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Chip and Joanna Gaines have revolutionized Waco, Texas, and created an amazing empire including Magnolia Market at the Silos, Magnolia Table, Little Shop on Bosque, and so much more. I was on a cross-country road trip from California to Florida and had to stop by Waco to experience all this for myself.
It’s crazy to think that Waco has become such a tourist attraction. I used to always associate Waco with the cult, The Branch Davidian, that had the infamous tragic ending. Now, this place attracts tourists from all over the world and has more visitors than The Alamo!
I’m guessing you already know who Chip and Joanna Gaines are if you’re on this page, but just in case you don’t, they are a wife and husband team that has a show called Fixer Upper. It’s a reality television series about home design and renovation that aired on HGTV for 5 seasons from 2013 to 2018.
They took a couple of years off to take a break and focus on their family. In 2021, they came back with Fixer Upper: Welcome Home on their Magnolia Network and they are still the charming couple with a beautiful family that America loves.
They opened Magnolia Market in 2015 and started with a food truck park with picnic tables, a garden store, a bakery, and a lawn area. In 2019, they added Magnolia Press, a gorgeous coffee shop. In 2021, they took advantage of the pandemic shutdown and expanded even more with six new retail shops, a rebuilt chapel, a Magnolia Home store, and a Wiffle ball field.
WHERE TO STAY NEAR MAGNOLIA MARKET AT THE SILOS
There are plenty of hotels near Magnolia Market and I stayed at La Quinta Inn Waco Downtown Baylor which was located less than a mile from the market. It was a fairly new hotel that was clean with modern rooms and friendly staff. It was also pet-friendly with a minimal fee and since I was traveling with my dog, this was the perfect place to stay.
You can also stay in one of Chip and Joanna’s vacation rentals that they built and designed as well. Their properties are listed on Airbnb and it is absolutely stunning. I wish I could have stayed in one of these houses, but they do not allow dogs and they are pretty expensive.
There are other Airbnb and Vrbo homes you can stay in that were featured in Fixer Upper as well. Again, this would have been great to do, but I don’t think any of them are pet-friendly. I totally understand that they want to keep their designer homes as clean as possible.
MAGNOLIA MARKET AT THE SILOS VISITOR INFORMATION
Magnolia Market at the Silos is open Monday through Saturday, 9AM - 6PM. They are closed on Sundays, so make sure to take note of that if you are planning to visit.
They are dog-friendly, so you can shop with your fur baby. That was part of the reason why I stopped by here was that I was able to take Kuma shopping with me.
There is a dedicated pet relief area with lots of dog waste stations where they provide waste bags. The dogs are welcome everywhere except the artificial grass areas like the ballpark.
If you want to avoid crowds, try to avoid Saturdays and get there right when it opens at 9AM. I was surprised at how empty it was when I arrived at 9AM. By the time it was noon, there were definitely more visitors around.
I visited on a weekday on Wednesday and even at its busiest times, I didn’t feel like there were too many people. It was still easy to walk around with my dog and find outdoor seating.
HOW TO GET THE FULL CHIP AND JOANNA GAINES EXPERIENCE IN WACO
Chip and Joanna Gaines are superstars of Waco. So much so that the Waco Convention & Visitors Bureau has created the Magnolia Trail, a self-guided tour for fans of Fixer Upper.
You can even do a Fixer Upper Tour of Waco where you will get a local guide taking you to explore some of the neighborhoods, houses, shops, landmarks, and structures featured on the show.
Mainly, you will want to check out these three things to get the full Magnolia experience and this will take an entire day to explore:
Magnolia Table Magnolia Market at the Silos Little Shop on Bosque
START WITH BREAKFAST AT MAGNOLIA TABLE
If you’re a true Jo fan, you will need to stop by Magnolia Table. Joanna Gaines has her own cooking show and a cookbook that is very popular and many fans stop by here to get the full Magnolia experience.
I have watched a few of Joanna’s cooking shows on the Magnolia Network and all of her dishes looked delicious. I was very excited to try her breakfast menu.
This restaurant is very popular, so I highly suggest making a reservation a week or more in advance. The website says that they open at 6AM, but the first time slot that was available was 8AM. I’m guessing you don’t need a reservation before 8AM because it’s not that busy during those times.
Right when I arrived at 8AM, there were already guests in line by the hostess stand to get seated. I noted that I wanted a table by the window when I made the reservation, but that note didn’t seem to go through because they were about to seat me in an area away from the window.
I asked if I could sit by the window since I requested it when I made the reservation and they were able to accommodate my request. There were still many tables available, so I don’t think it was a problem.
