Things you must do when visiting Waco, Texas
Waco. Hmm…..what is Waco, Texas famous for again? Two words: Fixer Upper. Chip and Joanna Gaines put Waco on the map when their show became very popular on HGTV. The show has since ended but their empire now includes a store, a bakery, a restaurant, a huge following and an entire decorating style. We went to their event, Spring at the Silos, and here’s a few things I would also suggest for your visit to Waco!
Waco Tours
I know what you’re thinking, why didn’t I list Magnolia Market first? Well, if you are going to Waco then I know you’re already planning to hit Magnolia. Waco Tours tells about the history of Waco and drives you around all the most popular areas. It will give you a better idea of where you may want to visit. You also get a coupon book with over 40 coupons for local shops and restaurants you can use during your trip. We were able to meet one of the owners, David Ridley, who you may remember as the hunk all the ladies drooled over (um, yeah me too). Chip and Joe renovated his house in the episode “The Ultimate Bachelor Pad”. The tour has 3 stops which include some of the places you most likely already had on your list: Harp Design Co, Common Grounds Coffee, Heritage Creamery, and Cameron Park.
On the tour, you’ll do numerous drive-bys of houses remodeled on Fixer Upper, key sights in Waco, and really learn about the city’s history. We had a blast and I highly suggest it if you’re visiting. The tour is just 2.5 hours so it gives you plenty of time for the rest of your day. It is $79/person and $59/kids under 12. You’ll ride in a van with a maximum of 12 people so it’s a fun, intimate, and personal setting. Waco Tours run daily starting at 9:30 am with the last tour at 4 pm. The same company also does a “Texas Experience” and “River Cruise” on the Brazos. I bet they are as good as the Waco Tour and I wish we’d had more time to do these as well! You can get discounts for booking more than one.
For more info on Waco Tours, click here.
Harp Design Co
If you’ve seen the show, you will know Clint Harp, Joanna’s go-to wood guy. He has his own store around the corner from the Silos. It is open Monday through Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm. You can shop online with a 10% discount to first time email subscribers. He also happened to be there for a meet and greet when we swung by. His woodwork is incredible, all handmade by him. He does take custom furniture orders also. You’ll recognize his house next door to the shop that was done in the episode “Tackling the Beast”. It is available to rent on Airbnb, as well as some of the other homes off the show that the tour will take you by.
For more info on Harp Design Co, click here.
Heritage Creamery & Common Grounds Coffee Shop
You will recognize the shop Common Grounds because Chip and Joanna re-did the owners house, which you’ll see on the tour. The episode is called “Coffee house owners seek home with short commute”. They also own the Ice Cream shop next door, Heritage Creamery. Ice cream or coffee is included with your tour Waco Tour ticket. The ice cream is handmade every day and the flavors are changed frequently. Aurora got the chocolate chip and I got the honey lavender, both were delicious. Very creamy, you can tell it’s homemade fresh daily. Travis got a Texas Bluebonnet Arnold Palmer from Common Grounds which he loved.
For more info for Heritage Creamery, click here.
For more info on Common Grounds, click here.
Cameron Park
Make a stop here to get a gorgeous view of the Bosque River. Cameron park has a zoo, playgrounds, mountain bike trails, and more!
Check out more info on this massive green space here.
Magnolia Market
Okay, obviously you’re reading this because you love the Gaines so you can’t help but RUN to the Silos. The normal hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 am – 6 pm. We have always just found street parking nearby. P.S. You can even park by the “Tiny House, Big Charm” home and snap a photo! It is an option on Airbnb and is located behind Fortune Cookie Express on 6th Street.
At the Silos you will find the store, the bakery, the garden, food trucks, and the lawn. Let hubby take the kids (and the dog) and hang out in the patio area while you shop. That way he doesn’t see how much money you spend. There are tons of food trucks to choose from outside along with snack and meal foods. There are games, plenty of seating, and places to lounge so he can watch ESPN on his phone.
