I just got back from a quick two days in Waco, Texas with my best friend in the world. We took our Moms because they are also best friends. They grew up together in the booming metropolis of Nebo, Illinois, went to Europe together, lived together before they got married, and had bouncing baby girls the same year two months apart.
Taking our Mom’s was a no brainer. They enjoy each other and neither of us gets to spend as much time with our parents WITHOUT our kids as we’d like. It is just an added bonus that our Mom’s know how to rein us in when we get a little punch drunk. PLUS, they would know what to do if we got thrown in jail and how to read an actual map if cell service was down.
I did some planning ahead of time to see when some of the attractions were open that we knew we wanted to visit. Magnolia Market is not open on Sundays so a weekend trip was not going to work for us. Also, I am not very patient so I didn’t think I could drive to Waco. Plus, I had to maximize my time away from kids and driving a full day didn’t fit with my plans. More power to you if you drive. You will have LOTS more room to lug stuff home from different shops in Waco.
Leaving on a Jet Plane
I picked a date in June and started to look for airline tickets. We flew early on Thursday out of St. Louis to Dallas Love Field. Love Field airport is about 90 minutes from Waco but flying into a small airport was going to drive up the cost. I found airfare from St. Louis, flying out at 8:20 a.m. arriving in Dallas at 10:00 a.m. Then we flew out of Dallas at 5:35 p.m and arrived home around 7:10 p.m. Cost was $220/person ROUNDTRIP through Southwest. You know I have a love affair for affordable airfare from Southwest and they did not disappoint! If you can be flexible on your days and times, Southwest is the way to go. Book early for “Wanna Get Away” Fares!
Airfare= $220/person
Where to Lay your Head
When I look for a place to travel, I always consult HomeAway or VRBO. I look for a place that will accommodate our party and the cost of the rental. THEN I look at the hotels in the area and compare the prices. If the condo rental is within $100 of the hotel price, I ALWAYS choose a rental. I love having two bathrooms, a living space, and a refrigerator. It is so much homier and makes a trip that much more lovely. I found a rental that was $167 a night. After-tax and fees, the total of $464 was still less than what we would have racked up at a hotel, even if all 4 shared a hotel room. We stayed at this rental, located 1.3 miles from Magnolia Market. Very cute rental, updated and quiet. *Could you rent a room at the Starlight Motel for $80 a night? Yes, and if you are willing to cut corners this would be an area to save money. But I like soft sheets, big towels, and a clean/quiet environment and am willing to pay a little more for it.
Lodging=$116/person
Gettin’ Around Waco
We needed transportation to Waco from Dallas Love Field and an uber wasn’t going to cut it. I’d read that there was very limited public transportation in Waco and having a car was preferred. I rented a car from Payless Car Rental, who offered a shuttle from the terminal (all airport car rentals companies offered the same) to their car lot a mile away. We rented a mid-sized, four-door car and were blessed with a bright red Hyundai Elantra. I loved being able to go where we wanted when we wanted. I found a rental for $24/a day. ****I didn’t pay attention when we picked up the car (so excited to be in Waco, I guess) and I didn’t notice that the counter attendant added about $90 of full coverage on our rental car. (Granted, the roads on Interstate 35 were a bit wonky and MAYBE it was in our BEST interest to have insurance but I was not expecting the extra cost.****)(This cost includes $25 tank refill & $37.50 parking fee in St. Louis.)
Ground Transportation Total= $355 =$88/person
Airfare: $220
Condo Rental: $116
Car Rental: $88
=3 Days, 3 Nights in Waco, Texas =$424/ PERSON
***Did I spend more than $500 expenses on extra’s? Yes, but it wasn’t terribly expensive. The food portions were big and we often shared a plate. We ate small at breakfast so that we could eat larger meals and get dessert! Also, I spent money on souvenirs and at Magnolia Market. ***
Pro Tips for All Things Magnolia
Magnolia Market:
Visit Magnolia Market on a weekday. We arrived in Waco around 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. I thought we might be tired and need to rest after our travel. I was thinking we might save the Silos for Friday but after we went to scope out the area we saw that the crowds were small. We decided we couldn’t wait and I am glad we didn’t! The crowd was manageable in both the market and on the grounds. I found that we were able to talk to a couple of workers at leisure because it was not crazy busy. We bought some small things we could fit in our luggage including t-shirts and hats. The grounds are beautiful and after we checked out the market and the seed shop, we came under the pavilion and enjoyed some cool beverages. It was so neat to see the gathering of people who played on the lawn and basked in the Texas sun. I suddenly wished for my own kids to be there to run and play and laugh with unbridled joy in all-white clothes enveloped by that idyllic backdrop (where the photos would be EPIC). And then I remembered that my kids don’t do anything without fighting with each other.
