“Let’s grab a coffee,” is sooooo last month (National Coffee Day was September 29). When your friends are like family, or vice versa, why not break away from the traditional catch-up-with-a-friend-over-coffee date + move toward the Waco that is brimming with funs!?

Call it a Girls’ Night Out, spend some much needed one-on-one time with your college roomie – heck go ahead and bring your S.O. We won’t tell. But grab a buddy (or five) and get to checking out these friend-friendly activities around town!

• If “Spa Day’s my best day” speaks your language, this is your place, people. Grab a mani/pedi and everything in between at Ultimate Escape Spa & Wellness Center. You and yours will be soooo relaaaaxed, you won’t want to leave! So…don’t! Plan the day you need + get to spa-ing. It’s a thing. We just made it a thing. CALL!

• The great outdoors, y’all! Get your move on (but at the pace you like)! And when we say anybody can do it, anybody’s body really can! We’re talkin’ about Waco Paddle Company. These experts are going to guide you +/or your group into feeling sure + ready to navigate the water, whether you choose a 2-person kayak, race with a group of framily, or go out one-by-one. (Check out Waco Paddles’ night paddles, too, for a whole different experience! Super cool!)

• Grab a beer with your peer…mkay, no. But DO, GO! Bare Arms Brewing. Nothing like sitting among friends for a no-agenda hang after a long workout (ahem, paddle sesh) or long week! Heads up, they’re closed Sunday + Monday but if you go on Friday or Saturday, they make up for it in the form of: food trucks. Need we say more? Games, snax, b’r + eats. ENJOY your pallies amongst the pale ale-ies? Is this thing on?

• Practically Picasso. Again, such a helpful staff + soooo many ways to #bringcreativeback, release your inner kindergartener, and have a blast! Mosaic? Paint a bit of pottery? Glass fusing? You can do it all. They’ve got amazing group session setups + options available JUST for you and your paintbrush pals. Check their website for details + call for more info!

• Shoot the breeze + shoot some pool! Shooters Billiards offers Wacoans a full service bar with a daily happy hour til 6PM. They’re open until 2AM so if schedules need to align in the wee hours, this is a good spot! Don’t play pool? Shooters has dart boards available and serve yummy things like friend shrimp, chicken strips + more!

• Escape rooms are the word puzzles of the modern era, and Waco’s got its very own in Waco Escape Rooms. Partner up with your brainiest buddy or make it a real mystery partay and gather together an entire slew of sleuths as you try to escape from one of the Waco Escape Rooms! The perfect way to weed out the weak links in your friend group. (Totally kidding, we accept all friends even if they couldn’t get us out in time).

• Let your eyes do the choosing! Lane’s on Austin Avenue is your first port of call on the shop til you drop portion of your outing! From housewares to gifts to jewelry, there is PLENTY to see and choose from in this charming Austin Avenue locale. It looks like a warm and cozy house but once you step insiiiiide…we’re talkin’ YETI + Jon Hart + Mario Luca Giusti serveware – you’re going to be like, ‘Okay, wait— why didn’t I come here earlier!?!’ Mosey on over to the cozy trove of goodness!

• Have you heard of Rare Performance Memorabilia? Think along the lines of the world’s third largest, personal collection of rock ‘n roll and motion picture memorabilia and there you will have Mr. John Sawyer’s store. It’s filled with rare pieces from The Sopranos to The Godfather, Scarface, The Wizard of Oz, Marilyn Monroe and artists like U2, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Elvis Presley, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. Walk down memory lane + perhaps leave with a bit of it on hand! WARNING! You can bet all of the oldies but goodies that come to mind will be sung for the rest of the day, week, month within your friend group so, make it a good mix!

• Take your partner (or your partner in crime) + then take a gander through one of Cultivate 7Twelve’s fine art exhibitions. You’re certain to peep some treasured inspo within these walls. Check the Cultivate 7Twelve calendar to catch ALL of the cool, useful, + culturally aware offerings that this lovely duckling has quacked into #wacotown! You know, things like classes: from Fox Trot to Figure Drawing, Yoga to young children, Cultivate 7Twelve is the star of the (art) show. See what happens when you walk into that space!

• Flippin Furniture and Antweeks is a resale repurposed furniture and antique store run by Robert + Jessie Milligan. They can create what you can only imagine. (AND do a really nice job AND are really excellent people!) Shop by there if you or your groupies are in the market for furniture finds OR if someone has a brainstorm that needs to be brought to life. Flippin Furniture will make it happen for you!

Fuel the flames of your friendships with these fun + local plans! You can find ALL of these local businesses on the free Towny app! So, don’t wait! Download the app today to support your neighbor’s dreams AND bolster your local economy…and get rewarded for doing it. Hop on here!