Happy Wednesday! The countdown is officially on for our half-marathon weekend. I’m so excited – especially after seeing all these posts and stories coming out of the Boston Marathon. Remember when I went on a girl’s trip to Magnolia in Waco last month? Well, I’m finally recapping our trip today. For all my Waco fans out there, I did a Baylor/Waco post of some of my favorites, and you can read that here. But, my trip to Waco in March was all about spending some quality time with some of my best college friends – and Magnolia.
Where to stay when visiting Magnolia?
Waco has so many cute AirBnb options these days. When I was in college at Baylor, most of the houses in Downtown Waco were really rundown, and it wasn’t really considered safe. But now, Waco is a whole different town. My friend, Jenny, booked our AirBnb, and I would 100% stay at this place again because you cannot beat the location. This particular AirBnb was in walking distance from Magnolia. It had three bedrooms and two full bathrooms and was perfect for our girl’s trip.
The perfect living area to hang out at night with a glass of wine. We had the best time catching up in here!
Both of the AirBnB’s I’ve stayed in during my visits to Waco have both had the farmhouse decor going on thanks to Joanna Gaines’ influence. This house wasn’t as new as the one we stayed in during our October visit, but you can’t beat the location. There were some brand new AirBnB’s across the street that I would look into as well.
For those of you looking to make the visit, these houses were located on 7th street. This distance was also great for a Baylor campus visit. Even if you aren’t a Baylor grad, it’s one of the prettiest college campuses in Texas, so you should definitely check it out.
Bearathon
We woke up bright and early on Saturday to watch Jenny finish the Bearathon, which was the real reason for our girl’s trip. The race finished in McLane Stadium, which was really neat. A little back story here: we were roommates and sorority sisters in college. We lived together our Junior and Senior years in a duplex on 8th street. They were the best roommates, and I’m so glad we can always pick right back up where we leave off. Kim lives in Houston, so I get to see her more often. But Jenny lives in Lubbock, so she’s a bit further away. As a side note, we drove by the old duplex during our trip 🙂
Magnolia
After the Bearathon, we walked right over to the Silos. It was right around 11 when we walked over. We knew we wanted to do an early lunch, and they have several food trucks available. They also have these really cute tables set up outside so you can sit and eat before you start shopping. The food was good, but you must visit the Alabama Sweet Tea truck. We saw all these people walking around with these cute mason jars with sweet tea, so we were influenced to get some of our own.
So, if you go, do yourself a favor and make this a mandatory stop. I’m glad we got an early start because by the time we were wrapping up with lunch, the Silos were starting to get very busy. But, since we walked over, we didn’t have to battle the parking situation.
Now, I last visited Magnolia in 2017, and it has grown significantly since then. It has the main Magnolia Market, the Seed Shop, the Coffee Shop, Magnolia Home (which is for larger furniture like couches, home decor, tables, chairs, etc), the Magnolia Bakery, and a bunch of other smaller boutique stores you can visit.
We did some shopping first. It was crowded, but doable. Now, I would not visit during a weekend when there is a Baylor game – or Homecoming. But, visit on a random weekend during a time of the year when the weather is nice, and it shouldn’t be overly crowded. After we visit all the stores, it was time for some coffee.
Now, if you’ve heard me talk about Waco, you know I’m partial to Common Grounds. But, they provided the perfect pick me up. But, you should definitely visit this shop. They have a lavender latte that you should try!
Magnolia Bakery
We saved the best for last: Magnolia Bakery. It had just opened when we visited in 2017, and the line back then was wrapped around the building. And, not much has changed. The line was still around the building, but don’t worry – it has moved fast both times I have waited. We waited for about 20 minutes, which was completely fine. They allow you to scan their digital menu while you are in line so you know exactly what you want to order by the time you get to the front of the line.
I was bringing some treats back for Aaron for holding down the fort, so I got a cinnamon roll for breakfast the following morning – and four other cupcakes. Here is the inside of the bakery:
Here’s the thing. You can spend all day just walking around the Silos. There are also a couple of other cute boutiques within walking distance of the Magnolia, and you should pop into those as well. Magnolia is completely walkable, and you can easily hit all of the high points like the bakery – and all the stores in one day. We wrapped up our day around 3ish.
There are also some really cute photo ops!
Other Waco Favorites
No trip to Waco would be complete without a stop (or two or three) by my beloved Common Grounds. It’s one of my favorite places, and I’ve never been able to find a coffee shop that’s comparable. It also brings back such nostalgia – of some late night spent studying there, first dates, Saturday morning coffee runs – and my favorite Waco memory: my very first night as a college student. A group of us from my floor in the dorm walked over to grab some coffee during our first night in college – and I knew I was exactly where I needed to be.
Another place you should visit is Spice (on Franklin). We’ve been shopping here since college. It’s got a ton of mini boutiques set up all in one place. There are clothes, there’s baby stuff, there’s home decor. You name it – they have it, and it’s a favorite spot to visit!
It was so nice to be able to spend some quality time with some very longtime friends of mine in a place that’s special to all of us. I’m so thankful to have friendships that have withstood the test of time – and I’m so grateful to have such strong, fun, thoughtful ladies in my life! So, grab a group of your girlfriends and head over to Waco to a fun weekend at Magnolia!
