Some weekends don't need a packed schedule to feel like a getaway. This is one of them. A slower-paced winter itinerary built around lights, warm drinks, and the version of Waco that only shows up this time of year. ☕✨
Friday Evening: Arrive and Settle In
Don't plan anything for the first night. Get in, get settled, and let the trip start on its own terms.
If you're at the Barndominium, that means a fire pit evening under a clear winter sky, the lake quiet and still in the dark, hot chocolate on the covered deck instead of coffee. If you're at the Little House, it means the fireplace Chip found in the walls doing exactly what it was built to do — a real fire, a real evening in, no itinerary required on night one. 🔥
A simple dinner at the property. Let everyone unwind from the drive before the real weekend starts.
Saturday Morning: The Silos, Decorated for the Season
Start early, before the crowds. Magnolia Press for coffee — or hot cocoa, which quietly becomes the better order once the weather turns. Magnolia Market at the Silos takes on its holiday version this time of year: seasonal merchandise, string lights, a different energy than the rest of the year. 🧁
Walk it slowly. The lawn, usually a spot to sit in the sun, becomes a different kind of pretty in December — bare trees, string lights overhead, cool air that makes the whole visit feel more like a season than a stop on a list.
Saturday Midday: Magnolia Table
Put your name on the waitlist the moment you arrive at the Silos — the wait doesn't shrink in winter. Warm biscuits, a warm room, and exactly the kind of meal that makes sense on a cold morning. 🍳
Saturday Afternoon: Downtown and the Riverwalk
Walk the Riverwalk while there's still daylight — the Brazos looks different in winter light, and the walk is more comfortable than it is in summer's heat. Browse downtown's shops, many of which lean into the season with their own version of holiday displays.
If a local Christmas market or holiday pop-up is running during your visit, this is the afternoon to find it. Check what's on before you go — the timing varies year to year, but something seasonal is usually happening downtown in December. 🎄
Saturday Evening: The Lights
This is the part the itinerary is really built around.
As it gets dark, head back downtown for the lights — the Riverwalk corridor and the downtown district both take on their holiday look once the sun goes down. A slow walk, cocoa in hand from one of the coffee shops along the way, is one of the most underrated things to do in Waco all year.
Head back to the property after. Whichever house you're staying at, this is the night to sit outside a little longer than planned — the Barndominium's deck over the lake, or the Little House's spot by the fire. No agenda for the rest of the night. 🌌
Sunday Morning: Slow and Unhurried
Don't rush the last morning. Coffee — or more cocoa — on the deck or by the fire. A simple breakfast at the property instead of one more stop in town.
If there's time before checkout, Cameron Park on a cool morning is worth it. Quieter this time of year, with the cooler temperatures making the walk to Lover's Leap more comfortable than it is most of the year. 🌳
What Makes This Weekend Work
This itinerary isn't built around doing the most. It's built around the handful of things Waco does especially well in winter — the Silos decorated for the season, the Riverwalk lit up after dark, a fire or a fire pit to come back to each night — stretched across a weekend with enough open space to actually enjoy them instead of rushing between them.
That's the difference between a winter trip and a regular one. The lights and the cocoa are the detail. The slower pace is the actual point. ☕
📩 Check availability for the Barndominium and the Little House on Airbnb and VRBO and plan your holiday lights weekend in Waco.