Escapees March-April 2019 Vol 40 Issue 5

SKP Stops

  Waco, Texas

         

Waco, Texas, located between Dallas and Austin, has always had a lot to offer its visitors. But since Chip and Joanna Gaines, HGTV’s stars of the hit TV show, Fixer Upper, hit the airwaves, many tourists are traveling to the city to see the locations featured on the show. I, too, wanted to visit the hot spots that fall under the Gaines’ corporate umbrella, while also learning about the historic landmarks of the city. I begin my tour at Magnolia Market at the Silos. This two-block complex is in the center of downtown. After shopping in the market, I watch families playing games on the lawn (equipment provided by Magnolia) and relaxing on family-sized “porch” swings. Even on this winter day, the gardens are beautifully manicured. Lovely cascades of green decorate the entryway to Magnolia Seed + Supply. Food trucks line one edge of the lawn, and cupcakes and other baked goods are available at Silos Baking Co.

A big plus is that employees are in abundance and more than willing to help visitors. One employee I speak to explains where the restaurant, Magnolia Table, is located. As she shows me a map, a bright green trolley pulls up to the curb. The employee explains the trolley is free and takes guests throughout the Silo District or to Magnolia Table as well as other shops and museums. Because I know I will drive directly to the restaurant the next day for lunch, I hop on the Silo District Trolley. The second stop is Austin Avenue lined with wonderful gift and design shops. As soon as I step into Christi’s, I am asked where I am from. “We get customers from all over the world,” says store owner Christi Proctor Hurst. I soon discover that Christi is another HGTV regular; a designer on the TV show Trading Spaces . In Christi’s and her store next door, Titch & Burt’s Mercantile, the designer combines her inventory into

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