My mom and I are huge Chip & Joanna Gaines fans (you know, from Fixer Upper) and during her birthday trip to Dallas, I decided to surprise her with a mini road trip to the Magnolia Silos in Waco, TX.
Located an hour and a half drive away from Dallas, Waco is a small, but bustling college town with plenty to do. It is home to Baylor University, Magnolia Silos, and Mammoth National Monument. It’s a hidden gem that has gained tremendous popularity over the years.
If you can take one thing away from this guide, please arrive EARLY. Magnolia Silos is the most visited attraction in Waco, therefore it gets busy quick. We recommend arriving before the Silos officially opens at 9 that way you can walk around, snap photos, and take it all in without enormous crowds. There are so many good photo ops, so you will definitely want to arrive early. We arrived at 8:45am and saw maybe 20 people total at that time scattered around. By 10:00am, it was pretty busy.
As far as parking, we found a spot for free on a side street located next to the Silos Baking Co. As the day progresses and it gets busier, street parking options become slim but there are paid parking options nearby.
Take a look at our guide on how to spend a day at Magnolia Silos:
Breakfast at Magnolia Table
This should be your first stop as soon as you get to Waco, as it is located right off the highway, and it gets VERY busy. Opening time is at 7:00am and when we arrived at 6:40am, there was already a line forming. Thanks to our early arrival, we were one of the first five tables seated.
As soon as you enter, the décor and ambiance has Joanna Gaines written all over it. Her infamous use of shiplap and neutral colors made you feel right at home, as if I were in their kitchen. The menu was a decent size with plenty to choose from and the food was absolutely amazing! To put the icing on top, the service was stellar. We sat, ordered, and ate our food all within an hour.
Explore Magnolia Silos
Magnolia Silos functioned as a cotton mill back in the 1950s until it was bought by Chip and Joanna Gaines in 2014. Shortly after, they revamped it into a shopping complex and place that the residents of Waco can hang out. If you’re interested, you can also sign up to do a walking tour with an employee from the Silos to dig a little deeper into the history of the property. The tour includes a free coffee from Magnolia Press and a visit to the roof of Magnolia Market, which supposedly gives the best photo op of the grounds.
Magnolia Press Coffee
A stop for coffee is always a great idea. The historic features coupled with superb service made for a great experience. They serve your typical coffee options plus seasonal items and pastries. Their iced Pumpkin Spice Latte was perfect.
Fixer Upper Tour
Do you ever wonder if the houses that Chip and Jo flipped still have families living in them? Or if they still look the same? Well, luckily there is a tour just for that! With Brazo Tours, sit back and ride around to take a look at the renovated homes we all witnessed on their show. This tour also makes stops to Clint’s and Jimmy Don’s shops to browse around. If you forgot to book a tour, no worries. Magnolia Silos offers the same tour that you can sign up for on the day of.
Lunch at Union Hall
Thanks to our tour guide, we had lunch at Union Hall. This food hall is located within walking distance to Magnolia Silos and is a great option to stop and enjoy lunch. With over 20 different eateries, this community setting is a way to support local businesses and witness local life in Waco. Try Curry Up & Wok This Way. Their pad thai is to die for!
Shop Around the Magnolia Silos
Take your pick between Magnolia Home, Magnolia Market, and the Shops at Magnolia to satisfy your shopping addiction. You are able to browse between furniture, home goods made by Joanna herself, and apparel. Of course, you have to stop by the souvenir shops to help showcase that you indeed visited the infamous Magnolia Silos.
Silos Baking Co.
After a very long and productive day, don’t forget to stop by Silos Baking Co. to feed your sweet tooth. Filled with cupcakes, pastries, and other treats, you can expect a line to be outside the door and wrapped around the building. During our visit, they had a sale of buy a box of 6 cupcakes for $20 and you know we had to take advantage of that! We tried their Strawberries n’ Cream, Lemon Lavender, and Shiplap (vanilla cupcake w/ vanilla frosting). They were absolutely delicious!
Visiting the Magnolia Silos was such a great time. To witness how Chip and Joanna have transformed not only this property, but the city of Waco itself, is so inspiring. Even though we didn’t run into Chip or Joanna during our visit, we hope to do so in the future, as we have already made plans to visit again.
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