Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas, is known for its farmhouse décor.  It is also a fun place for the whole family to visit. Magnolia is one of many fun things to do in Waco. The Market offers a place for families to shop, play, and grab a bite to eat. Special Needs TravelingMom Kathy, who lives just a few hours from Waco, shares the Market’s family friendly activities and tips for planning a great day trip.

One of the Most Fun Things to Do in Waco

About 3 hours from Houston is the town of Waco, Texas, which is a growing travel destination thanks to one very popular home improvement show couple. Chip and Joanna Gaines have cultivated fans of all ages, including my own children. We are fortunate that we only live a few hours from Waco and have been able to visit Magnolia Market at the Silos a few times. There are lots of fun things to do in Waco and this is one of our favorites. We enjoyed it so much as a family it has kept us coming back.

Chip and Joanna Gaines have not only made it a great place to get your farmhouse décor on; it’s also a wonderful place to take your family to slow down for some simple fun. Spend time together with these activities for the whole family.

The Bakery

The Silos Baking Company is the newest addition to Magnolia Market. It’s a cute little bakery on the corner right next to The Silos. This is another place besides the store at Magnolia Market that requires a little patience. The line to sample one of Joanna’s homemade cupcake recipes can wrap around the corner and down the street. There is an efficient ordering process to speed up the wait time, but it is so popular there is still usually a wait.

Made from scratch, the cupcakes are super moist and delicious. Flavor offerings include Lavender, Red Velvet, Vanilla with Sprinkles, Carrot Cake and more. The frosting is vanilla butter cream and true to Joanna’s style, none are fancy but they are all quality product.

You can also purchase drinks, coffee, other pastries, and Silos Baking Company t-shirts and kitchen items. Both my kids loved their cupcakes. My daughter had vanilla with sprinkles and my son had his favorite chocolate.

Green Space Fun

One of my favorite parts of visiting Magnolia Market was the green space. Chip and Joanna have made a space where kids and parents can put the screens away and return to times of simpler fun.

They have swings for two, cabinets of Frisbees, balls, hula hoops and more. There are also corn hole boards for some friendly competition. They have a huge AstroTurf green space so no matter the weather you don’t have to worry about muddy clothes and shoes.

I loved watching my kids make instant friends with kids from other families who had also come to see what the market is all about.

Food Trucks

Magnolia Market has its own food truck park with some of the best food trucks you could ask for. This alone, in my opinion, makes it one of the best things to do in Waco. After we worked up an appetite doing the hula hoop and playing cornhole, we didn’t even need to leave the Market for a delicious lunch. Trucks include Chip’s favorite BBQ truck, a crepes truck, and the ones we tried, a mac and cheese truck, the wood fired pizza truck, and the fried chicken truck.

Both my kids and husband loved the pizza and my mom’s sweet tea-brined chicken had me going back for more. As for me,  when mac and cheese has bacon and sausage in it, the world is a happy place.

There were plenty of picnic tables to enjoy our lunch and they have recently added a new covered area with tables. TravelingMOM Tip: Have someone in your party save a table if it begins getting crowded.

Seed Store

If you’ve watched their show, you will know the Gaines are very into gardening. They also want to pass on that love to visitors to Magnolia Market with their adorable garden and seed shop.

Outside the shop are beautiful raised beds of flowers, herbs, and vegetables with cute label. Inside the shop are seeds, gardening tools and gardening books. My kids’ favorite find was supplies to make a fairy garden.

The seed shop is nowhere near as crowded as the main store, so you’re able to browse and take it all in at a leisurely pace. It brings to mind a small-town seed store of days gone by.  We took home supplies for a little fairy garden and can’t wait to plant it and have a reminder of our fun trip to Magnolia Market.

The Store

The store is the biggest and busiest attraction at Magnolia Market. It is a massive multi-level place with all things farmhouse. Much of the items can be ordered in Joanna’s online store which is where most of the items in my home came from. (I think we’ve put at least one of the adorable Gaines children through a semester at Baylor decorating our house.) There are also store exclusives and the things are beautiful, so it’s worth checking out if you’ve never been.

Even the kids had fun and picked up a rag doll bunny and a sling shot with foam balls. (Most of the kids’ toys in the shop are vintage style.) Depending on when you visit, be prepared to wait to get into the store. When we went on a Wednesday, we got in with no wait despite the crowds. The line wrapped down the ramp and down the street when we visited on a weekend.

Special Needs TMOM Perspective

Crowds are the biggest sensory trigger I observed at Magnolia Market. Visit on an off peak time to reduce this. The store does have a ramp to get in but the spaces are tight and it can be crowded. The seed shop only has one step but the spaces in the seed shop are even tighter for wheelchairs.

The green space, picnic tables, and food trucks are very accessible. Magnolia Market does require parking and a short walk to enter the Market and Silos area. With a little planning to avoid crowds and being aware of the tight spaces in the stores, Magnolia Market has many things for special needs families to enjoy and is one of the many fun things to do in Waco.

TravelingMOM Tips

If you’re going in the spring and summer, be aware Texas is hot and sunny. Bring hats and sunscreens and drink plenty of water. As I mentioned, Magnolia Market is one of the most popular things to do in Waco. It gets extremely crowded so try to avoid visiting on a weekend.

There is free parking in the lot connected to the Silos but that one is small and fills up fast. There is also street parking or you can take the new Silos District Trolley by parking downtown and taking a ten minute trolley ride. We paid and parked at the church next door. Be aware on Sundays the Market is closed. The Market is open 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and the Bakery is open at 7:30 a.m. There is no admission fee to visit Magnolia Market.

More Things to Do In Waco

Visit Harp Designs as seen on the show for even more Fixer Upper fun. There also are adorable antique shops to check out very near Magnolia Market. For more family fun things to do in Waco, check out Cameron Park Zoo. We also really enjoyed our visit to Waco Mammoth National Monument.

 

Joanna Gaines has said that she wanted Magnolia Market to be much more than a place to come shop. She wanted it to be a community gathering place for families. They have achieved that goal and created a place that is a family friendly destination that is one of the best things to do in Waco so be sure and put it on your Texas itinerary and check out how to book Magnolia House for your stay.