I recently found myself in Texas and decided to make the easy Austin to Waco road trip. This was my first visit to Magnolia Market, and I didn’t want to miss it since I was already so close! A huge thank you to Toyota USA for partnering with me so I could make the trip!
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Actually, this was my first visit to Texas in general! Austin is such a good first city to visit in Texas since it is filled with an incredible music scene, delicious food and still has that Texas country attitude that I wanted to experience.
I even visited a a cowboy boot shop that had the most amazing leather smell and boots that were priced all the way up to $1600! Talk about real Texas!
Austin, Texas Attractions
Austin is well-known for its music scene, so my 1st stop on my 1st night there was to see the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue. Literally. Besides checking into the hotel, this is the 1st place I went! I grew up listening to the blues and to this day, Stevie Ray Vaughan can be heard in our house daily.
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It was a short 15 minute drive from our hotel (very close to the airport), and even if you aren’t an SRV fan, it’s still worth a stop. It’s a gorgeous riverfront area with lots of grass for dogs to run around, biking and running trails and even spots to enter the river. There are plenty of parking pull-off areas all throughout the riverfront that are all free.
I was pretty tickled that I got there shortly before sunset, because the view over the river was just gorgeous! I loved the Austin city skyline from this angle!
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But honestly, it was true of nearly all of Austin that there was plenty of convenient parking!
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I was so glad to have the Toyota Avalon to get me around the city, because it really was a bit of a trek between some of the sites. There are areas of the city that are completely walkable, but other sites I wanted to see that were a good 25 minute car ride. I was more than happy to jump in the Toyota Avalon to get me to my next Austin landmark!
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And, of course, you can’t visit Austin and not stop at some of the local food trucks!
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Not only did Austin have the best tacos I’ve ever had in my life (I’m looking at you Torchy’s), but they have so many open-air dining options. So many rooftop bars and open air cafes! It’s so different from what we’re used to in Pennsylvania!
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Since I have no idea when I’ll ever get back to Texas, I tacked a couple days onto my trip to visit Waco! I mean, I had the trunk space so why not throw my bags in there and hit the road?!
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How Far is Waco from Austin, Texas
I want to preface this by saying that I am not a big fan of driving in general! My husband is always the driver on our vacations, and I am quite happy with it that way. So for me to hop in the car and drive myself to a new location in a new state means 2 things:
- It’s an easy drive on easy, flat roads.
- I feel completely comfortable in the car I’m driving and know it can handle the road trip.
Both things were true of my Austin to Waco Road Trip! The whole drive took right about 1 hour 30 minutes and it went even faster than that! Very flat roads with little traffic. Even though there were some toll roads, they were small fees (I think $1.50) and they all get sent by mail so there was no slow-down to the traffic.
Visiting Magnolia Market
Obviously, my biggest reason for visiting Waco was the Magnolia Market. When we were going through our renovation 2 years ago, our break was to cram into the small room over the garage and watch Fixer Upper while we scarfed down a quick dinner before we got back to work.
While we haven’t kept up with Fixer Upper episodes, I’m still such a huge fan of their family and style. So it was such a treat to see the original Magnolia store where it all started. As of the weekend we were there, it has now reopened as a clearance center for some of their products.
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I couldn’t get over what a small storefront it was! Just one small room and maybe only 20-25 customers at a time. It’s no wonder they had to close it down as they grew more popular to open the current Magnolia Market at the Silos.
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In addition to the main store, the Magnolia Silos boast a courtyard filled with games, food trucks, tables to eat at, a gardening store and so much more!
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I know there is more work going on at the actual Silos, but I haven’t heard what they will eventually be used for. Do any of you know? Drop a comment and let me know what I’m missing out on!
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It really is a gorgeous area they’ve created in the heart of Waco! I was so glad I decided to hop in the Toyota Avalon and take a roadtrip while I was visiting Austin!
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