Ladies, bring the money because Magnolia is not cheap. If you want to save a little, sign up for emails from Magnolia. First time subscribers get 15% off their first order. Look around the shop and pick out what you want but purchase it online with your coupon code. That way you don’t have to lug anything around or travel home with it possibly breaking. I know, some of you ladies are the instant gratification type. So if you must, you can get 10% off in store discount with a valid military ID. At the special events they usually have the surrounding streets lined with vendors. We shopped tons of cute booths and food trucks at Spring at the Silos.
There are numerous photo ops around the grounds. Besides the obvious, the back of the store building has this black and white emblem.
In addition to Spring at the Silos, they also had a book launch event for Joanna’s new book called “We are the Gardeners”. We actually got to see the entire family (no personal photos or meet and greet to my dismay) but I think it was so fun! Joanna spoke and answered audience questions.
For more info on Spring at the Silos, click here.
For more info on Magnolia Market and the Silos, click here.
Walk (literally) around the Silos
There is tons of shopping around the Silos in the “Silo District” downtown waco. There is a really cute Farmhouse store called “The Findery” behind the Silos parking lot on the corner. On the back of this store is the iconic Waco mural which is in the photo on the top of this blog.
There is a permanent street market on the same road which has quite a few little tents of vendors and trailers in it. Jimmy Don (the metal worker off of Fixer Upper) has a trailer set up here, but of course you can only find the exclusives at Magnolia. I actually ran into Jimmy Don here by his shop. Seriously though, walk the entire vicinity surrounding the Silos. It’s overwhelming how many little markets and antique shops that there are.
For more info on “The Findery” shop and mural, click here.
Downtown Waco
Downtown Waco is also close by which is filled with even more restaurants, shops, and bars. Travis went and got the car and moved it into the free parking lot by the Dr.Pepper museum but you can totally walk from Magnolia. We did not venture to the Dr.Pepper museum but it is my favorite soda, so next time. Again, tons and tons of boutiques, street markets, local art galleries, and restaurants downtown.
For more info on the Dr.Pepper Museum, click here.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Mary Avenue Market
Interior Glow
Jake’s Texas Tea House (Lunch)
Adorn Boutique
Simply Irresistible
For more info on Downtown Waco, click here.
Magnolia Table
Get ready for great food and long wait times. The wait is worth it y’all. Magnolia Table is open Monday through Saturday, 6 am to 3 pm. I highly recommend getting there early. As in 5:30 am early. Travis told me I was crazy that there would be nobody there that early. When we arrived at 5:45 am, there were about 50 people in line already. We only had to wait about fifteen minutes after they opened to get inside.
Everything on the menu is good, you can’t go wrong at Magnolia Table. Travis got the Sausage Gravy biscuits and I grabbed Joanna’s bread basket. Breakfast and lunch are both served all day. If you are not into waiting, you can grab some of the food at the Take Away area or even at the Magnolia Table food truck at the Silos.
For lunch, we came back at 9:30 am to put our name in. They don’t take reservations, you have to have one person from your party physically there to get on the list. It was a 4 hour wait at this point. They have a text system that will tell you when your table is ready and you have ten minutes to make it back. We came back a little before 2 pm and sat right down. I had a special off the spring menu which included the chicken and egg salad sandwiches, tomato basil soup, and berry salad. SO DELISH. Travis had Chip’s Ham sandwich, also amazing. They do have basic kids meal item for the little ones. We split a juice sampler flight and I just don’t think we are juice people because they were….interesting. Joanna’s lemon pie was also amazing.
You can always call the contact phone number before heading to the restaurant to find out if they are still taking names for the day: 888-843-0590
For more info on Magnolia Table, click here.
Little Shop on Bosque
The original Magnolia store, which opened in 2003, is still open! It carries discontinued merchandise from the big store and at discounted prices. It is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.
For more info, click here.
Spice Village
Just in case you are like me and like to shop until you drop, check out Spice Village. Holy cow, sensory overload. Spice Village is a giant space with over 50 small shops inside. Literally everything you can think of and conveniently just one register. It is open Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday 12 to 5 pm. This plaza also has restaurants, bars, food trucks, and boutiques. It’s very close to downtown.
For more info on Spice Village, click here.
I hope you you enjoyed my post and if you visit Waco, have a blast!
Finding the fun everywhere life takes us!
Love, Olivia Michelle
