We arrived in Waco close to noon and thought we would experience one of the food trucks mentioned in the website at the Silos. After all, its Monday and its been raining all morning so the crowd will probably be a lot smaller than normal. Boy, did we underestimate the popularity of Chip and Joanna Gaines and their TV show. We circled the area a few times before we found parking and then walked towards the two big unfinished silos signifying the location of this newly created destination.
I was so excited. There were the silos with the newest refurbished bakery just in front. It was one of my insomniac nights when I watched the episode where they came up with the idea to renovate this building and Joanna tested the recipes for the cupcakes on Chip and the kids. We were so close, when we noticed a tent touting a city tour of Waco, including several of the houses remodeled on the show. The company is founded by the single man who returned to Waco after a modeling career in New York. His is the bachelor pad with the basketball court in the back if you remember the episode.
The grounds of the Silos was wall-to-wall people so we opted for the tour hoping the crowd would thin by the time we got back.
You could have knocked me over with a feather, when the tour guide said he wanted to say a short prayer before we started the tour. He is a recent Baylor Graduate doing these tours part-time while he studies for the real estate exam. Our driver was an artist and lifelong resident of Waco. Both of our escorts attend the same church as Chip and Joanna and the young man who is part owner of the tour company.
Back in 2012 we were in Waco as part of our first big trip before the Magnolia phenomena hit the city, and we definitely see a difference it has made. The Silos and the Magnolia Market are now one of the major employers in the city ranked up there with the hospital and a major energy company. It is a destination place for people from all over the world and touts tens of thousands of visitors each week. If you come to Waco to see the Silos, be sure to take this tour. Not only did we see several of the houses remodeled on the show,
but we also had a chance to go into Clint’s Harp Design Co. (the woodworking shop on the show).
We also stopped for coffee and ice cream (homemade with all natural ingredients sourced from local providers) along the way. Because Waco is half way between Austin and Dallas and a University town, big named entertainers often stop here and put on shows and this place becomes their venue holding about 500 in the back.
After 2 1/2 hours of our tour, we were brought back to the Silos where the crowds had diminished a bit and we had a chance to walk through the store and, of course, try the cupcakes and cookies.
The original Silos that stored cotton
Joanna Gaines retail store
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Food trucks at the Silos
Nice day and worth the side trip. Heading home tomorrow and looking forward to it.
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