Somewhere New

If you read my post this past Sunday, you will know that I set out to have monthly goals this year instead of a full year’s worth of resolutions. For February, my goal was to go somewhere new. As I explained in my previous post, plans to leave the state fell through, so in order to accomplish this, I decided to take a little hour-ish road trip with my mom down to Waco, Texas to visit Magnolia Market at the Silos. If you watch HGTV, I don’t have to tell you what this is, but in case you don’t, here’s a little synopsis:

This past year, the most popular show on HGTV, “Fixer Upper,” had its final season. It became a fan favorite based on the hilarious couple, Chip and Joanna “Jo” Gaines, not only because of their college-sweetheart dynamic, but their creation process for little less-loved homes in Waco, Texas–home of Baylor University. For the last five years, we have seen Jo’s incredible graphic designs and Chip’s unconventional renovation tactics completely re-establish Waco as a hot spot in Texas. On top of the work they were already doing for the community, they turned their beloved home, Magnolia Farm, into a business. Enter: Magnolia Market at the Silos. You can find (of course) a market, a garden, a bakery, and food trucks galore at this site. There are designated lots for large vehicles and tour buses and you can either pay $10 for parking next to the bakery, or you can follow the signs for free parking in an unpaved lot next to the food truck entrance. There is a also a trolley that will take you into downtown Waco which I will get into later.

◊ Magnolia Market
The market is chock-full of Chip and Joanna’s products from candles to kitchenware to apparel to books!

◊ Magnolia Garden
They have a personal garden outside next to the silos where you can purchase seeds or just sit out and observe the garden.

◊ Bakery at the Silos
We didn’t make it inside the bakery because it was far too cold to wait in line for pastries, but we took pictures in the outside seating area.

Apparently the Magnolia area is around 2.3 acres, but it doesn’t feel that big at all. It was after circling the grounds a few times that we realized we couldn’t find Magnolia Table. A security guard informed us that the restaurant is actually in downtown Waco near Baylor and you can either take the trolley or a designed shuttle from the Magnolia grounds. He also informed us that not only would there likely be a long wait, but the restaurant closes at 3:00 p.m. At this point, it was around 12:00 and we didn’t want to wait outside in the cold for a rushed lunch, so we never made it over there. He also advised that it may actually be smarter to just drive yourself there instead of waiting on a shuttle that comes once every hour. If you want to get a sample of their menu, there is a Magnolia Table food truck on the lot.

◊ The Trolley
Considering we’d only spent about two hours on the site (due to my picture-taking), we felt like we needed to make more out of the visit, so we rode the trolley around downtown. It’s only a 15-minute loop as Waco is not a big town at all. This is a great option for out-of-towners who may also want to check out downtown and Baylor’s campus. I didn’t get any pictures of the sights because there were netted screens on the windows (likely for the hot Texas summer).

Overall, I had a good time out in Waco and thankfully the drive was only a little over an hour. Had it been longer than that, I don’t know if I would have considered it worth it. I can imagine in the spring and summer, it’s very lively, but since the grounds are so small for each designated section, it feels very crowded. If you are going to go, I suggest getting there as early as you can. Nonetheless, it’s always good to do something new and if you can explore different parts of your state, you should!

xx, AE

P.S: My latest vlog is now live from my trip to Maryland/Virginia last summer!! You can view it on the sidebar (to the right) or visit my channel to see all my other vlogs as well 🙂