The Tam O’Shanter Hotel Courts were modern motel-style hotel rooms located in Waco at The Circle. Built in 1951 and centrally located, The O’Shanter was where Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys would stay during their visits to Waco for the remote broadcast Louisiana Hayride shows at the Heart O’ Texas Coliseum.

Postcards showing the front exterior, room interior, and pool area c. 1950s

The Tam O’Shanter Hotel Courts were located behind “Bill Wood’s Famous Foods” a restaurant bought by Waco restaurateur Bill Wood from it’s original creator Harry Lewis in 1945. The restaurant sat directly on The Circle and after six years of successful business Bill built the Tam O’Shanter Hotel Courts directly adjacent to the property in 1951.

On the morning of October 12th, 1956 Elvis drove into Waco straight off a bowl of chili and an impromptu photo shoot in Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood. He had just performed at The Texas State Fair the day before, setting attendance records for the event. Two hours south in the city of Waco, Elvis was accompanied by friend Nick Adams as they drove Elvis’ white 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II into town with disk-jockey Eddie Fadal and cousin Gene Smith following behind.

The group headed right to the Tam O’Shanter Motel Courts to start prepping for the night’s show. They settled in, catching rest where they could, cleaning up likely with a shower and shave. Elvis then got dressed for the third and final Waco remote broadcast of The Louisiana Hayride. The show was held at Texas’ then largest indoor arena, The Heart O’ Texas Colosseum. The outfit for that night: white shirt, green jacket, matching green tie, black pants, cummerbund, and those famous Blue Suede Shoes!

After the show, Eddie Fadal offered an invitation for Elvis and his group to join him at his family home, just two miles from the show’s venue. Elvis accepted and he, Nick Adams, Gene Smith, and others made it over to the Fadal home for midnight snacks. After the roughly three-hour visit the guests had to head back to the Tam O’Shanter Hotel Courts for the night, as Houston awaited them with their next concert the following day. However, not before inviting Eddie to continue with them for the rest of the tour, of which he surely did!
“Expect him when you see him. I’m gonna take him with us on this whole tour” said Elvis to Mrs. Fadal, and the boys were off.

Today, the locations of both of Bill Wood’s properties on The Circle still resemble what was there when Elvis was! Though the original structures are completely gone, the Tam O’Shanter Hotel Courts’ location is still a hotel as the location of Marriott’s The Element, and Bill Wood’s Famous Foods restaurant is now the Mexican restaurant Trujilo’s.

The Element by Marriott in the same location as the Tam O’ Shanter Hotel Courts – 2026 (via Marriott)