Trip to Waco & Dallas, TX!

I am SO excited to share this blog post with you all! I will warn you, it’s LENGTHY, but I’ve done my best to keep the text short and include PLENTY of images because I know that’s the best part 🙂

Back in April, my friend Jacqueline told me she would be traveling to Dallas for a few days for work and asked if I wanted to tag along. I was hesitant at first for a couple of reasons, one being because I am a homebody, probably one of the biggest you will ever meet. I don’t like traveling away from my home or family for extended periods of time, it just makes me anxious; but I still really enjoy traveling and seeing parts of the world I have never seen before. I guess that makes me an outgoing introvert? That is TBD…I’ll keep you updated… but the other big reason why I was hesitant to take her up on her offer, was the heat. I had never been to Texas before but I knew the heat would probably be unbearable since it would be in the MIDDLE OF JUNE. I don’t do well in the heat, like at all. My body shuts down, I get migraines usually accompanied with nausea, and I feel like all of the energy in my body is being sucked right out of me. Not fun. So you may be thinking, “Then why in the world would you even consider going to Texas?!” WELL, there’s a little town about an hour and a half’s drive just south of Dallas that you may or may not have heard of 😉

Waco has been on my travel bucket list ever since I saw my first episode of Fixer Upper on HGTV. I fell in love with Chip & Joanna Gaines, their personalities, how they work with each other, how they seem to feed off of each others energies, and the overall eye of design they share to create such beautiful, warm and welcoming spaces. I wanted to go to Waco before Magnolia Market was even a thing, just to drive around and look at the curb appeal of the houses that Chip & Jo brought to life, and obviously in hopes of meeting them! When I heard that Magnolia Market was being built, I knew one day I HAD to visit Waco, there was just no other option, I wanted to see it with my own eyes, take my own pictures, surround myself in that environment, which is why I knew I had to take this opportunity to accompany Jacqueline on her trip. I still can’t believe I can actually say I got to experience Magnolia firsthand. It exceeded all of my expectations, from the market to the food to the AstroTurf outdoor play area, you can tell that everything had thought put into it. It was a dream come true to be able to visit and I already can’t wait until I get to go back one day. Just not in the middle of June next time 😉

After leaving Waco, we drove to the Gaylord Texan which is where the work conference Jacqueline had to attend was taking place. The Gaylord Texan is a resort convention center and is MASSIVE. It reminded me of something you would see on Disney’s property due to the detail and design of it all. After we checked in, we set out to explore the resort. It felt extremely elegant and sophisticated, while still giving off a fun vibe with all of the different things that children could enjoy too. There were trains on train tracks moving around miniature city models, there was a Smurf theme throughout the resort, there was even a board game built into the floor complete with a giant die you could roll and play while using yourself as the game piece. For adults there were multiple restaurants and shops to choose from, a city tour service, and a vineyard in the middle of the resort that you could walk through. I’m not a wine drinker but I still thought that was pretty neat.

Overall, I’m so happy I went on this trip. It was amazing to experience a resort like the Gaylord Texan, and as I said earlier, Magnolia was a dream come true and was definitely the highlight for me. Have you ever been to Magnolia? What did you love most about it? What did you treat yourself to in Magnolia Market? Don’t be afraid to comment below, I want to know! I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite images from my trip below! Okay, A LOT of my favorite images…I did bring my DSLR with me, but there are some iPhone photos mixed in as well!

Our trip started at 4am…that was when Jacqueline had to pick me up so we could head over to the Burlington airport to catch our first flight. Once we arrived, got checked in and went through security, our lack of caffeine and energy was starting to take it’s toll. The Burlington airport is small compared to others, but there is a cute little cafe after you get through security called The Skinny Pancake. Our flight wasn’t scheduled to take off until 7am, so we grabbed a bite to eat (and some caffeine) to fuel up for our trip. Jacqueline got the biscuits and gravy. I got the egg and hashbrown breakfast sandwich

Central Park! We were exhausted but so happy to have finally made it! On our way to Waco, I got to try In-N-Out Burger for the first time… It was delicious… …Obviously Finally it was time for Magnolia!!!!!!!!! My eyes are closed in this picture…it’s fine.

We got to Magnolia Table around 7:30am in hopes of beating the crowd. When you get there, you check in with the hostess by putting your name on a list and then they ask for your phone number so you can receive a text when your table is ready. On our walk around the building, I happened to look down at just the right moment to see this and it made my heart so happy. I just love these two! By the time we put our name on the list, the wait was already about 30 minutes for the two of us. I honestly wouldn’t have cared if the wait was even longer because after you check in, you’re free to roam wherever you would like. Around the corner of the building, is the entrance to their Take Away shop. In there you can find pre packaged food, bags of coffee grounds, souvenirs and more.

We spent about 10 minutes in the Take Away shop before heading around to the other side of the building where there was a cute little walk up coffee bar. This is such a good idea for a place that is constantly bustling with customers! I LOVE caramel iced lattes and this one was top notch! Which is what I expected TBH… Details… Details… Details! So simple but so beautiful There was greenery EVERYWHERE! I loved it

I was extremely excited at this point and I am not embarrassed to admit it! This is what you see on the floor as you walk into the restaurant.

The building that is now Magnolia Table used to be called Elite Cafe. I love that they kept this on the wall to honor its history.

These cute little leather pouches are at each table of the restaurant. They are meant for phones, tablets, etc. so you can be present with whomever you’re eating with. Clearly we didn’t use the pouches… We started with the avocado toast and it did not disappoint. For breakfast I choose the Farm Breakfast which consisted of two eggs, housemade tator tots, a buttermilk biscuit, and sausage. SO. GOOD.

After we finished up at Magnolia Table (which I would give 6 out of 5 starts…yes is was that good…) it was time to head over to the famous Waco silos!

I had 0 words. I was in shock and awe at the simplistic beauty of the grounds.

#alltheexcitement

This beautiful display led into the garden area of the grounds and made me wish I had a green thumb

Jacqueline and I kept saying, “When we get home, we need to replicate this in our own backyards immediately.”

We walked out of the seed shop to head over to the market because we knew it would be opening soon and saw that we weren’t the only ones excited about getting inside… Even though that line was daunting, it went so fast and we barely had to wait at all!

Peep those peach tulips to the very right of the picture! I bought 3 of those and found the cutest little white vase to put them in. The best part? The vase was on sale 🙂

After the market we took a picture under the famous Miles to Magnolia sign and then it was food truck time! They have about 7-10 food trucks lined up offering a huge variety of delicious options. It would be impossible to not find something you like!

This is the side view of the Silos Baking Co. which was obviously our next stop after lunch

When you get in line for the bake shop, you are handed this card to pick what you want so once you get inside, all you have to do is hand the cashier your filled out card and pay! This is the one I choose! It was amazing

Cupcakes in hand, it was time to head back to Dallas. Magnolia was more than I could have ever hoped for and I strongly encourage you to make the trip if you’ve been on the fence about going. I’m so glad I broke out of my hermit shell to experience this magical place for myself. This was our view of the atrium from our balcony at the Gaylord Texan…just wow You’ll see this amazing star window display when you look up from the middle of the atrium Did I mention there was a FOUNTAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ATRIUM?! nbd……. This is where I sat a lot… …to marvel at this view

This pool tho… The vineyard!

This trip was amazing and I’m so so so glad I took Jacqueline up on her offer. Yes I was homesick, but I was only gone a few days and getting to experience Magnolia and the Gaylord resort was so amazing. I hope you enjoyed this EXTREMELY long post! If you made it all the way through, wow – go grab a snack, you’re probably starving.