24 Hours in Waco, TX
We live in the greater Austin area and our parents live in north Dallas which means we have driven back and forth on I-35 dozens of times so we regularly pass through Waco! Waco is about the halfway point between Austin and Dallas so it’s always been a great location for a pit stop or bite to eat. We even sometimes meet our parents here for a day to spend time together. Despite the dozens of Waco visits, my husband, Drew, and I have never stayed the night. In our quest to visit and stay in as many Texas towns as we can, we knew Waco would be next on the list! Waco is a charming college city to Baylor University that has a large Chip & Joanna Gaines influence. We have done some of the Magnolia and Fixer Upper activities in Waco, but I haven’t really ventured outside of that. We were looking forward to some quality time together while exploring Waco!
Lodging
We had the absolute privilege of staying at Hotel 1928, a boutique hotel in downtown Waco with 33 rooms. It was newly renovated by none other than Chip and Joanna Gaines!
The hotel opened on November 3rd. Drew (my husband) surprised me with a stay here on Saturday night and I truly could not believe he got us a reservation!
One of the many things I love about the Gaines’ style is that they recognize and make an effort to preserve and celebrate the history of a location. For example, the Silos were built in 1950 for the Brazos Valley Cotton Oil Company, Magnolia Table used to be the second location of a local favorite called the Elite Cafe, and their new Hotel 1928 was home to a local social group known for its community outreach and philanthropy.
The hotel has a very luxurious feeling when you stay in the rooms or spend some time in the lobby. I also adored some of the unique characteristics such as a library, rooftop restaurant, and the coffee delivery to our room in the morning. What a treat!!
Food & Dining
Brunch 1 at Magnolia Table
We stopped at Magnolia Table on the way into town. I have eaten here twice and Drew had never been there. I made a reservation about two weeks in advance. We dined on a Saturday morning, so I highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time to avoid a long wait! It sure was super busy.
We had such a wonderful breakfast here! This location has such rich history - it used to be the Elite Cafe, a local favorite originally started in 1919 by the Colias brothers. Chip and Joanna Gaines purchased the building and renovated it to add their own style while still preserving the history.
I love their motto - “Everyone has a seat at our table”. The atmosphere is welcoming and beautiful! Lots of natural light and greenery - it makes you feel right at home. Their website says that they believe some of life’s best moments are enjoyed with good food and great company around the table. I absolutely adore that and agree! You can see their heart behind that in the design of the restaurant and in the fresh, delicious food.
For the beverages and meal, I got a seasonal cranberry orange mimosa (wowza it was amazing), Farm Eggs Benedict (again, wowza incredible). It has two of Joanna’s buttermilk biscuits topped with a poached egg and Hollandaise sauce. Then we got a great pro tip from our waiter, Jesse, to get 1 biscuit with sausage and 1 biscuit with bacon.
For Drew’s order, he got a drip coffee to drink and the Farm Breakfast with a side of sausage gravy. The Farm Breakfast included two eggs cooked to order, breakfast potatoes, a biscuit, and one sausage and one bacon.
Magnolia Table is open Monday-Saturday from 7am-3pm.
Dinner at Hotel 1928 at Bertie’s on the Rooftop
We had a wonderful experience at Bertie’s on the Rooftop. The website says this restaurant is a tip of the hat to the original visionaries of Hotel 1928. We sat outside on the rooftop and it felt like a private dinner experience. It was a little chilly at night, so we had a heater next to our table which helped us keep warm.
The food was delicious!! We enjoyed our meal so much! For an appetizer we ordered the Cowboy Caviar which included tortilla chips, avocado, grilled corn, and lime. For our main entrees I ordered the Cedar Plank Salmon which was so rich with flavor! Holy cow it was amazing. It came with a side of rice pilaf and brussels sprouts. For Drew’s main entree he ordered the 44 Farms’ Filet and it came with broccolini, crispy potatoes, and tomato hollandaise.
Once again, the food was delicious and flavorful. We also had a great view of downtown Waco!
Bertie’s on the Rooftop is open from 10am-3pm for brunch and 4pm-10pm for dinner.
Dessert at The Brasserie at Hotel 1928
I’m not going to lie - by the time we wrapped up dinner at Bertie’s we were pretty cold from sitting outside so we decided to order dessert from the bar at The Brasserie on the first level of the hotel.
After comparing the two menus, we noticed there were a lot of similarities. The Brasserie is described as southern classic food with a Texas twist. Even though there were quite a few similarities on the menus, Bertie’s on the Rooftop is more upscale and The Brasserie is more casual.
For dessert on Saturday night, I ordered the Apple Fritter and Drew ordered the Banana Pudding. The Banana Pudding was by far superior! It had a brulee coating on the bananas. Yummy yummy! The Apple Fritter was good, just not what I was expecting. It was fried and cakey. Still delicious, but definitely recommend the Banana Pudding when you visit (two different wait staff also recommended the Banana Pudding).
Brunch 2 at The Brasserie at Hotel 1928
This was a last minute decision, but we had to eat a real meal (not just dessert) at The Brasserie during our stay at Hotel 1928!
We opted in for breakfast during our brunch at this restaurant. I ordered a peppermint tea to drink and an avocado toast for my main dish. Drew ordered a drip coffee and the egg and cheese omelet for his main dish. We shared a chocolate croissant to start.
The Brasserie is open from 7am-11am for breakfast and 11am-4pm for lunch.
Other dining recommendations
Being in Waco for only 24 hours means that we do not get to try everything on our list. These are recommended by other bloggers and locals that we didn’t get a chance to try this time:
Cha Community (formerly Waco Cha) - boba tea, Chinese & Taiwanese cuisine
Waco Waffle Co - both sweet and savory waffles
Jake’s Texas Tea House - American cuisine
Helberg BBQ - Barbecue (currently closed because of a fire that happened at the end of November :( see website for more details on reopening)
Hecho en Waco - Mexican restaurant
George’s - “A Waco tradition since 1930”, American restaurant
Shorty’s - pizza
Health Camp - burgers and shakes
Coffee
Coffee is essential to us for fuel and for our enjoyment. Both Drew and I love visiting coffee shops, so I knew I wanted to dedicate a section just for coffee. Most of the coffee we ordered was at restaurants like Magnolia Table and The Brasserie at Hotel 1928. We did get the chance to order a few coffees elsewhere.
This place is absolutely adorable! It has the perfect chill coffee shop vibes and as if that wasn’t enough, it’s also a book store!! Drew told me that if we were dating and living in Waco, he would bring me here on a first date haha!
It has so much character and attention to detail. We really adored this place and can’t believe that this was our first time there!
Drew ordered an Americano with cream and I ordered The Polar Express Mint Mocha from their seasonal menu. It was decadent!
We ordered drip coffee from here while sitting at brunch at The Brassiere. I also stopped here on Saturday evening for a peppermint tea.
The Cafe also offers baked goods and light bites. I love that the idea is to grab something from the Cafe and eat or drink it around the hotel’s library or a comfy couch in the lobby.
Other coffee recommendations
Being in Waco for only 24 hours means that we do not get to try everything on our list. These are recommended by other bloggers and locals that we didn’t get a chance to try this time:
Things to Do
We had no problem finding things to do during our 24 hour stay in Waco! There are options to choose from that will make everyone happy. There’s quite a few shopping spots, opportunities to spend time outside, and even options to soak up some history! There were a few places to visit that we did not get a chance to see during this stay, but I hope to be back in the future to check out the zoo and shop at the Homestead Heritage Village.
We hung out at the Silos for a few hours, but you could honestly spend a full day here soaking up all the Silos have to offer. There’s so many things you can do here - shop, grab a treat from the bakery, eat at the food trucks, or play some family games while soaking up the Texas sun. We did not eat anything while we were at the Silos this time, but we did go shopping! There are multiple stores to browse - home store, plant store, mens store, women’s clothing store, paper store, body care store, and more!
I was particularly excited about visiting the Dr Pepper museum because 1) it has recently become my favorite soda and 2) I had never been! I love a trip that has a good mix of visiting old favorites but also trying new things. The tickets for adults were $10 each and included a beverage ticket at the end of the exhibit. It took us about an hour to get through all three floors of the museum exhibit. Both my husband and I learned some interesting things about the making and history of Dr Pepper! There are some other optional activities at the museum such as Make-A-Soda for $10 per person and the Paranormal Tour for $35 per person.
Other things to do
Visit The Homestead Heritage Village
Hike at Cameron Park - see Jacob’s Ladder, Lover’s Leap, Miss Nellie’s Pretty Place
In conclusion, we adored our 24 hours in Waco. It was a perfect time to step away from the hustle and bustle of the holidays to spend some quality time together. If you love shopping, good food and drink, and Chip & Joanna Gaines, then Waco is a perfect next spot for you to visit!
