#shiplap

Chip and Jo 2.0

Day three in Austin was by far my favorite! Our day started bright and early with a quick road trip to Waco, Texas. For those of you who haven't already concluded from the title of this post, we spent our morning at the Magnolia complex. Both being avid fans of Fixer Upper (and Chip and Jo) I'm not sure who was more excited - Andrew or me.

Pulling into Waco, we quickly realized we were not the only people with the brilliant idea of visiting Magnolia today. After finding a parking spot a few blocks away, we walked up to see a never-ending line of people snaking across the property. There was also a yard with lawn games, covered picnic tables, and food trucks lining the perimeter. After getting a drink from one of the food trucks, we took our spot in line. Thankfully it moved pretty quickly and about a half hour later we were entering into the famed Magnolia Market.

Magnolia Market

This place was filled with anything and everything you could imagine Jo putting into one of her houses. Beyond all of the cute items, Andrew and I both noticed that every employee was extremely friendly and welcoming - the overall vibe was super enjoyable, even in the sweltering 100 degree heat. We spent quite a bit of time shopping and just walking around the complex.

After Magnolia, we decided to visit downtown Waco. Unfortunately, being the day before Independence Day, most places were closed. Our walk ended pretty shortly and we decided to head to In-N-Out for lunch. I did not realize that In-N-Out was in Texas, so this was a fun surprise for lunch.

The view from Mt. Bonnell

Later in the day, after getting back to Austin, we decided to go visit Mt. Bonnell. This is a lookout over the river at the highest point in Austin. Though it wasn't much of a hike, 100 steps in the heat was definitely exhausting. In the end, the view was worth it! After a little bit of sightseeing (including checking out mega-mansions lining the river) we ended the "hike" with some snow cones to cool off.

For dinner, we finally strayed from our Tex-Mex streak and went to BBQ. Even though I don't eat red meat, I am willing to suffer the consequences for a good pulled pork sandwich, so I was really excited to be going to one of the top BBQ places in Austin. Unfortunately, when we got there they were out of both pulled pork and chicken, so I had a disappointing turkey sandwich. Thankfully, Andrew really enjoyed his brisket.

Colorado River

After dinner we headed back to the hotel. Between the long line at Magnolia and the workout at Mt. Bonnell, the sun did a number on both of us today. Besides, strolling through downtown, we decided to take it easy for the night.

We have one more (half) day in Austin tomorrow before we fly back to Chicago tomorrow evening. Both Andrew and I hope you all have a safe and happy fourth of July tomorrow!

Best,
Kenzie