Well its Amy’s birthday and of course we are traveling. This time she chose Austin and Waco Texas. We flew into Austin and got our car. Amy was excited to try some of the many gluten free options in town. We went to Via 313 for gluten free pizza. It was a hit. The crust reminded me of Pizza Hut pan pizza.
The next morning we slept in and made our way up to Waco and made a pit stop at Buc-ee’s. We visited the Silos. The entire property has shops, food trucks, a coffee shop, baseball field and large lawn for kids to play. The whole place was beautiful with attention to detail and well constructed of the highest quality materials. Magnolia has done such a great job with everything.
Just down from the Magnolia Silos is the Dr. Pepper museum. Since we are both fans of the beverage we decided to tour it. The museum is built in the old factory for Dr. Pepper. The cost to visit was $12 per person and it included a fountain drink made by the soda jerk. I wish I took a photo but was just caught up in the moment.
We lined up a tour that afternoon but had some time to kill after visiting all the shops at Magnolia Silos and the Dr. Pepper museum. So we went and explored Waco. We visited an antique shop then the Hotel 1928 – A restoration project from Magnolia network. The craftsmanship and design of the hotel lobby was just amazing. The attention to detail was again like nothing I’ve seen before. We stopped in the lobby coffee bar and got the oddest thing – a cold coffee with Dr. Pepper, vanilla, and cream over ice. I was skeptical but I’ve learned to trust the locals with food and drink and I’m seldom disappointed. This time was no different.
We toured The Castle. Apparently this property, like the hotel, had its own series where the Magnolia team renovated the property and restored its glory and grandeur. The quality of the craftsmanship and attention to detail again is just on another level. Seeing things on TV just doesn’t compare to seeing in person. The Castle has amazing history going back to the 1880’s. They honored the home in the best of ways.
Dinner reservations were for the Magnolia Table. We were seated promptly and the restaurant didn’t seem too full with people waiting so I am not sure if we needed reservations but were glad we had them. We sat close to others – its wasn’t very private but we ended up talking with our neighbors and had a great conversation. The decor is like an elevated First Watch with Magnolia touches – subway tiles, real wood and leather with black hardware. Amy ordered a cocktail that was beautiful and tasty. She ordered the soup and I ordered the small biscuits. The biscuits actually had more than enough honey butter for the portion – talking to you Texas Roadhouse. For dinner Amy ordered the burger with the gluten free bun – amazing quality for gluten free. I ordered the steak and table fries. The food was amazing and we spent a total of about $100 for one cocktail, 2 appetizers and 2 entrees. Overall I would go again – its worth the cost.
Overall I was impressed with Waco – the history, aesthetic and craftsmanship from the team at Magnolia was impressive. We left saying we would visit Texas again and would probably stay in Waco over Austin next time.
Our last full day in Texas was spent exploring Austin and shopping in Round Rock. We parked downtown and visited the Texas museum. There is 3 floors of exhibits and displays. Texas history is unique in our union has many twists and turns from time times of the Spanish Empire to its own Republic to now a state in the union.
After the museum we walked to the Capitol building. The outside of the building has renovations going so parts of the building were covered. When inside the architectural details are just amazing – even the water fountain was beautiful. After going through security we went to the area of the rotunda. Soon after we walked in and a local school choir showed up and we were blessed with the most amazing Christmas carols paired with the dramatic acoustics of the rotunda. After a song or two we explored and found the Senate chamber decorated for Christmas with an enormous tree.
After downtown Austin we went shopping – Ikea, Duluth Trading and the outlet mall in Round Rock. On the way we had to stop in and get some real Texas BBQ. After all the shopping we had to stop and get In-N-Out. It was fun since Amy has had neither.
The drive back to our hotel was dark and rainy again. I-35 is just horrible. Back at the hotel we watched more of the Magnolia network and went to bed early for our early flight home.
It was a quick but great trip. Do you travel for birthdays or holidays? Do you go to the same places or new places each time?
Seek adventure and get busy living.
-Ben