Silos baking company
Silos Baking Company is right on the corner of Magnolia property so you can visit both in one fell swoop. When we parked the car (there are plenty of free spaces on weekdays, otherwise you can pay for parking at one of the area churches and mark your parking fee as a donation to save the lost), we got on property and immediately got in line for the bakery. They have it down to a system. There is a nice tent for the line and they let only 15-20 people in the bakery at a time. They give you a card with all the bakery items and you write your name and your order on the card. When you enter the bakery, you hand them the card to fill your order and pay. We decided to try different things so that we could try as much as possible. We ended up with EIGHT desserts. EIGHT for FOUR people. But it’s vacation, right?
We ordered:
- Silo Cookie- one of our favorites.
- Chocolate Croissant- good but not great.
- Lemon Lavender Cupcake- the icing was AMAZING. We all loved this one.
- Blueberry Muffin Crumble- very good.
- Shiplap Cupcake (vanilla cake and vanilla icing)- Everyone loved this one too!
- Cinnamon Roll with Pecans- standard cinnamon roll.
- Oatmeal Creme Pie- good but not the star of the show.
- The Prize Pig (cheddar and bacon made from scratch biscuit)- SOOO good. We loved it and a nice change from sweet to savory.
Magnolia Table
I will also recommend visiting Magnolia Table on a weekday or early morning. We went in the middle of the day on Friday to have a big lunch but found out when we arrived that it was a 2-hour wait. We decided to scratch that and kicked ourselves that we didn’t go there right when we got in town on Thursday. The nice parking attendant told us that the best time to get to Magnolia Table is EARLY. They open at 6:00 a.m. and she suggested getting there before 9, when the wait times usually climb to over an hour. I am not a morning person but we made it our mission to get to Magnolia Table around 8 on Saturday so we could get in a breakfast/brunch before we left for the airport. When we got there at 8, the wait time was 45 minutes. Again you get in line under a tent and wait to put your name in. They got our name and our cell phone number and said their system would text us when our table was ready. They have an outdoor courtyard, juice bar, and to go market area that we could explore. We did all three and the wait went by really fast. The food was amazing. We ordered an appetizer of lemon lavender donuts for the table. Appetizers for breakfast are a thing, right? They were delicious! Rhonda got Eggs Hollandaise, Callie got a breakfast skillet, my Mom got biscuits and gravy, and I got fried green tomatoes, homemade tater tots, and a breakfast taco. Because when in Waco, right? I LOVE breakfast, but I don’t often love going out for breakfast because eggs are eggs. I was hoping to eat more lunch fare at Magnolia Table. But upon seeing their menu, I realized I didn’t miss out on much. It looked like there were some sandwiches, which I bet were amazing, but I decided would try the fried green tomatoes and breakfast taco to get the best of BOTH worlds. Here is a link to their menu.
Pro Tips for Fixer Upper Attractions
- The Findery: A super cute store on the same block as the Silos. They have some great pieces that are antiques and some that were made to look like antiques. They have two locations (the other is just a little down the street) and two floors.
- The BackYard: An open-air venue for music and food when in Waco. We did not get a chance to go but we did drive by it quite a few times and it looked like a great place to spend some time.
- Jimmy Don’s Tent (JDH Iron Designs): Jimmy Don, who Joanna Gaines made famous by buying his metal signs with cute sayings cut in them to put in her Fixer Upper houses (Remember, “Today is a good day for a good day”?) has set up a tent around the block from the silos. He has a factory a couple of miles out of Waco, where he encourages people to come out and watch. He also pulls a big trailer into a lot around the block from the Silos and sells his signs. He is frequently on site and meets fans and signs pieces. When we first went, Jimmy was not there but his workers told us he would be soon. The workers were lovely and talked Bible verses with Rhonda, which was a breath of fresh air. We thought Rachel was fantastic! Later, as we were going back to our car, we stopped back by and Jimmy Don was there and we managed the following picture. He signed a small sign that I bought that I was pretty sure I could get in my luggage that says, “Get it, Girl”.
