My husband, Asher, grew up in Texas before moving to Europe and has always wanted to go back and visit. So we decided to rent a car and take the 13-hour road trip to see the sights.

Dallas

Our first destination was Dallas, and our first destination in Dallas was La La Land Kind Cafe.

• 

• 

• 

• 

La La Land Kind Cafe

With its pops of yellow, La La Land has to be one of the cutest coffee shops I’ve ever seen. We opted for americanos and the M.A.K.A. toast with almond butter, blueberries, bananas, strawberries and a honey drizzle. YUM.

• 

• 

• 

Bishop Arts District

My favorite part of our time in Dallas was spent exploring Bishop Arts District. The street is filled with all sorts of specialty shops, like a record store, bath and body products, plant shops and boutiques. It’s definitely a must when visiting the city.

Trammell Crow Park

For a view of the city skyline, visit Trammell Crow Park. It was cold and rainy when we visited, so we didn’t stay long. The park would be the perfect place to walk on a sunny day.

Deep Ellum

If you’re looking for a place to walk around and grab a bite to eat, I recommend Deep Ellum. There are some shops, but the food scene is what makes the area.

• 

• 

Magnolia Sous Le Pont

We’re all about the coffee shops, so we had to visit Magnolia Sous Le Pont. With the prettiest storefront, the shop is serving up one of the best lattes we had in Texas. I highly recommend stopping by here if you get the chance.

• 

• 

Urban Taco

Can you go to Texas without getting some Tex Mex? We grabbed some tacos at Urban Taco for dinner. Their Al Pastor a la Tuna taco was voted Top Ten Taco in Texas by Texas Monthly, but I’m a big fan of their Pollo al Carbon.

Austin

Austin was by far my favorite part of our trip. For me, Dallas and Waco do not compare.

• 

• 

Forthright

Our first stop in Austin was brunch at Forthright, and it was SO GOOD. The chia pudding was to die for!

• 

• 

• 

• 

South Congress Ave.

Full of coffee shops, restaurants, shops and high-end retail, South Congress Ave. was one of my favorite spots in Austin. If you like city murals, this is your place.

• 

• 

Lady Bird Lake Boardwalk

If I lived in Austin, I would walk the Lady Bird Lake Boardwalk all the time. It was such a pretty outdoor space with some of the best skyline views.

• 

• 

• 

360 Bridge

The drive to get to the 360 Bridge blew me away. I never knew Texas was so beautiful! And climbing to the top to see the view at sunset was the highlight of our entire trip. After we took some photos, we raced down the trail to catch a glimpse of the million-dollar homes in the daylight. We love riding to look at houses, especially the ones with the BEST views of Texas.

• 

• 

Veracruz All Natural Tacos

I could eat tacos all day every day, so we had to stop at this highly rated food truck. We went to the location in Radio Coffee and Beer in South Austin. The atmosphere was so fun, minus the opossum that tried to be my friend while I was waiting on my taco.

• 

• 

Miracle on 5th Street at the Eleanor

Asher and I are HUGE fans of the Miracle Pop-Up, a Christmas cocktail pop-up bar. We went to our first one last year in Virginia and had to find another. Different bars around the U.S. and Canada go all out on Christmas decorations (I’m talking Santa hanging from the ceiling tiles crazy) and serve up Christmas themed drinks.

Waco

Let’s be real. The only reason we visited Waco was to go to Magnolia Market at the Silos.

• 

• 

Magnolia Market at the Silos

Learn from our mistake. Make a reservation if you’re wanting to eat at Magnolia Table. We thought we’d be able to walk in and grab a bite to eat. Nope. It was a two hour and 45 minute wait.

So we headed to Magnolia Press for lattes, and they were EXCELLENT. And the space was so pretty!

• 

• 

• 

My favorite part was wandering through the shops and seeing The Old Church. It was beautiful.

On your way out, be sure to visit The Little Shop on Bosque, the original storefront opened by Chip and Joanna Gaines in 2003.

Have you ever been to Texas? What were your favorites?