Gathering Oaks Retreat — Hotel in Waco

Gathering Oaks is a beautiful facility and I'm glad we went there. I'll address the specifics of Gathering Oaks momentarily. However, I'd like to first address two precursory things that feel important.

#1 - The entrance to Gathering Oaks is located immediately at the corner of Highway 6 and Canyon Oaks Road. Whatever you do - don't miss that entrance and accidentally turn onto one of the following streets. I made the mistake of doing that when I drove there for the first time. Very soon after pulling onto one of the following streets I thought that the entrance didn't look right so I made a three point turn to return to Canyon Oaks. As I was making the three point turn a man was walking from his house toward the street. I rolled down the window and said, "Sir may I ask you a..." The response I received was the most belligerent cursing I have ever received - including the cursings I received in military basic training. The most basic edited version of the man's main points were, 'You missed the turn. Get off my street.' So whatever you do - don't miss the initial turn in. I will say though, it seemed as though the belligerent man had probably been intoxicated since the 90's (broken capillaries across his face, red skin, discolored eyes, unsteady gait, aged beyond his years, etc.) and that seems quite unsustainable, so I'm not sure how much longer he'll be able to yell at lost drivers.

#2 - People drive really fast down Highway 6, so don't let the calmness of Gathering Oaks lull you into Sunday driving. After turning out of Gathering Oaks on to Highway 6 you need to accelerate as quickly as possible as to not get crushed by oncoming traffic.

Nevertheless, Gathering Oaks is beautiful, the staff is kind and responsive, and it's a great place to host a wedding / rehearsal dinner / reception.

Pictures attached. [This was after our stay, so the room looked nicer when we arrived and the bed was made.]

P.S. - I forgot to add in the initial review that the bed was incredibly comfortable. Much more comfortable...

I wish that I could give this place more than 5 stars. We had our wedding here the weekend of 10/8 and it was absolutely perfect.

We are from Houston, and there is NOTHING like Gathering Oaks in our area. All of our friends and family asked us "Why Waco??" and it was strictly because of how much we love this venue.

After touring a couple venues in our area, we realized that we didn't want our "Day" to be over so fast. We wanted a place where all our friends/family could stay the night and still "be together" after the reception ended without having to figure out logistics back to a hotel, etc.

There are so many options on the property where you can choose to have your ceremony, dinner, reception. We had our ceremony/cocktail hour in the Courtyard area, and our reception under a tent near the wooded area. It was such a great choice because once dancing started, the "older" crowd would migrate to campfire area away from the music. I loved walking around and seeing groups of people enjoying the entire property.

The staff is soooo accommodating and responsive. Rebekah helped answer all my questions and went above & beyond to assist and accommodate all of our needs. A huge shout out to her!

We got so many compliments on the venue. It's decorated so tastefully and the amenities are endless. They are constantly making improvements, as well. We were able to add on an additional cabin to give our guest's more privacy.

We did not have one issue the entirely of our stay, and I cannot recommend this venue more to any brides who are looking for a "destination wedding" vibe without having to get on a plane or leave...

We stayed at the farmhouse for a week amd were very happy with our choice. We are very seasoned travelers and are particular with where we stay and this place checked off all of our boxes. The beds were very plush and comfortable with great pillows and bedding. Ceiling fans are a must and worked great. They also had a white noise machine machine in each bedroom which we absolutely loved as we are used to multiple fan noise in our bedrooms … loved them so much we bought one on Amazon for home. Bathrooms were great, with good water pressure and all purpose soap for the shower. Hair dryer was appreciated as we forgot ours at home. Kitchen was well stocked and perfect for meals with the family. Washer and dryer worked great so No need to overpack or go Home with dirty laundry. Location was central to so many interesting sites. We visited Magnolia Table for lunch, Dr Pepper Museum, David Korsch Waco compound, President Bush previous ranch, Magnolia Farms Silos, Roadside America Antiques, Through the times free fossil museum, fossil rim safari park, Dinosaur World, Historic Crawford Jail, SpaceX, and other various local hotspots. We would highly recommend staying here and would 100% choose this place to stay again. Communication with owners was...