When we tell people we went to Waco, Texas we receive one of two reactions — some begin gushing about how much they would love to visit and others look at us with a blank expression and say, “Why?” If you are a fan of Fixer Upper on HGTV, you probably want to know all about our trip and tips to plan your own trip to Magnolia Market. For everyone else, let me tell you about our trip because when I am done you will probably want to go too.
Planning Our Trip To Texas
Why Texas? Because we’ve never been there. We like to travel and explore new places as a family, so not only did we get to fulfill our daughters’ wishes of visiting Magnolia Market but we also go to check another state off our bucket list. (Our oldest has visited nine states to date.)
Realistically, we wanted to plan a week-long vacation and see more than just Magnolia Market, so we planned a trip to Austin, Texas with a two-night stay in Waco. Waco is only about an hour from Austin, so it made a great combo trip.
(I’ll share more about the Austin part of our trip in another post.)
Where To Stay In Waco, Texas
Although there are a couple of hotels in Waco, the best place to stay when visiting Magnolia Market is in one of the Fixer Upper homes. Talk about total immersion into the world of Fixer Upper. Not to mention, it’s just plain cool.
We stayed at the German Schmear on our visit, but there are a number of other houses from the show also available for rent. Be sure to check out my post about the house for pictures and a video walkthrough.
When To Visit Magnolia Market
The crowds at Magnolia Market can be intense. I was amazed to see tents set up with stanchions to mark the queues, luckily we didn’t wait in any of them. The trick? Go early and during the week. We were told that the line just to get into Silos Baking Co. can be up to two hours on busy weekends, but we waited (inside) for less than ten minutes.
When we went, Silos Baking Co. opened at 7:30 am and Magnolia Market opened at 9 am. We arrived at 8 and walked right into the bakery. After breakfast, we were among the first in line to go into Magnolia Market.
Parking tip: While paid parking is available, save your money for the Magnolia Market because there is also free street parking on several of the streets around the Silos. When we arrived early, there were plenty of parking choices.
What To Do At Magnolia Market
Magnolia Market, Silos Baking Co. and Magnolia Seed & Supply are located at the Silos with separate lines for entrance. After loading up on treats from the Silos Baking Co., we walked over to Magnolia Market for some shopping.
There are two large areas within Magnolia Market (upstairs and downstairs). Due to the size and crowds, it was a little overwhelming because I wanted to see everything, take pictures of everything and buy everything. But once I settled in and took my time to enjoy it, there was inspiration everywhere I looked.
Behind Magnolia Market is an open green space, complete with bean bag chairs, cornhole and lawn games for families to enjoy. Lining the perimeter of the green space are some of the yummiest food trucks I’ve seen. (Note, food trucks open around lunchtime.)
In the back corner is Magnolia Feed & Supply store complete with the Magnolia Market truck and a lovely garden. I could have spent hours photographing the kids among the flowers.
Mom Tip – For once you won’t mind if your kids have to go to every bathroom they see. As you would expect, even the bathrooms have been given the Joanna Gaines touch.
Magnolia Market Shopping Tip
Our big purchase from Magnolia Market was a wall clock. We recently renovated our kitchen and a new wall clock was on our list to buy, so when we found one at Magnolia Market we knew it was meant to be.
The problem was how to get the 19-inch clock home. We discovered that almost everything at Magnolia Market is also available online. Furthermore, we were able to sign up for 15% off our first purchase and get free shipping over $50. (WHAT?!) So we ordered the clock (and a few other things) from our German Schmear house that night. Yes, I purchased some items to carry home, but I saved the heavy stuff for my online order.
How Much Time Do You Need At Magnolia Market
We spent a solid three+ hours exploring the Silos with three kids in tow. You could easily spend more time wandering around, but we were able to see everything we wanted and take plenty of pictures.
The fun doesn’t stop with the Silos. From the Silos, we hopped in the car for a short drive over to Magnolia Table for lunch. After lunch, we stopped by the Little Shop on Bosque, which was Chip and Joanna’s first store. Today, you can find slightly damaged and last chance items at a discount. Definitely worth a quick stop.
Tip – we received a coupon for the Little Shop on Bosque when we checked out at Magnolia Market for 20% off.
