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7/10/21 7/10/21

A Weekend in Waco, TX | What to Do and Where to Eat

I love college towns.

They're always so vibrant, adventurous, and they ALWAYS have good food options. So let's say you're visiting Waco, Texas and you only have a weekend so explore. Here's a few things that we've found that are MUST SEE things to do and place to eat at while in Waco, Tx.

Things to Do

What started out as a college town has grown into a thriving small town with big city amenities. Check out all there is to do in Waco, Texas on your next family road trip!

Homestead Craft Village

This really neat place for kids is a free admission farm that features make your own craft activities for kids, hay rides, gardens, and you can even have a meal at the Café Homestead. It’s a great way to spend a few hours outside and learning how early settlers might have lived.

Magnolia Market

If you’re a fan of Chip and Joanna Gaines or their show, Fixer Upper, chances are you’ve heard of the Magnolia Silos. The Silos feature food and home décor all in one cute location. The Silos, Seed + Supply, Press, and Bake Shop take up several city blocks and provide a great space for families to shop, eat, spend some time outdoors, and design their dream home. It’s really a great place to spend a couple hours. Our new favorite additions include the Katy Ballpark and the Old Church. They add such a sweet, hometown element to the Silos District and we all found something different that we loved about the space.

Mammoth National Monument

This cool national park is open 9-5, and admission adults $5, kids $3. What you’ll see while there are Columbia Mammoths! Standing as tall as 14 feet and weighing 20,000 pounds, Columbian mammoths roamed across what is present-day Texas thousands of years ago. Today, the fossil specimens represent the nation's first and only recorded evidence of a nursery herd of ice age Columbian mammoths.

Visit the Bears

On the edge of the campus of Baylor University, you can walk up to the bear den – aka where the famous Baylor Bears live on campus. Depending on the weather, you might be able to see them and you might not. But I always have to check and see just to be sure.

Where to Eat

You know this girl’s gotta eat well while on vacation, so here’s a few spots you’ll want to take your family to eat at while you’re in Waco, Texas.

Southern Roots Brewing

This was our favorite place to eat while in Waco, hands down. Even during the summer when the students are out of school, they’re busy on most nights – especially weekends when they have life music playing inside. The pizza and wings are out of this world! That’s what I love about college towns – there’s always so much delicious food available! They also have board games available, so you can come and drink a few beers and make a night of it!

Magnolia Table

Every time I visit Waco, thi is a must if you want to eat all of those delicious Joanna Gaines recipes she has in her recipe books. They serve breakfast and lunch and are open to walk-ins, but reservations open up online one month prior to the booking date, so if you want a guaranteed table without a wait, you’ll want to stay up until midnight and book that reservation for your day and time of choice. They have some delicious country-style classics and the food and décor are both phenomenal.On a normal day, there is at least an hour wait to get a table at Magnolia Table. But here’s how you’re going to skip that line. Reservations open exactly 30 days before booking a specific date. So if you know you’re going to want to go on a certain day, go on their website at 11:59pm 31 days before your trip and patiently wait that one minute and then POUNCE ON IT. Yep. You will pick your exact time and you can’t reserve a table for over 6 people, so have a game plan beforehand. There are only a certain number of reservations allowed each day, so once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Places to Stay

Waco has a ton of different types of housing options for you to stay in while visiting! Use the map below to see what's available duringt the dates you're looking at visiting!Booking.comIf you’d like to see more family friendly vacations like this, subscribe to my Youtube Channel!

6/24/19 6/24/19

THE Ultimate Guide to all Things Magnolia in Waco, Texas

This blog post contains affiliate links. All purchases made through these links keep this blog running.

As soon as the HGTV Show “Fixer Upper” introduced America to Chip and Joanna Gaines, viewers fell in love with this couple, Joanna’s warmth, Chip’s humor, and their unique modern farmhouse style.Since the birth of their tv show, they’ve created quite a brand for themselves – and brought a lot of interest to the, once small, college town of Waco, Texas.If you’re a Magnolia fanatic, here’s the top places in Waco that you simply have to visit if you really can call yourself a fan.

Magnolia Market Silos.

This shop has it all – housewares, cooking utensils, a garden, food trucks, and an outside play area. Be prepared to spend a couple hours to see everything because every square inch of the property is carefully thought out and you won’t want to miss any of it.

Silos Baking Company.

Need something sweet to nibble on? This little shop features baked goods of all kinds and don’t forget to get some coffee to go with it. You can sit outside the shop in their patio area as well and enjoy your treats.

The Little Shop on Bosque.

This is where the original store the Gaines’ owned was. Now, it is home to their clearance items. They have great deals and you can also save an additional 10% if you show them your same day receipt from Magnolia Market.

Harp Design Co.

Clint and Kelly are woodworkers whose tables and housewares are regularly featured in Joanna’s home designs. You can visit this shop to see their quality cutting boards, tables, and take some home for yourself!

Magnolia Table.

If you have Joanna’s Magnolia Table cookbook (which I highly recommend) and want to taste some of the recipes straight from the source, then this is the place to do so. The restaurant is open from 6am to 3pm and they serve breakfast and lunch all day. Fair warning: if you don’t get there before 7am, you will definitely have a wait before you are seated to eat. But if you’re in a hurry and can’t wait, they have an outside patio and the Takeaway where you can get coffee and pastries. But I highly recommend eating there. Get the candied bacon and the biscuits with strawberry butter. You won’t be sorry.

JDH Iron Designs.

If you head to Waco and you visit Magnolia market, there's a little trailer with a white tent over on a street nearby. At that tent, you are more likely than not going to meet Jimmy Don himself. Jimmy Don has been featured on Fixer Upper with his sturdy metal signs with meaningful quotes and scripture on them. He is exactly the same as you see on television. You can also visit his full store in Crawford, Texas and see how the signs are made and a much bigger selection of signs are there as well.

Cotton Castle.

This castle was recently purchased by Magnolia Realty and is going to featured in an upcoming episode (once it's finished, that is). I can't wait to see this beautiful place restored and given the Gaines' special touch.

If you’re interested in seeing more, make sure to go to the link below to see more:

3 Tips for Your Trip to Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas

How to Make the Most of Your Drive from Houston to Waco