The restaurant’s decor is stunning, as expected, and I loved the tiles they used for the floors. Especially the area near the restroom that had “Waco Texas” spelled out on the floor. The waitress told me that many customers take pictures around the restroom area because of the “Meet Me at Magnolia Table” sign.
I ordered the Lemon Lavender Donut Holes and the Pancake Breakfast that came with two eggs, housemade tater tots, and peppered bacon.
For the pancakes, I had the choice of getting buttermilk pancakes, butter pecan pancakes + pumpkin butter, or gingerbread pancakes. I went with the classic buttermilk pancakes because the other two options sounded like they would be too sweet for me.
I was actually disappointed in the Lemon Lavender Donut Holes. They are cake donut holes drizzled in a lemon lavender glaze and topped with lemon zest and sprinkled with fresh ground lavender. It sounded amazing, but it came out right after I ordered it and it was cold. Meaning that they prepare these ahead of time and leave them in the fridge.
I thought these donut holes would come out fresh. I have never been to a restaurant where they serve donut holes cold. It tasted alright, but the freshness just wasn’t there.
The rest of my breakfast was great. The eggs were fresh, the pancakes were fluffy, and the tater tots were unique, but I think my disappointment in the donut holes took out my excitement for the rest of the meal.
I should have ordered Jo’s Buttermilk Biscuits served with strawberry butter. That’s what people seemed to rave over, but I just love donuts, so that’s why I went with a different choice.
PARKING AT MAGNOLIA MARKET AT THE SILOS
There is no official parking lot at Magnolia Market, so you will have to find street parking. Street parking is free, but I was a bit shocked that they did not have a dedicated parking lot because this place has over 100,000 visitors a month. They might be building a parking lot in the future as there was lots of construction going on at the time of my visit in January 2022.
With all that being said, I was able to find parking on the street with no problem; especially since I went right when they opened at 9AM. If you get to Magnolia Market during their peak hours, it might be a little more challenging to find street parking.
Of course, you can walk here too if your hotel is nearby, but then you’d have to walk with all those shopping bags if you plan on shopping.
SHOPPING AT MAGNOLIA MARKET AT THE SILOS
I knew there would be a lot to explore here, but it was bigger than I had imagined. This place is humungous! No wonder people call it the Disneyland of Fixer Upper fans. It really is a magical place full of Chip and Jo’s beautiful creations. Every single store is impeccably designed and really thought out.
Magnolia Market
This is the original store that opened at the Silos. It is packed with home decor goods, kitchenware, gardening tools, and apparel.
The store is updated each season to match the theme and Jo curates the full product assortment to reflect the colors, textures, and beauty of each season.
I seriously wanted everything in this store. I wish I lived near Waco because I would make trips here often to purchase all the lovely decor.
They do offer shipping, but of course, that comes with additional costs, so it ends up being more expensive. But at least they offer this option if you really want an item.
Magnolia Home
This is one of the newest additions and its a home decorator’s dream. There are several displays of living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms that give you an idea how to decorate your home like Joanna.
I would say most of the items are reasonably priced compared to other furniture stores. For example, a tall lamp that I was interested in was $125. If I were to find something like that at West Elm, it would be five times more.
What caught my eye the most were the decorative pillows. I have been looking for beige and brown textured accent pillows and I found them all in this store. They were a little bit on the pricier side for pillows but I’ve been wanting these, so I splurged a little.
Magnolia Seed & Supply
I actually didn’t know they had a garden store on the property, so I was surprised to see this. They have a full functioning garden right in front of the Seed & Supply store and there were many employees tending to them outside.
The garden shop itself is small, but you can find some cute and handy items inside if you’re a gardener. I really wanted some of the terracotta pots but I wasn’t sure how much room I would have in my car, so I opted not to buy them.
Shops at the Silos
This is the cutest section of the area to me where they added six little retail shops. Each shop is curated by Jo with a specific style and theme in mind.
Juniper & Crew
A kid and baby store that feels like you’re walking into a children’s fairytale book. They have the cutest toys and clothes for the little ones. I don’t have any children, but I would have bought my child anything they wanted in this store.
Fun fact: Crew is the name of her youngest son and Juniper is Crew’s cousin.
Reverie
A women’s clothing store filled with well-made, evergreen pieces. I can definitely see Joanna wearing all these pieces. There were several items that caught my interest but I have too many clothes right now, so I had to hold back.
I especially loved the cashier here because she was so friendly and talkative. She was genuinely interested in where I was from and complimented on how cute Kuma was. She told me that she loves Waco and has lived there her whole life.
