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My husband Bill and I just spent three great days in Waco, Texas. Waco is known for being the home of Baylor University. However, recently, it’s become famous as the site of HGTV’s show, Fixer Upper, and the home base of Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of the show. We’ve been curious (yes, we are fans of the show) about Joanna’s restaurant, Magnolia Table, and the complex they’ve created in downtown Waco, Magnolia Market at the Silos. Because our wedding anniversary is two days after Christmas, we decided to seize the opportunity for a quick getaway to explore some of what Waco had to offer.
It’s only a 2 1/2 hour drive from our home to Waco, so we set out on the day after Christmas. I’d made a reservation at the Waco Hilton – we chose the Hilton because it was close to downtown and the Silos, and because Hilton has a reputation for great rooms and service. We weren’t disappointed! We had a super corner room in the recently renovated hotel, with a king-size bed and views of both the Brazos River and downtown and the Silos. There are free shuttles that stop there and will take you either to Magnolia Marketplace at the Silos, or to Joanna’s restaurant, Magnolia Table.
Our view from one side of our corner room at the Waco Hilton 
View of The Silos from our corner room at the Waco Hilton
After checking in and getting settled in our room at the Hilton, we decided to visit Magnolia Marketplace. There were a couple of hours left before the closing time, so we headed over. Parking was available in paid lots, but also free on the streets – of course, we pulled into a street spot! On our way to Magnolia Marketplace, we passed a shop called Rustiko. This shop specializes in metalwork objects – decorative or functional. I spied something I wanted – it was love at first sight! It was a metal pig (actually, the first one I saw was a warthog) with wings. Now this may seem silly (and perhaps it is), but when I was a very little girl, one of my favorite books was Clementina, the Flying Pig. It’s a children’s fantasy story about a little pig who sprouts wings and has some amazing adventures. I still have the book stored somewhere at our place, but I can’t really read that copy anymore as I read it almost to disintegration when I was young. I downloaded a copy for my Amazon Kindle , and that will have to do for now. If you have a Kindle, you might enjoy sharing the story with your favorite little one. You can grab a copy for Kindle here.
So, I gave my husband my best smile and asked him to buy me a pig! He said, “Pick one!” so I debated a bit, then chose the winged warthog. Something about that one reminded me the most of Clementina!
On to Magnolia Marketplace! We chose to bypass the bakery because the line to get in was very, very long, and we wanted to maximize our visit time. Instead, we snapped a few pictures and then went into the Market. It’s a not-to-be missed shopping opportunity.
You can get a real sense of what Joanna Gaines is like from browsing the merchandise. I picked up a few Christmas ornaments for next year (some are gifts), and a couple of their books. But – there was so much more! All sorts of decor, dishes, clothing, floral items, and all of Joanna’s books (including cookbooks). There were lots of different ceramic mugs – I’m so sorry now that I didn’t pick up a couple to bring home and add to my collection. I’ll be making another trip to Magnolia Market, that’s for sure. If you want to know more about Chip and Joanna, though, I’d recommend getting a copy of The Magnolia Story. They carry it there in the store, but you can also snag a copy here and read up on them ahead of time:
Chip tells the story of how they met, and also the story of how they got their show Fixer Upper on HGTV. There’s a lot more – the two of them take turns telling their story, and it’s like having a conversation with friends! I can’t wait to read the rest!
We spent a couple of hours exploring the Magnolia Market and the Silos area the Gaines have created. It’s really family-oriented – kids and parents are “out back” on the green space playing corn hole and other games, relaxing and socializing. And of course, they were eating! Magnolia Table has its own food truck on site, and there are also trucks from several other vendors of assorted “cuisine.” We may have missed the cupcakes this trip, but we tried the lemon lavender donut holes and a lemon sparkling water from the Magnolia Table food truck. Fantastic food and a great combination – the lemony water was perfect with the oh-so-different, totally delicious donut holes!
Bill and I packed a lot into our three days in Waco. It’s too much for one blog post – so please drop back in on New Year’s Day, 2020, for the rest of the story. You won’t be disappointed – here’s what’s coming!
- Breakfast at Magnolia Table
- Crossing the Brazos on the Old Chisholm Trail
- A visit to the Waco Mammoth National Monument
- Viewing some of the renovated houses from the Fixer Upper show
- A quick stop at Harp Design
- More flying pigs
- Return to Magnolia Market
- And even more…but that will be another story!
It’s so nice that you still have your favorite childhood book. A few days ago I suddenly remembered a book I read when I was a small kid, not the title though. So I was searching for some keywords and eventually, I found a pdf version for my Kindle. It felt so nice to have the same feelings I had when I first read it…
It’s always amazing how something simple can bring up feelings that way! I’m so glad the blog piece reminded you of something – and that you found a copy for Kindle! Enjoy those feelings – they are priceless!