WACO, Texas (KXXV) — It was a busy weekend for local businesses and attractions in Waco, as Baylor hosted the first two rounds of the women's NCAA tournament, March Madness, along with spring break season in full swing.
- The Dr Pepper Museum had a 23% increase in attendance year-to-date in 2025 compared to the period from the beginning of the year until March 21
- Twisted Sisters Patio Bar says last Friday the bar had lots of traffic and people walking around, but Saturday was a pretty typical day
- Cricket's Draft House & Grill's General Manager says the weekend wasn't nearly as busy as they expected, but they still had a large number of people come out
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"March madness did impact our visitation," Autumn Outlaw said.
Like many other places in Waco, it was a busy weekend at the Dr Pepper Museum.
"We saw lots of fans in their gear here walking through the museum and so we were excited to see the growth," she said.
While the Baylor women's basketball team did not make it past the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, hosting the big dance at Foster Pavilion contributed to a boom in local business.
Director of Marketing and Development Autumn Outlaw tells 25 News the Dr Pepper Museum was preparing for the event, as well as the spring break season.
"To prepare, make sure we have our staff trained so that they're here, they're healthy, they're happy to see our guests," she said.
"We make sure that we have plenty of products to make sure the museum is clean and prepared. We're always looking at new ways to update our exhibits and so we'll have a new exhibit this summer coming out."
Autumn says the Dr Pepper Museum had a 23% increase in attendance year-to-date in 2025 compared to the period from Jan 1 until March 21.
As of March 25, they've already exceeded 2024 attendance numbers for March — still with one week left in the month.
"Spring break of course has been a huge part of that," Autumn said.
"March Madness here in Waco, people come in to watch the games has been a contributor to that too, so we've seen lots of growth which has been great."
Another spot downtown, Twisted Sisters Patio Bar, says last Friday the bar had lots of traffic and people walking around, but Saturday was a pretty typical day.
