My little family and I have lived in Texas for almost 6 months now! We still can’t believe it, but we’ve been making the most of our new lives here and embracing all the amazing opportunities and fun adventures that have come our way.
On my bucket of things to do, see, and try in Texas has been a trip to Magnolia Market and Silos in Waco. As most of my family and friends know, I’m a huge fan of the hit show Fixer Upper and all things Magnolia and Chip and Joanna Gaines. Their brand and vision is such an inspiration to me through their creativity, humility, kindness, and hospitality, not to mention Joanna makes everything beautiful!
Luckily for us, Waco is only an hour and a half away from Granbury. Why haven’t we gone sooner?! Now that the weather is no longer in extreme freezing temps or extreme scorching 100+ degree temps, and the madness of the holidays are over, we took advantage of a quiet leisurely weekend in February to visit Magnolia. Note: Magnolia is usually closed on Sundays. They hosted a private event this weekend to celebrate the spring issues of Darling Magazine and Magnolia Journal, and we had the opportunity to capture some photos of the exterior grounds, the vegetable gardens, and plaza features which are amazing and really the highlight of the entire venue.
Upon arriving, Joanna Gaines’ design presence is immediately felt. There are details that you can pin point and recall from specific episodes on Fixer Upper when they first started the Silos project in 2015/16 and the bakery addition in 2016 such as the wooden flower boxes outside the bakery windows. The exterior building is a beautifully painted brick white with her signature black shutters, black window trim and black door. In an older Fixer Upper episode before they demo’d space which would become the bakery, Joanna said her vision for the bakery would have an old world charm feel to it, and she achieved just that. The Silos is located in an industrial part of Waco taking up no more than a few blocks. I can see how crazy and packed this place can get on a typical Saturday, which I recommend to try to avoid if your schedule and situation allows. Coming here on a Sunday really allowed us to enjoy every design element and landscape feature of the space.
Black metal planters never looks so good!
The Magnolia Seed and Supply feature is beautiful as it is functional. It features raised garden beds that have been meticulously maintained. One of my projects for the backyard this spring is to install similar raised garden beds to grow vegetables and herbs, and a little place for the kids to help grow and tend to their own veggies and fruits of their choice. I love the protective awnings that double as filters for the produce and protection from critters!
The main open pavilion space is dotted with adorable picnic tables and benches with stylish black and white stripe awnings. These awnings for shade are so needed during Texas’ harsh sun and heat in the summer and fall months. They look great year round and also come in handy if it rains. I love how the Magnolia team installed faux grass or turf on one side to accommodate lawn games or folks that just want to relax on a blanket and have a picnic and people watch. I also love the contrast of keeping the other half of the grounds raw with gravel.
My favorite feature has to be all the magnolia trees that have been planted along the sidewalks of Magnolia Market and Silos. There are also a cluster of magnolia trees strategically planted against a trellis wall that serves as a backdrop, perfect for those instagram shots! The grounds are going to look even more gorgeous in the spring when all those magnolia trees bloom! We can’t wait to go back.
The boys also had fun wandering the grounds.
Obligatory bakery photo
A funny story I shared on my Instagram post: a couple eagerly approached us and said they saw us from the road, pulled over to try to get an autograph thinking I was Joanna Gaines. I literally lol’d, thanked them and apologized to have disappointment as I wasn’t THE Joanna Gaines. I don’t think we look anything alike but I’ll take a Joanna Gaines reference any day! Haha. Our styles may be similar, we have long dark hair, and our ethnic backgrounds are of Asian decent, but that’s about it.
It was a great visit and provided a backdrop for inspiration. We can’t wait to return when the flowers are in bloom and when their new restaurant Magnolia Table opens!
While in Waco, we also took some fun photos in front of the floral wall mural by Tyler Kay, then ended with a picnic at Cameron park and let the boys play and run off their energy at the playground.
Tips for visiting Magnolia Market and Waco:
- Come early! Arriving before opening is ideal, or even on a Sunday when it’s closed to the public if you want to take some great landscape photos without people in the way.
- Start at the bakery and visit the rest of the market and silos after.
- On busier days, you can park your car and take the free trolley that drops you off at the front entrance.
- Save money by packing a picnic lunch or some snacks to enjoy in the pavilion.
- Enjoy the little details that makes the space so beautiful and charming.
- Visit during the different seasons as the landscape and gardens will look different throughout the year.
- Take lots of photos and have fun!
What are some of your favorite things to do or places to check out while in Waco?
While on our family vacation and anniversary trip to Hawaii, John and I renewed our vows after 10 years of marriage. It was a beautiful early morning sunrise overlooking Ko Olina Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean for our ceremony with our two children as our witnesses. Even after 10 years married, I still felt nervous and even teared up as we recited our vows. I think I’m just more emotional as I’ve gotten older. Well that, and I’m just a hopeless romantic!
The trail leads up to an Overlook which was the perfect spot to stop for a picnic lunch and take in the valley views from the top. The top of the Overlook can be a little dangerous if you have little ones full of energy as there are cliffs. But if you take caution and hang on to your wild ones, the views from the top are rewarding and worth the climb.
Dinosaur Valley State Park has many points of interest and so many more trails. You can easily spend an entire day here exploring. For our first visit here, we spent the the right amount of time exploring to keep both kids’ interest and to tire them out before Baron’s nap time. We definitely plan to come back to explore the rest of the trails.