My parents and I road tripped down to Waco, Texas. We had gorgeous weather (we went at the end of March) and I was happily surprised with all of the things there are to do, eat and see in Waco.

We left on a Thursday so we could spend two fulls days there. We drove from Southeast Kansas (where my parents live) through Oklahoma and on to Texas. On our way, my dad made sure we stopped in Choteau, Oklahoma to eat at The Dutch Pantry. When you walk into this place, you almost feel like you’re walking back in time to your grandma’s or great aunt’s to get a big home cooked meal. My dad discovered it when him and his dad would haul grain to the Port of Catoosa when I was little. It has an all-homemade buffet with a different special each day..it’s basically like you’re at a potluck dinner, who doesn’t love a good potluck?? 🤪

As you make your way toward the Dallas area, make sure you stop at one of my favorite places, Buc-ee’s!

Buc-ee’s

This picture does not do this place justice. I was clearly too focused on getting inside when I took this pic🤪

Buc-ee’s is a must. Be prepared to drop at least $50 here!🤪 (if you’re like me anyway😝) It’s not that it’s expensive, it’s just that there are so many things you’ll want.😂 You stop to get gas, but suddenly you’re trying on cowboy hats, looking at swimsuits and picking out an odd flavor of fudge you’ve never seen or heard of before.😝 You can get your wardrobe here, decorate your house, buy groceries..it’s incredible and ridiculous all at the same time. We actually ate dinner here (well, got it to-go), I had the pulled pork sandwich.

Book your stay at
The Hilton

Once we arrived in Waco, we stayed at The Hilton Waco located right downtown on the Brazos River.
While staying in Waco, I recommend having a car to get around outside of the downtown area. If you stay at the Hilton, you do have access to lots of shops, restaurants, the farmers market and even The Silos are technically in walking distance.
The Hilton Waco was very convenient for what we planned to do with easy access to the highway and free parking.

Friday

We started off our Friday morning going to Magnolia. It was busy but it wasn’t too much to where you couldn’t get around (we drove by it on Saturday and it seemed a lot busier than the day before). We got there around 11am which seemed like a good time to go! They were actually filming a bake off on site that day so we got to see Joanna Gaines and other celebrity guest judges.

There are several shops, photo opps and food trucks to try while visiting Magnolia. We spent a couple hours here but I’m sure you could easily spend all day or just stop by for 20-30 minutes to see what it’s all about if this might not totally be your thing. There is no charge to get in. I highly recommend going on a Friday if you can and earlier in the day to beat the heat and the afternoon crowd. Magnolia is open every day (except Sundays) from 9am - 6pm.

The Alabama Sweet Tea was refreshing and delicious. It comes in a cool souvenir jar and if you keep your jar, you can get a $2 refill anytime. I loved the sweet tea and my dad tried “The Yankee” (unsweet) and said he really liked his, too.

After we left Magnolia, we spent the afternoon eating, having some happy hour drinks and walking around the area by our hotel. One thing I quickly noticed everywhere we went is that Waco is super inexpensive. Several people had recommended Ninfa’s so we went there for a late lunch (and happy hour🤪) and we were still able to order from the lunch menu since it was before 3 o’clock. For lunch, I had the “La Marie” (two crispy ground beef tacos and a chili con queso puff served with Mexican rice and refried beans) along with a Ninfarita —-maybe the best frozen strawberry margarita I can ever remember having😝. I also highly recommend the chile con queso as an appetizer!

Ninfa’s

Ninfa's is an authentic Mexican restaurant with a memorable atmosphere and excellent service right across the street from The Hilton Waco.

On Friday night, KU was playing in the Sweet Sixteen and being KU Alumni and a huge fan, we had to find a bar to watch the game! We went to a small little bar called Trojan Cork & Keg which was a couple businesses down from Ninfa’s and again, right across from our hotel. We ordered $2 beers during their happy hour..hard to find a $2 beer anywhere anymore.🤪

Spice Village is a collection of shops in the same area as Ninfa’s and Trojan Cork & Keg. There are more than 60 individually owned boutiques all under one roof.

