We had a fun morning in Waco, TX at Magnolia Market of HGTV “Fixer Upper” fame. After parking in a city free parking lot we rode the free trolley which let us out right at the front door and Bakery.  I enjoyed looking and shopping with all the other people. It was crowded but everyone was good natured. After making my purchase we walked over to the Feed and Seed Store where we enjoyed the beautiful flowers and gardens. Since the line into the Bakery was long we opted to not go there.  There were several food trucks as well.  People were enjoying the picnic tables and the kids were having a lot of fun romping in the large play area.

Later on, just for fun, we drove past Chip and Joanna’s restaurant, Magnolia Table.  They had a full house, with people lined up waiting to get in.

This is our second sightseeing review of Waco – the first is here.

 

After walking about three blocks we arrived at the Dr. Pepper Museum. The tour there is self guided.  The museum is housed in a three story building but there is an elevator if you don’t want to climb the stairs. We enjoyed seeing the old corner  drugstore with it’s beautiful woodwork and mirror. One room has early-day bottling equipment and a  video on how the old bottle washer worked. Of particular interest to me was the artesian well that originally provided water for making the first Dr. Peppers bottled here.  Sometime prior to World War II the well was closed and floored over.  The exact location was lost as the building was changed and used for other purposes across the years.  It took some archeology to find just where, under the brick floor, the well was.

Throughout the building there are old time delivery trucks on display along with lots of Dr Pepper memorabilia.  In the theater room you can enjoy Dr. Pepper commercials being played on a big screen.  We were surprised at how many of those commercials we remembered!  Scott wasn’t sure he liked watching them because he kept singing them to himself the rest of the day!  After finishing the three stories of the museum we went across the courtyard where there were several other displays, including a very nice model railroad and a 7-Up bottling display.  We also enjoyed Frosty’s Soda Shop and gift shop. We got a couple of sodas, made the old fashioned way, by a soda jerk.  Scott got, of course, a Dr Pepper and I opted for a root beer.  We thought both tasted better than what you would buy in a store or from a machine.