My tips for visiting Magnolia Market

You probably remember that I visited Magnolia Market, in Waco, Texas in June.  I've had several requests for a blog post with tips on where to go and what works best when visiting, so I'm finally getting that done!  Several of these were tips I got from other people and I'm putting them all together here.

#1 - Parking.  You will see a lot of signs that may tempt you as you drive in.  There are many lots that offer parking for $5 or $10.  But, keep going.  There is a lot connected to the property just off 8th street.  We used it several times and there were always spots available.  It's a very short walk to the Silos from there and right now a Magnolia Coffee place is being built right in the front of it.

We walked in right near this relaxing area, which is in front of the silos.  There were food trucks, games and plenty of places to sit.




 #2 - Get there on time.  The market doesn't open until 10, but there are other parts that are open before that, plus parking is abundant when you are early.  We arrived a little before 9, walked around and checked the place out and then visited the Seed shop when it opened at 9.

 Magnolia Seed and Supply

The inside of the seed shop.

#3 - use the free trolleys!  There are 2 different trolleys available.  You can learn more about them here.  One takes you to the different Magnolia places, the other takes you on a little tour of Waco.

Both will let you off wherever you like, and will pick you up anywhere if you wave them down.

After we visited the Seed shop and wandered around, we got on the shuttle that took us to the Magnolia Table.  We thought we would get there and have brunch, as it gets busier at noon. We arrived shortly after 10.

 We signed in and were told it would be about a 45 minute wait.  There is a Magnolia Table gift shop attached so we checked it out and then went to the patio to wait.

This is the patio, a very comfortable place to wait your turn to go in.


After eating, we got back on the trolley to go to the Market.

At this point it was close to noon.  We went into the Market and did our shopping.  Since we were parked close, we were able to bring our things to the car before we visited other place.

We then got back on the trolley.  We took the one that toured the downtown Waco area, which was fun, both to hear the history and for ideas to stop at later.
We did use the trolleys to stop at a few other places, which I'll share with you later in this post.

After we stopped at the places we could using the trolley, we stopped at a few other places and then drove back to the Market, where there were still parking places available.  There are a lot of food trucks, and we each chose what we wanted for supper and then visited the bakery to get a cupcake to eat later.

The bakery is open till 6, and it is a busy place!  To avoid waiting too long, visit early or later in the day.  We chose later for our sweet treat!

Those are my tips for visiting Magnolia, but I also wanted to list a few other fun places to visit when you are in Waco.

Visit Spice Village - This is a place you can stop at using the trolley.  It's a huge place with over 60 vendors.  This place is hit or miss, the products change all the time, but you never know what you might find!

Drive through Baylor University.  You've probably heard Chip Gaines mention it on the show.  It's a beautiful campus t drive through.

Stop at The Little Store on Bosque.  This was Joanna Gaines first shop and there are a lot of things on clearance for amazing prices!

Stop at Jimmy Don's place to see some of his amazing iron work signs.  It's right across the road from the free parking on 8th, although a new place is being built right now.

Get some BBQ at Viteks Market. It was recommended by the desk clerk at the hotel we stayed at and we loved it.

Cool off at Heritage Creamery, located right next to Baylor university.  They have amazing hand crafted ice cream, in a cute little shop with super friendly employees.

Whatever you do, don't miss this - the Waco Suspension Bridge and Cattle Drive Sculpture.  The bridge was completed in 1870 and the sculptures were placed in 2008; at least 25 huge bronze pieces.

One last place to stop, and unfortunately I don't have a photo.  It's The Findery, a brick store just across the street and down a bit from Magnolia Market. Beside the Market, it was one of our favorite stops, loaded with all sorts of cute things for the home and clothing too.

These are my tips on what worked for us, along with fun places to go.  Enjoy your visit to Waco!