Weekend in Waco

A spontaneous unplanned trip to Waco Texas! You already know that this blog is about to be about glorious goddess and wonderland of Joanna Gaines. There are actually a couple other things to do there besides go visit the Silos at Magnolia and I will tell you everything!

The first thing we did before even checking into our hotel in Waco was Visit Waco Mammoth National Monument. This was a must stop for Nathan. We bought our tickets and walked through a short trail from the visitors center through the woods into a excavating center. Inside the building was a beautiful display of bones currently being excavated! There was a variety of mammoth bones both adult and infant as well as a few other animals that are now extinct like the saber tooth cat. We were only there maybe an hour but learned so much about the history. This was my first time getting to see firsthand the tiny details what archeologists do to preserve the bones and other items they find.

Next, we checked in at the Hampton Hotel in town. The weather was gorgeous, so we changed our clothes and headed to the Waco River Walk. We ran/walked around 4 to 5 miles in total. If I lived in Waco, I would go there all the time for running. The views were beautiful, with the river and small trail through the woods. I loved running over the suspension bridge and felt so nice to be outside soaking in the sun and enjoying the breeze.

Magnolia Table opens at 7:00am. We pulled in at 7:15am, and the sun was not even completely up yet. The parking lot already had probably 10-15 cars and I jumped out and jogged to the front door. I put our name in and there was already an hour wait! I walked around outside and got pictures of their outdoor seating and the signs and the front of the building, before the sun was completely up.

They sent us the message that our table was ready, and it was GO TIME!! We got our seats, and the inside was so nice! Our waitress was Miss Personality; she was definitely a morning person, and this job was perfect for her.

Nathan got biscuits and gravy with a strawberry lemonade, and I got the breakfast sandwich and breakfast potatoes. I loved the small details that the restaurant had. Even the bathrooms were something to admire. I saw a worker go into the bathroom 3 different times just to wipe the water off the sinks!

Next stop Magnolia Market! I was not expecting the Magnolia Market and the Silos to be right downtown. Since we got there early, and it was drizzling rain we did not have any problems getting a parking spot or have to pay for parking. There are so many shops with a large variety ranging from furniture and home goods to clothes and purses. To my husband’s delight, I refrained from going full blown tourist and breaking my budget at these shops. I did buy my mom a hand towel that said Magnolia on it, spending most of my money at the Silos Baking Co. It was worth every penny! I got in the very long line, not even knowing what was on the menu or what they offered. When we were close to the door, they handed us a paper menu to fill out. We bought cupcakes and cookies, our favorite was the oatmeal cookie pie!

The courtyard was lovely; it was lined with blooming pink and white tulips and the air smelled of a mixture of a variety of all the food trucks. The courtyard has corn hole boards and a variety of other yard games for families.

My favorite place at The Silos was The Magnolia Press coffee shop. This was by far the busiest shop we went to. I got a drink called “The 1905” and to quote the menu it is “OUR HOUSE LATTE INFUSED WITH TOASTED MARSHMALLOW AND VANILLA”.

After leaving the Silos we walked down the street to the Dr. Pepper Museum. I think the walk was maybe a half mile long. We got right in, and the museum had everything you needed and didn’t need to know about Dr. Pepper and how sodas became popular in America. Baby J was not interested in the museum at all and decided it was time for a nap, so I only saw a short part of the museum because I sat in the corner with him while he napped, while Nathan and Becky walked around. I will take baby cuddles over old Dr. Pepper advertisements any day. The best part of the museum was getting a free Dr. Pepper at the end of the tour, as it is my favorite soda.

I reached out to a childhood friend of mine that now lives in Waco, and we met up for BBQ. We sat and talked for hours, it was so good to see her, as I hadn’t talked to her in probably five years. After living in Waco, she told me several things that I thought were extremely interesting and worth noting. One is Magnolia provides a significant amount of the jobs in Waco. Magnolia is not just home stores and boutiques. They have their real estate business, construction, tourism, restaurants and food trucks. Another thing worth mentioning is that there is actually a large homeless population in Waco and that there is an outreach program called Church Under the Bridge that reaches out to this homeless population to help get their needs met and to share Christ with them. Last thing is Baylor University, Baylor is a Christian university and has an outreach program specifically for the students on campus. She said some her friends that work there have a goal to make sure every person on campus has been introduced to Christ at least three times while they are there. That may not seem like very much but when you take into account there are over 18,000 students that is a huge task.

I loved our quick trip to Waco and thought 2 days was just about perfect to see everything I wanted to see.