On our last day, we stopped by Harp Design Co before leaving town. We nearly didn’t stop, and I am so glad we did because I loved the little shop.
Between everything at the Silos, Magnolia Table, the Little Shop on Bosque and Harp Design Co you absolutely need a full day to see everything. Spending two nights and 2 and a half days in Waco was perfect. (See below for our itinerary.)
Where To Eat In Waco, Texas
Obviously, you have to make time for treats from Silos Baking Co. We purchased breakfast items for everyone as well as cupcakes and cookies to share later. Everything was ridiculously good.
Magnolia Table is also known for crazy wait times, but it is also incredibly worth it. From the kids’ meals that include a box of mini cookies to my flight of juices, the food had a uniquely fresh take on comfort food. Unlike so many places, it lived up to the hype. Actually, everything Magnolia lived up to the hype.
When we went the signature summer flavor at Magnolia was Lemon Lavender, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I devoured lemon lavender cupcakes from the bakery, lemon lavender lemonade from the Magnolia food truck and lemon lavender donuts and lemon lavender pancakes from Magnolia Table. But really, everything we tasted was mouth-watering good.
Magnolia Table tip: We were given a one-hour wait time at Magnolia Table, so we hopped in the car and visited Little Shop on Bosque while we “waited.” We made it back about 10 minutes before we got the text that our table was ready.
Outside of the world of Fixer Upper, we dinned at Twisted Root Burger Co. Torchy’s Tacos for our two dinners in Waco. Both received top marks from the whole family.
What Else To Do In Waco, Texas
The main draw in Waco for tourists is the Silos and all things Fixer Upper. But because we were traveling with little ones we also carved out some time for the local zoo, which is really a great little zoo.
The Cameron Park Zoo is home to lions, tigers, elephants, rhinoceros, bears, giraffes and more. We were impressed by how many big animals are housed at the zoo. The girls’ favorite part was probably the otter exhibit where a tunnel through the exhibit serves as a kids slide.
The Waco Suspension bridge is also a great spot for pictures. My girls loved climbing on the giant longhorn statues. But be sure to choose the status in the shade, the ones in the sun get VERY hot.
I am a sucker for a roadside attraction, so when I learned of an 80-foot tall tin soldier in Waco, we had to make a quick stop. It was in the back of an old, abandoned parking lot, and my family laughed at me for wanting to stop. But common, he is just cool! What is he, you ask? An old incinerator, of course. It’s a 10-minute stop for some funny pictures. Score one for mom.
Did you know Dr. Pepper is originally from Waco? True story. My Dr. Pepper-loving husband had been talking about the Dr. Pepper Museum for weeks so we headed there upon arriving in town. After a long trip, we decided not the museum portion wouldn’t hold our kids’ attention and opted to just visit the soda fountain. A wise parenting choice for us, but the museum did look neat.
In addition to Magnolia Market, there are several cute little shops around the Dr. Pepper museum in downtown Waco.
We packed a lot into our visit to Waco, and I wouldn’t change a thing. Here is the outline of our itinerary in Waco to help you make the most of your visit to Magnolia Market.
Day 1
- Fly into Austin, Texas in the morning
- Stop at Round Rock Donuts en route for a mid-morning snack
- Stop at Scheopf’s en route for lunch
- Stop at 80-foot Tin Soldier
- Visit Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco
- Explore shops in downtown Waco area
- Check into German Schmear House
- Twisted Root Burger Co. for dinner
Day 2
- Silos Baking Co.
- Magnolia Market
- Explore the Silos
- Magnolia Table for Lunch
- Little Shop on Bosque
- Cameron Park Zoo
- Torchy’s Tacos for dinner
Day 3
- Shopping at the Magnolia Market Warehouse Sale*
- Visit the Waco Suspension Bridge
- Harp Design Co.
- Head back to Austin, Texas
* Note, while visiting Magnolia Market we noticed signs for a warehouse sale. I was pleased as a peach to find out that Magnolia was having a popup warehouse sale at the fairgrounds while we were in Waco. Can you believe my luck? So, of course, we had to go. And we brought home even more fun souvenirs.
So, what do you think? Ready to plan a visit to Waco, Texas? It really was a fantastic visit that exceeded all of our expectations.