Tried & True
A great selection of bags, jewelry, and other accessories. I’m all about simple, dainty jewelry pieces and this store was on par with my style. I bought myself a cute little heart ring.
Vie bien aimee
Out of all the little retail shops, this was the busiest store. Vie bien aimee means "A life well loved" and you will find a nice collection of bath and body products including skincare, makeup, and beauty tools.
I always wanted a facial roller and found one here by Mount Lai. I trust Joanna’s selections, so I decided to buy one here.
Chapter one
This store reminded me of Japan because I used to love going to little stationery stores in Japan. I used to collect a whole bunch of stationery sets and had a full box of them to write letters to family and friends.
You can find cards, journals, art utensils and more in this store.
No. 16
I know Joanna curated this store, but I also feel like Chip did as well. You can see his personality all over this men’s provisions store. There were some handy items for camping, woodworking, apparel, and more.
Fun fact: 16 is Chip’s favorite number and it was also the number on his baseball jersey from back in the day.
EATERIES AT THE SILOS
Magnolia Press
Joanna wanted to create a coffee shop so that her customers could get a cup of coffee while looking around the grounds and retail shops. The coffee shop is beautifully decorated in rich green and copper accents. She went for an industrial library vibe and you can really feel it.
I was not able to go indoors because I had my dog, but if you would like to take some coffee to go, they do have a walk-up window located on the back patio.
Silos Baking Co.
This bakery shop seems to be pretty popular as there were poles and ropes ready for the line of people wanting some sweet treats. Again, I was not able to go into this bakery because I had Kuma, but they offer cupcakes, cookies, pastries, and more from Jo’s personal recipes and hand-picked favorites.
Food Trucks
There is a nice selection of food trucks ranging from Asian cuisine, grilled cheese, pizza, burgers, and more. I was craving Asian, so I decided to go with Club Sandwich. They were giving out samples of their chicken bulgogi and I was immediately hooked.
ENTERTAINMENT & MORE AT THE SILOS
Magnolia Market isn’t just about shopping. They have also created playing fields for families and preserved the historic landmarks of Waco.
Katy Ballpark
This park originally opened in 1905 and in 1929, the New York Yankees came to town to play an exhibition game where the locals had the chance to watch legends like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
The 1953 tornado destroyed most of the field and it later turned into a parking lot, but Chip and Jo brought it back to life by building a Wiffle ball field. The home plate sits in the exact spot that it once did all those years ago.
They even added a cute concession stand that offers traditional ballpark favorites like nachos, sodas, sloppy joes, and ring pops.
The Old Church
The original church was built in 1894 and it was one of Waco’s oldest buildings. The church sat vacant for over 30 years and in 2017, Chip and Jo bought the building and moved it over to the Silos and began their renovation of the church.
You can watch the whole process on their first season of Fixer Upper Welcome Home. They worked their magic as they always do and brought the beauty back into this church.
Chip and Jo’s vision of the Silos has always been to create a place where people could come and be inspired by something beautiful and where new experiences would lead to lasting memories.
This church now serves as an inspiring part of the experience.
The Silos
And of course, there’s the iconic silos of Waco. These silos are from 1950 and originally served as storage for the Brazos Valley Cotton Oil Company.
There is a large open field in front of the silos where you can play some fun games like corn hole and ball games or just relax and watch your kids run around on the field.
Photo Booth
There is a fun little photo booth right by Maggie’s food truck. I love these old-school photo booths and thought about taking some photos with Kuma, but remembered that she hates taking pictures with me if I hold her. It would have been fun for me, but miserable for Kuma.
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DISCOUNTED ITEMS AT THE LITTLE SHOP ON BOSQUE
If you’re looking for discounted Magnolia items, you can find them at The Little Shop on Bosque. This was actually the very first retail shop Chip and Jo opened in 2003 before their fortune and fame. It’s located less than 4 miles away from the Silos.
There were lots of discounted items here including apparel, home decor, paper goods, etc. Basically last sale items from the Magnolia Market. I did find some great sweaters on sale for over 60% off, but I just have way too many clothes right now, so I had to force myself not to buy anything.
It’s such a tiny store that they had to expand their sale items outdoors. I would definitely stop by here if you are looking for some great deals.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Magnolia Market at the Silos is closed on Sundays
Make reservations at Magnolia Table and order the biscuits with strawberry butter
Arrive early at Magnolia Market at the Silos so that you can find parking easily and enjoy the experience with less people around
Plan on spending the whole day experiencing Magnolia Table, Magnolia Market at the Silos, and the Little Shop on Bosque
Find great deals at the Little Shop on Bosque