- Harp Design Company: we really enjoyed going to Clint Harp’s shop. The woodshop and decor inside were right up my alley. I loved the wood tones and wanted to take everything home with me! The house that Jo fixed up for Clint and his wife is right next door.
- Fixer Upper Houses: We looked up online the addresses of several different houses and drove to them. We enjoyed seeing parts of Waco and commenting on whether the owners have kept up the spectacular design.
- Magnolia Farms: after searching we were able to find the address for Magnolia farm. It is about 15 miles outside of Waco. You can see the fences and the gate for the farm from the busy highway. On our way back by the farm, we saw a couple of cars leave the farm and pull out behind us, which was quite exciting! Address: 10095 Highway 6, Crawford, Texas.
- Little Shop on Bosque: checked out where it all began! Jo opened this shop and then closed it when she had a baby. You can visit and shop for some Magnolia inside. We didn’t venture inside but enjoyed seeing the shop from the outside.
Pro Tips for Other Waco Attractions
- Spice Village: located in downtown Waco, is this very large shop with a million different vendors. Imagine a ton of cool boutiques packed to the gills with different and cute gift items. This is where I found all the cool gifts for my kids. It is a great way to spend some time in Waco and there is a coffee shop in the building, which is an added bonus.
- Suspension Bridge: I don’t know the back story. Why it was built or in what year, but my Mom wanted to see it and I am glad we went because it was cool and a change of pace. There were also these really cool bull statues near the entrance to the bridge.
- Texas Ranger Museum: my Mom is a nut for history and learning about everything there is to know. Me too, but this trip I was less interested in touring museums. Before the trip, I was reading Waco attractions that might be interesting to Callie. I told her about the Texas Ranger Museum and the Wooly Mammoth Museum. She told me that was a hard pass. But when we got to Waco, my Mom specifically requested the Texas Ranger Museum. And she’s 70. And there is more road behind her, than in front of her, so we went. 🙂 ***Callie’s son is obsessed with nerf guns and the like. She found a really realistic cap gun in the gift shop. We did not check any luggage but carried on. At Dallas security, the gun caused quite a ruckus as her bag was repeatedly looked at through the monitor and the line at a standstill, by Rhonda who thought that Callie was about to be carted off in handcuffs and that Callie should shout out to the TSA that the gun was fake, and by Callie who kept telling her mother to calm down. Turns out, they were nice and made Callie go back to the counter, check her carry on and come back through security because even a toy gun could cause a problem on a flight. We all got a good laugh at that one***
Eateries In Waco
I have a strict “No chains” rule when in a new place. I just can’t. I need to explore, try the local flavor, and expand my horizons. So if you have ever traveled with me and we went to an Outback Steakhouse, just know I was being polite, but I hated it.
- Buzzard Billy’s: This is where we went when we couldn’t get into Magnolia Table. They featured seafood, which I was wary about since Waco is landlocked. But it was very tasty! My Mom got fried oysters and they were delicious. Rhonda had a tuna steak and Callie and I had salads and a small appetizer.
- Hecho en Waco: This was authentic Mexican. It was very good. My Mom spent some time in Mexico in college and she can not go into a place like this without trying the guac. It was fresh and very tasty. We shared an enchilada plate since we had just shared 8 desserts at the Silos baking company.
- Jake’s Texas Tea House: This is in downtown Waco and is a family-style restaurant. You pick an entree and the sides come out in big bowls for the table. We shared an order of chicken fried steak and got the Fixin’s on the side; salad, cornbread, biscuits, black-eyed peas, corn, and mashed potatoes, and gravy. I thought it was tasty and took me back to my Grandma’s cooking, but Callie was not a fan. Check in to this one if you want some traditional country fare.
- Pie Peddlers: We checked this out after our shared meal because we wanted some dessert, or maybe that was just me. We tried a pecan pie, a lemon icebox pie, a fruit tart pie, and banana cream pie. All were good and satisfied our sweet spot.
We all loved our time in Waco and it was the perfect getaway for a group of friends. If you are a regular here, you might know my affinity for budgeting and saving money. But I’d spend money on travel over things any day. After all,
And I truly believe it. I’d love to hear if you have been to Waco and what you enjoyed or if you are planning a trip there soon!
Love,
Stef