)

    Saturday October 25th

    8:00am - 10:00am

    Register
  • A cartoon-style illustration promoting a family outdoor event called 'Families Around the Fire' at Meridian State Park on November 15th-16th. The scene features a bear, a raccoon, and a hedgehog in a forest setting with trees, a tent, and a wooden sign pointing to outdoor activities. The event encourages exploring, learning, and growing, and highlights that enrollment at the cottage school is required.

    The Cottage School Campout

    PRIVATE EVENT

    Register
  • Flyer for a camping event from November 21st to 23rd at Waco - Midway Park. Cost is $25 per family. Includes information about eligibility requirements.

    Family Camp Out

    $25 per family

    Fri - Sun, November 21st-23rd

    Start Time: 6:00 pm

    Finish Time: 10:00 am

    Register

  • State Park Day Trip

    $10 per family

    Saturday, November 29th

    Start Time: 8:00 am

    Finish Time: 8:00 pm

    Register

  • Camping Master Class

    $25 per person

    Friday - Saturday

    Start Time: 4:00 pm

    Finish Time: 6:00 pm

    Register

  • Big Bend Camp Out

    $250 per person

    Saturday - Wednesday

    Leave Waco: 6:00 am

    Arrive back to Waco: 7:00 pm

    Register

Our Focus

Family camping outdoors at night around a fire pit. Adults and children are present, grilling food and relaxing. There are outdoor chairs, a table with supplies, a dog, string lights, and a large tree in the background.

Inclusion and Belonging

We support the integration of all demographics within our programs. Offering a space for all individuals to feel accepted, included, and wanted. From pros to first-timers, we want to build communal bridges that go far and wide!

A man teaching two boys to use handheld compass devices at a wooden fence in a grassy outdoor area.

Outdoor Education

We offer outdoor education through the Wilderness Education Association’s standards. Our community can learn the fundamentals of outdoor living and responsible ecological stewardship through the W.E.A.'s 6+1 curriculum.

Group of seven people, including children and adults, standing outdoors on grass with trees, lake, and cars in the background, holding trash bags and litter pickers, smiling and posing around a banner that reads 'Find Yourself Outdoors'.

Breaking Barriers

We listen. Using the knowledge we gain from local stakeholders, we dismantle barriers to access within our programs and to our local natural spaces. We believe the benefits of nature exposure belong to all people!