Day Trip to Magnolia Market at the Silos

Visiting the Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco, TX was a really nice way to spend a day, with plenty to do and lots of great options for things to eat, drink, or snack on. We did it as a day trip from Dallas while visiting family. It was about a two hour drive and we left around 8 in the morning.

The recommendation we got was to stop at Magnolia Table on the way to the Silos and put our name on the list for lunch. Then visit the Silos while waiting for a table to open up. The wait time often exceeds two hours. So there’s enough time to wander around the market and check out the shops before needing to head back.

It’s about an 8-10 minute drive between the two locations, but you have to be on your game listening for a text when your table is available because they only hold onto your table for 10-15 minutes. As soon as you get that text you have to hop in the car and head over.

I had pretty low expectations based on what some friends said about visiting Magnolia Market and the area (there's just not a lot there). So I wasn’t expecting to be blown away, but I still wanted to go. I wanted to see what Joanna Gaines had built after all of her hard work for many years - to see the reality of her dreams in person.

On the day that we went it was over 100 degrees. I was five months pregnant and we had a 1 ½ year old and 3 ½ year old with us along with my 13 year old niece who joined us for the day. It felt impossibly hot and hard to focus for the first half an hour or so, but once we got some cool drinks and a bit of shade we all adjusted to the heat. After that it didn’t feel too hot to walk around or explore. We had all gotten used to the temperature.

When we arrived we started by walking through the market. It was super crowded for being mid-morning on a random weekday in June, but perhaps everyone was trying to get out of the sun. Once outside, my husband and the boys went to secure some tables while my niece and I got iced tea. I loved the unsweetened iced tea from The Alabama Sweet Tea Company food truck so much that I found a brand that I loved when we got back home and drank it throughout the whole rest of the pregnancy. We also got shaved ice for the kids.

They had built out a lot more of the Magnolia “campus” since my friends had visited so there was a lot more to do. They had a ton of food trucks, several different seating areas, a coffee shop, a bakery, and the church that they brought in and restored. They put in a small baseball field, a few little shops as well as their own furniture store. I think adding more is what contributed to us having such a good time since there was plenty to do.

We didn’t even have time to do most of it. We spent a nice amount of time just hanging out outside and playing on the lawn in front of the Silos. I also got a chance to poke into one of the little shops (there’s a handful of little houses, each their own store - pictured below, center), and we wandered through the furniture showroom. We didn’t get a chance to see the bakery or coffee shop or the rest of the shops which I’d love to do if we ever go back along with spending more time in the market.

Before we knew it we got the text saying that our table was ready. I called just to let them know we’d be there in about ten minutes and to not give up the table since we’d be at the upper range of their cut-off for holding the table.

The food at the restaurant was all better than expected, and it was a really nice place to have a meal. All in all it was well worth the drive as a day trip. If time wasn’t much of an issue, you could always eat lunch and then head back to the Silos for the afternoon to do some more meandering or shopping. It was such a fun day trip, especially with my niece joining us, and really great to see the “campus” that Joanna and Chip and their team built – definitely an inspiration!

What to Do: