WACO, TX CITY GUIDE

Hey y'all!

Today I wanted to share a little bit about what I did over spring break and some of the fun things I think everyone should do if they travel to Waco! This is where I spent the first half of my little spring break trip. I didn't know much about Waco except Magnolia, which was our top destination. However, I found that there was actually a lot to do! We spent two days here, but there was still a lot of recommendations we didn't get to. Here's an overview of our time in the city!

WHAT WE DID.

1. Magnolia Farms. The main goal of our trip was to see Chip & Joanna's Magnolia Silos and all that they had created in Waco. I've been a fan of the show for so long, so it was really fun to see it in real life. It was so beautiful and I fell in love with their story even more! They were having a big "Spring at the Silos" celebration, so there were about 75 vendors selling various merchandise and additional food trucks, which was so fun to see. It was also really busy, but they had everything orderly and organized so that even when you had to wait in lines, it was very efficient. The store had all the merchandise you needed to give your home a Joanna-inspired makeover, and it was so fun to see it all. You could also get food at the food trucks from various local restaurants, as well as yummy treats from the bakery.

One really helpful thing that we found out was that there is a trolley that takes you through the city! We were able to get on it and ride from public parking to a spot right on the corner of Magnolia, which was super convenient. We also got to tour the city and learn a little bit more about the downtown area because our trolley driver was really funny/interactive. 

2. Shopping. We found a few local spots that were really fun to look around! There was a boutique called Roots that was near the downtown area. It was really boho/Free People, and had tons of cute clothing, jewelry, accessories, and some home items. I would recommend checking that one out for sure! Tons of unique and fun pieces.

We also looked at a place called the Spice Village, which was in the same area as Roots. It is basically the upstairs portion of a strip mall/developed area, and it is all different vendors that have tons of unique merchandise! There was home decor and cooking items, clothing, t-shirts, gift items, and more! We probably spent an hour just wondering from booth to booth. It was really fun, and there was a ton of unique goods!

3. Suspension Bridge. One thing that is iconic for the town of Waco (at least if you ask me) is the Suspension Bridge that goes across the river. If you've seen Fixer Upper, you would probably recognize it, because that's where I recognize it from. You can basically walk the bridge across the river, and then you can also walk along the river, which we spent a lot of time doing. It was so warm and nice out, so it was a great way to get outside. I would also have loved to run along the river, but we didn't have time unfortunately!

WHAT WE ATE.

1. Common Ground. We are major coffee lovers, so we wanted to explore as many coffee shops on our trip as possible. Common Grounds is a cool place to hang out, and they also have tons of unique/fun drinks. I personally just really love iced coffee, and I would have to say that their iced coffee was a bit weaker and not my absolute favorite! However, it is a local favorite, and if you are looking for a place to hang out, or a more "specialty" drink, I think you would find that Common Grounds is really great!

2. Oh My Juice. This trip has developed me into a major acai bowl lover! This was the first place we stopped to get them, and they were sooo good. Here, you could pick the base/type of acai bowl, and then add two toppings. I added strawberries and bananas to mine, and my friend Shelby added granola and strawberries. It was the perfect, refreshing "meal" if you ask me!

3. Dichotomy Coffee & Spirits. This place was my absolute favorite! It was sooo cute on the inside, and I love the concept of a coffee shop/bar together. Their coffee was bold and unique, but delicious! I got a great iced coffee so I was content ;) 

4. The Mix Cafe. I love a good sandwich/salad place, and I was so excited that we found one in Waco! This place was sooo good. I had a quinoa power salad that had dried cranberries, quinoa, mixed greens, and some delicious roasted brussel sprouts. We also found that they had some sweet potato fries that were to die for!

FAVORITE PHOTO SPOTS. 

So a major component of our trip was finding fun places to explore/take photos. We found tons of adorable murals/walls in Waco, which was really fun. Here are a few of our favorites that made great backdrops! They would be perfect for bloggers or just people into photography in general.

1. Wacotown wall. This one is harder to get to/take pictures next to, so ours were just photos of the wall. Personally being a K-State fan, Baylor athletics aren't my favorite but still the wall was cool -- and I love the other half that says "Love your neighbor and your town".

2. You Look Good Wacotown wall. 

This was one that I had seen before, and I knew before we went that I had to find it! I love all the bright colors, and it is super popular. This one has a huge parking lot next to it that was completely empty so it was great and not awkward to take a ton of pictures next to! 

4. Another pretty area was the downtown Waco area. Specifically, I loved Austin street. There was also this really pretty old movie theatre, which was really pretty. There is a huge marquee sign that says "Waco" too!

5. Starry Night wall. 

This wall was painted to look like Van Gogh's Starry Night painting. I loved this one possibly the most...mainly because it really went with my outfit! ;) I love how much detail went into this one, and it really does look like the original painting!

6. Abstract mural wall.

This was the last one we found, and it was another favorite of mine. It was really unique and fun -- it made for a really good backdrop! Different sections were painted differently, so you could get lots of unique photos!

I hope you all enjoyed this somewhat winded post. I had such a great time, and I want to have all these memories to look back on someday! I will also be sharing a bit about the second half of our trip to Oklahoma City next week, because I have tons of photos to share as well! Thanks for reading, y'all!