Weekend Trip to Waco,TX: Family Friendly guide

This post is part of my Texas Travel series, be sure to read these other post and stay tuned for more to come.

• Round Top, TX
• New Braunfels, TX
• San Antonio, TX

My family loves to travel all around Texas. We have visited Austin, Dallas, New Braunfels, Gruene, San Antonio, Grapevine, and now Waco, TX.

This past weekend the boys had an extended weekend with 4 days off total so we used this chance to get away for a few days Texas style.

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This time we visited Waco, TX. I was so excited to visit because of the Magnolia Market. I’m sure you have heard of it but if not here a quick blurb about it. It is the cute and quaint place owned and operated HGTV’s Fixer Upper stars Chip & Joanna Gaines.

This was the main reason we came to Waco. I have lived in Texas my whole life and the only other time I thought about visiting Waco, TX was when I was in college and wanted to go to a Baylor football to meet guys.

I had originally wanted to go on a girl’s trip to the Magnolia Market and Silos, but my boys had been itching to stay at a hotel and go somewhere, I decided to make it a family trip.

What to do in Waco, TX

We discovered quickly that there are quite a few things to do in the small town of Waco. Coming from Houston, to us, Waco is a small town. Most of the places to visit are about 7-12 minutes away with the exception of a few.

Here is a list of things to do in Waco, TX. There are a few that you will find on many websites over and over again plus a couple of new ones that I will share more about below.

• Visit Magnolia Market and Silos grab a cupcake while there.
• Get brunch at Magnolia Table. Menu items change seasonally.
• Joanna’s Little shops at the Silos. 6 curated stores by Joanna herself.
• Magnolia Home store.
• Grab a coffee at the Magnolia press.
• Play ball with the kids at the silos ballpark.
• Visit the local Winery.
• Grab tickets for the Waco Mammoth National Park.
• Dr. Pepper fan? Visit the Dr. Pepper Museum.
• Nature Fanatic? Spend the afternoon at Cameron Park.
• Take a tour of the houses flipped by Chip and Jo with Waco Tours.
• Visit the suspension bridge and snap a pic.
• Grab a coffee and a book at Fables Bookstore.
• Have dinner at Hecho en Waco.
• Visit the Magnolia Home in MacGregor, TX.
• Texas Ranger Museum
• Sports Museum for all the sports fans.

Day 1

For our first day we checked into our hotel and then set off to the suspension bridge. It is so pretty. There happened to be an art festival in town so you could hear the live music from the bridge.

Hotel

We stayed at Comfort Suites. I was very surprised at how nice and clean this hotel was. Our room had a double bed and a couch that converted into a bed as well.

It sleeps a total of 6 people.

The hotel has a bar in it as well. Each night a bartender comes by to serve drinks.

When I walked in the first thing I noticed besides the nice lounge area was the smell. It smelled really clean and fresh as did our room.

Comfort Suites was 7 minutes from the Magnolia Silos. There is another hotel that is nicer and is walking distance from the Silos called Hotel Indigo. We booked our hotel very last minute so the rooms here were already full but it looks so cute!

We ended our night at the hotel pool. I do have to mention it smelled of chlorine they had the door propped open because it was so strong it made your eyes burn also the pool wasn’t heated so it was too cold for my liking.

Day 2

On day 2 we decided to wake up early and go to the silos. Well, we got there and it was closed! LOL! Thanks google. I wasn’t aware it would be closed on Sunday. We were able to get some good shots though with no other people in the background though.

FYI: The Magnolia Market and Bakery are closed on Sundays.

On the agenda next was to head to the Waco Mammoth National Park.

Waco Mammoth National Park

This park was about 20 minutes from the Magnolia Market. Admission to the park is free but tickets are needed to go on the tour. Even though admission is free to get into the park, there isn’t much to do without purchasing a ticket.

You can visit the gift shop, the kids can dig in a sand pit for fossils, and there is the parking lot for free.

The tickets were fairly priced as well. Kids 3 and under are free. Children 4-12 are $4 and Adults are $6. The tour last about 45-60 minutes.

It is a walking tour so be sure to grab a bottle of water to take with you on hot days. Also, note once you get to the indoor section where the fossils are water bottles are not allowed.

Since the tours head out about every 30 minutes, the kids were able to play in the sand box digging up faux fossils while the adults can learn about this era with the tour guide at a tent they have set up just outside of the entrance.

I highly recommend visiting the Waco Mammoth National Park. They fossils there are of Columbian Mammoths and they are the real ones not replicas. They are also set to dig for more in the area starting in 2020. It is also a great educational trip for all the homeschoolers out there!

Tip: There is a paved trail to walk on but be sure to watch out for poison ivy off the beaten path.

After this we picked up some lunch and headed back to the hotel to rest. The kids were tired and it was 95 degrees outside during October!

Evening

In the evening we went to Cameron Park. My family loves to explore outdoors. We took the kids to the splash pad a play ground there. Cameron Park is located off of the Brazos river. There is so much to do here!

Cameron Park is huge. We were not able to see all of it but I hope to be able to go back soon. There are hiking and biking trails, a look out area, Jacob’s Ladder, Lover’s Peak, and so much more.

Day 3

Monday morning we went back to Magnolia Market and Bakery. We arrived around 8am. Their was a small line at the bakery. They give you an order form to pick out your items beforehand.

We ordered a strawberries and Cream cupcake and a Shiplap cupcake with was vanilla bean with vanilla frosting. We also purchased a cookie. My kids loved it. I am unable to eat anything at there due to allergies. They do have gluten free cookies but they are not dairy free as well.

I was told they make around 6 thousand cupcakes a day, this doesn’t include cookies.

The market and the seed store open at 9am but you are able to visit the grounds and the garden area in the meantime.

They also have a Magnolia Table food truck on the property as well.

As preparation for the Silobration, they were getting the lawn area ready so it was closed. The food trucks were also not open at this time, with the exception of the Magnolia table one.

I was told by one of the employees that Spring is one of their business times. Each time they host vendor markets they are the busiest. The Silobration is the second busiest as well as Christmas.

Each time they have vendor markets, they are hand selected by Joanna herself.

After we left the silos, we headed to a new bookstore in town called Fabled.

Fabled Bookstore

Fabled is a new bookstore in town. It is so cute! Inside of Fabled Bookshop and Cafe you will find a small cafe with petite bites as well as coffee, beer, and wine. There are places to study and work as well.

Fabled bookshop and cafe has a very quaint feel to it. You can purchase cute merch. plus books too. I instantly fell in love with it.

Children’s Section

The children’s section of Fabled Bookshop and Cafe was so cute! It was decorated with Halloween decor, bats, and mini pumpkins. The bookshelves are color coordinated and filled with picture books. There is even a mini ‘wardrobe’ similar to the one in the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe.

The owl is the store’s mascot.

Outside of the store, they have a cute wall for pictures.

Have you been to Waco, TX? We had a great time on our weekend trip to Waco and cannot wait to go back again. The town is growing and will continue to have new development so there is always a reason to go back for a visit.

XO,

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