We were a little hungry (let’s be real, I’m always hungry😂) after the KU game on Friday night and someone on Instagram had recommended trying Shorty’s Pizza Shack. We had to take an uber to get there but we figured it’d be worth it to get some late night food😋 They are well known for their “Pizza Pillow” which is basically pizza crust with pizza toppings stuffed inside of it for like $4!

Day Two

On Saturday. we woke up and made our way to the Waco Farmers Market. They are open from 9am-1pm every Saturday. There were several local vendors that offer everything from food, flowers, crafts and accessories!

For lunch, we went to Jake's Texas Tea House. This is a family restaurant with vintage automobile decor. If you’re taking kids with you, I would definitely recommend this place for lunch. We got there right at 12 so they were pretty busy but we managed to get a seat at the bar. Sitting at the bar, we saw them make all kinds of milkshakes and scoop cobbler and ice cream that looked really-freaking-good but unfortunately we ate too much and decided not to get any dessert. Every Saturday they have musicians providing entertainment and according to Heart of Waco they have Elvis in the building every first Saturday and Marilyn on the second Saturday of each month. They are closed on Monday’s.

In the afternoon, we stopped by the Dr. Pepper Museum located just right down the street from the Silos. We did not actually go on a tour since we were trying to fit in as much as possible but we did stop in the soda fountain to get a fresh Diet Dr. Pepper. Admission prices for the museum, again, very reasonable! Adults are $10, students and children are $6 (children 4 and younger are free) and military and educators have a discounted ticket for $8. Your ticket purchase also has a coupon for a free drink at the soda fountain after you go through the museum. I really wanted to try the hot Dr. Pepper but they only offer it in the winter…looks like I’ll have to try it next time.😉

The Cameron Park Zoo is another reasonably priced attraction in Waco. Tickets are $13 for adults, $12 for Seniors, Children 3-12 are $10 and Children 2 and under are free.

Baylor University Campus was the next stop on our drive around town. I was really impressed with how big their stadium and campus are..everything’s bigger in Texas, right?!! It’s right on the Brazos River which makes for a beautiful backdrop too!

You can also hop on a river cruise (Waco Tours) right next to the stadium. They were ranked the #1 best boat tour in North America. The cruise is 2 hours and 15 minutes long. I wish I would’ve known about this before we went so I could’ve scheduled ahead of time.

We also saw a Waco Pedal Tour having fun and moving around town. They have public tours at 3, 6 and 9PM. They stop at 3-4 local bars and boutiques. You can check out their website for more information on a private or custom tour!

The Little Shop on Bosque is the original home of Magnolia Market. This is now their discount shop. They are open 10-5 Monday-Saturday. Definitely check it out if you are in Waco to shop!

Next up, a coffee stop! When we got back to our hotel, we walked over to Bitty & Beau's. It is an inclusive business and they employee individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I loved this plus the Mocha Frappuccinos we got were REALLY good!😁

I had one more stop I wanted to go to before dinner - The Boiler Room. We didn’t make it in time since they closed at 6PM but they offer wine tastings and a number of local craft beers. It’s owned by The Findery, another store similar to Magnolia and just down the street.

We ended our night with dinner at George's. We went to the one on Speight (there are two). They’ve been in business (and in the same building) for 80 years! Check out their website for their daily specials. My dad ordered the Chicken Fried Steak and it was HUGE. They have really good homestyle comfort food and serve Big O Beer’s, that’s what they are called!🍺 We also got Pina Coladas in the big mugs. Again, everything was very reasonably priced everywhere we went—I think that huge plate you see below with two sides was $13.95!

All in all, Waco is a really neat, old town with a lot of charm. There are so many things to do and see and we didn’t get to do everything I had on my list. What I really liked about Waco is there is something there for everyone to enjoy. You can travel to Waco on a girls trip, with a significant other or a family trip with kids!

Other Waco Attractions: