Waco's Own Central Park

Now that the weather is getting nicer, we are spending more time at one of our favorite places in town, the Brazos River, namely Cameron Park & Indian Spring Park. I lump these together because they sort of mesh and run together along the Brazos River. You can often find kids playing on the playgrounds here, families feeding the ducks, college students enjoying a round of Frisbee golf, a mom enjoying a walk with her kiddos, or couples bicycling along the paved walkways. There's so much to do along the riverwalk at these parks. We love to take our pups to walk along the banks of the river, through the trails of Cameron Park, and across the bridges at Indian Spring Park.

I often feel like it's our very own Central Park right in Waco, Texas. When you're in the midst of enjoying the nature around you, you forget you are right in the middle of a thriving & growing metropolis. You can truly (trust me, stay on those trails) get lost in the middle of the city here. There's always something to see and do, animals to watch, or games to be played. Like Central Park is to New York City, these parks are a gem to our Wacotown. I always encourage friends & family to "discover a bit of home" via Cameron Park and the other parks along the Brazos River. So if you're ever in town, park yourself on a bench along the beautiful Brazos and take in the untouched beauty that Waco, Texas has to offer.

Waco, Texas Bucket List

If you follow along with me on Instagram, you saw I took a friend through a little adventure through town over the weekend. We went to some of my favorite spots in Waco, including Magnolia Market. But, I feel like folks forget, or don't realize, there is so to do & see here. Made famous by Magnolia Market + Fixer Upper, the Alico Building (one of the first skyscrapers in Texas), and the Waco Suspension Bridge (cattle from the historic Chisholm Trail once crossed here), Waco, Texas has so much to offer! So I put together a little "bucket list" for Waco, Texas to share with you today.

My list includes parks, restaurants, museums, and my favorite shops! I've made a little map for you, but I'm also including more details that aren't listed, so be sure to read on!

1. Cameron Park • Our favorite spot for dogs walks, to enjoy nature, or hike. The park is over 400 acres, and boasts some of the best views in the city! We love the River Trail for walks with the pups and feeding the ducks.
2. Spice Village • Hands down my favorite shopping spot in town! You'll find everything from antiques, home decor, clothes, gifts, and more.
3. Restoration Crown • Another fun spot for home decor in town. You'll know you've arrived by the turquoise station wagon out front. Check out their Instagram for the latest sales!
4. The Craft Gallery • I've been shopping here with my mom since I was a kid. It's a top spot for one of a kind gifts by local artisans.
5. Heitmiller Steakhouse • Our favorite locally owned restaurant and bar. Perfect for drinks after work or dinner for a special occasion. Try the Big O' Strawberry Daiquiri and, if you're brave, the Calf Fries.
6. Parker's Park at West • This park was thought up and brought to life by sweet Parker himself. It's dedicated to his dad and others who lost their lives during the West Fertilizer Plant Explosion on April 17, 2013. Parker enjoyed the West Park before the explosion demolished it, so he came up with a plan to rebuild his favorite spot. Parker's Park doesn't disappoint and can be enjoyed by all!
7. Gerik's Bakery • By pass the famous Czech Stop, and pop in to Gerik's Bakery for the best kolaches in West. Grab my favorite, the strawberry cream cheese puff to curb your sweet tooth. Don't forget to take a few home to freeze for later too!
8. Texas Rangers Hall of Fame & Museum • Learn about Texas history and this cool museum. You'll see artifacts from Texas Rangers' criminal cases throughout the years, enjoy seeing detailed weaponry, and incredible paintings depicting all the Rangers do for Texas.
9. Waco Hippodrome Theater • One of my hands down favorite places in Waco, Texas. This old theatre has served as a live theatre and picture show for many years. It's hosted the likes of Elvis Presley & John Wayne. It's recently been restored to show multiple movies as well as live theatre. The neon sign alone as worth the visit!
10. Cameron Park Zoo • Waco's zoo doesn't disappoint! It's not too big, not too small, and offers a wide variety of exhibits. My favorites are the lemur & otter exhibits. Hop across the street to the Earle-Harrison House & Pape Gardens to get lost in a garden oasis right in the middle of town.

Check out this and so much more during your visit to Waco! I'll be sharing more on Wacotown soon, so be sure to check back!

Magnolia Silos

Can you believe it's already almost 2016? This year has been full to the brim with blessings and adventures near and far. This past year, I've really taken time to explore more right at home. Waco, Texas is overflowing with great places to visit and things to see. A major highlight for Waco this year was the opening of Magnolia Market at the Silos.

Magnolia and Waco have been made famous by HGTV's Fixer Upper, and the town hasn't been the same since! Magnolia Market is frequented by people from all over the country, putting Waco on the map. I have visited Magnolia twice since it opened at the Silos, including the grand opening. I visited for Fall and again in December. I took a million pictures to capture this great, family place. Not only is there shopping, there are plenty of things for the whole family, a lawn for games, a garden, outdoor kids reading area, food trucks, and, in 2016, a bakery (just announced yesterday). I definitely recommend getting there early if you plan on visiting, after that there are plenty of places nearby to visit. I'll do a whole post on that soon! For now, here are lots of photos of Magnolia Market at the Silos for you to enjoy.

State Fair of Texas

Happy hump day to you! I hope you enjoyed yesterday's bit on Victoria. I can't wait to share more of that great town with you--soon! Today, I want to switch gears for a bit. I know we are smack dab in the middle of National Plan a Cruise Month, but Lovely and I went to the State Fair of Texas on Sunday, and I wanted to share the fun day we had! On our drive there and back, we talked about how we have such great adventures together, and that we love doing things together even right at home, in Texas at least. A big thing on my bucket list is to explore more in Texas, that's where the "Discovering Home" posts come in. I've talked about it before but I'll say it again, even though we tend to dream of those far away destinations, I think it's so important to not forget about the places right in our backyard. So that being said, Lovely & I carved out a whole day together (those are few and far between for us), and hit the road!

We arrived fairly early, around 10am, and the temperatures were still mild. We enjoyed rides on the Texas Star Ferris Wheel and Skyway across the midway first thing before the lines got too long. The lines and people piled in as the temps got hotter. We hit nearly 100 degrees in Dallas that day! Not Fall or October by any means around here! We enjoyed our time nonetheless. Lovely enjoyed telling me stories of his times at the fair was a kid and young adult with FFA and horse showing, as always I enjoyed hearing them. A highlight for us was seeing the new Ford trucks and new GMC Yukons, and dreaming about them of course! We packed a lot into our short time there, here's a look at a few things we did.

 The famous Texas Star. The tallest amusement ride in the Western Hemisphere. 

I love that it stays up all year long, and am tickled I finally got to ride it.

 Views from the Skyway ride.

Dallas Skyline from the Texas Star

 You can't go to the State Fair without a Fletcher's corny dog, with mustard of course!

How we roll in Texas! Can you see all of those turkey legs!?! #legsfordays

Deep fried red velvet cupcake

Hello Heaven!! Highly recommend this yummy treat!

 Texas Wine Garden Canopy

So cute!

This was a treat, the West High School Junior Historians!

I used to be one of them!

 Toyota's Car of the Future...

I hope not!!

Beautiful Art Deco (my favorite) architecture in Fair Park

 My obligatory photo with Big Tex, the mascot of the State Fair of Texas!

Lovely & I on the Texas Star

We had such a great time together, and many laughs as usual. I love our adventures together, near & far, big & small. We have so many more places we want to explore in Texas, especially in Dallas! We are hoping later this month to mark off a few more. Perhaps I need to put together a "Dallas Bucket List" to share! I'll work on that! Thanks so much for stopping by today. I'll be back for more cruising soon!