Waco, Texas – A Great Experience

A few weeks ago we took a fun trip through a small section of Texas and had an amazing time. I know many who watch Fixer Upper are curious to know about Waco, Texas, so I wanted to share what we experienced.

First of all, I really thought I was going to find that hotels and restaurants had raised their prices due to all the tourists coming into town. I found just the opposite. The prices were less expensive than I thought. So, if that is keeping you from visiting be certain that the prices are very reasonable.

Our first stop was Clint Harp’s cute shop. I wasn’t aware that he and his wife had a gift shop. My understanding is that the gift shop once was the place he built his furniture. You may remember that his home was the feature of one of the shows. It’s right next door to his shop. I didn’t know that either.

It’s so cute, but he has since moved to another home because of the many people who are curious about where he lived. He has made this home his offices. It’s so great to see a family who followed their dreams and became successful.

We did see he and his wife in the shop and they were so very nice. They were surrounded by several people, so we didn’t bother them.

We then made it over here, The Magnolia Market. It’s everything I imagined it to be, a unique, quaint, and beautiful place. We arrived on a pretty busy Thursday, but not nearly as busy as what they experience on a non-rainy weekend. The shop was super busy and crowded, which is what we expected and the check out line was really long. We were told there was over an hour wait time. We didn’t spend much time in that room because they recently opened a second large room.

Can you imagine the crowds before they opened this room? The main room was so full I couldn’t even get a good picture or move. I found that most of the things I had wanted to get were all sold out, so I didn’t wait in line and decided to just buy online. That’s a great thing for Chip and Joanna, but the shelves seemed a little bare. I bet it’s so hard to keep stock in with all the shoppers.

My takeaway….maybe wait until the excitement has worn down a bit. I still had a great time and loved the atmosphere and I loved all the little touches that made this shop extra special.

It was very difficult to find the addresses of the homes the Gaines have resurrected for a good reason, but we did find this one. Remember the episode about the single mom and daughter who were going to live on the upper floor and use the bottom level for a child care center?

Gorgeous. It was so fun to actually be there and see this home, but I do feel bad for them, though. The sign says “This home under video surveillance.” I bet they have tons of people stopping by all the time to take pictures. I almost felt guilty stopping.

Waco is a very old town with a lot of history, including the events in the 1990’s with the Branch Dividians. I can imagine this took it’s toll on this cute town. Waco is a sweet and intriguing town that needed a face lift and they certainly have been blessed by having Joanna and Chip Gaines sharing their talents and giving that face lift they need.

On our trip we also stopped in Round Top, Texas, a short drive from Waco. It just happened to be Antique Week there and it was AMAZING! 11 miles of fields covered with antique and vintage items for sale. This show has been going on for over 40 years and takes place in the Spring and Fall. We were thrilled to walk parts of the show.

You may have heard of the Junk Gypsies. They have also had a show on TV and are a pretty big deal in Round Top. We stopped by their shop and I was in heaven.

I will for sure be going back to visit. This was beautiful country and I highly recommend anyone who wants to see the area to go. Have you been wanting to travel to Waco or have you been there? I’d love to hear what you think.