My husband, Denis, and I just celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary at the end of May. So, in honor of that special day, we packed our bags and headed for Waco, Texas – the Magnolia Market at the Silos. We love watching Fixer Upper (we’ll even rewatch the reruns when HGTV plays them) so you can imagine how excited we were to finally see the famous Silos.
For those of you who don’t really know what the Magnolia Market at the Silos is, it’s a shopping complex that takes up 2 blocks of downtown Waco owned by Chip and Joanna Gaines. It includes a coffee shop, a bakery, a furniture store/showplace, a wiffle ball field, a food truck park, a garden area and store, a historical church, and shopping boutiques. Most days admission to the Market is free, except for when there’s special occasions.
But while we were there we realized that we picked up some tips for the next time we visit the Market. I want to share those tips with you just in case you’re planning a road trip to the Magnolia Market. Keep on scrolling to see them all . . .
- Go During the Week
If you’re not much for big crowds or you don’t particularly like waiting in long lines visit the Silos during the week. Denis and I arrived on a Thursday and we liked it so much we went back on Friday and Saturday. Right away we noticed that Saturdays brought in the most visitors and made it difficult to get in the coffee shop or the Magnolia store. But Thursday and Friday we had no trouble getting in and out of places.
2. Arrive Early to Get Free Parking
There’s a church across the street that lets you park in their parking lot for $10. It’s right next to the Silos and your vehicle can stay there all day if you like. But if you can make it downtown around 7 AM you can find free parking along the streets.
3. Get to the Silos Bakery No Later than 8:15 AM
When we first drove by the Silos the first thing we noticed was the incredibly long line at the Silos Baking Co. The bakery is kind of small and due to COVID restrictions only so many people are allowed inside at the same time. I missed my chance to go to the bakery on Thursday and Friday because we got there around 8:45 in the morning and by that time the line was almost to the street. Thankfully, we went to the Silos really early on Saturday morning and I was able to be one of the first in line. The bakery opens at 9:00 AM so be ready to stand and wait – but trust me, the goodies inside are totally worth the wait.
4. Peruse the Silos Baking Co. Menu Before You Go
The bakery offers tons of sweets and treats from cookies to cinnamon rolls to croissants to muffins to biscuits to cupcakes. They even offer gluten free sweets. All of them are delicious but the cupcakes are divine. The buttercream icing they’re topped with is to die for. Because only so many people are allowed in the bakery I found it really helpful to already know what I wanted when I finally got inside. If you know what you want beforehand you can grab your goodies and get back outside to explore. I recommend picking up a Spring Box – where you get 6 different cupcakes for $18.
5. Definitely Grab a Cup of Coffee at the Magnolia Press & Eat a Cupcake
The coffee shop, The Magnolia Press, was my favorite part of the whole Market because they serve excellent coffee and I loved the way the place was decorated. It kind of reminded me of an old library in New York City with it’s gold light fixtures and long tables. When I finally got our cupcakes, Denis and I grabbed a seat outside and enjoyed a cup of coffee and a cupcake. I enjoyed a “Shiplap” cupcake – which was a vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream icing – while Denis tasted a “Nuts & Bolts” cupcake – a vanilla cupcake filled with pecans and walnuts and topped with cream cheese icing & nut crumble.
6. Order Your Souvenirs Online or at the Little Shop on Bosque
This was a tip I learned after we visited the Market – you can totally buy a majority of the merchandise and products offered in the boutiques and shops at the Silos on their website, Magnolia.com, often on sale. You can sometimes even find the same things at a discounted price at Joanna’s original Magnolia shop – the Little Shop on Bosque. This store is not at the Silos – it’s actually located at 3801 Bosque Blvd. There’s a church next door that lets you park for free because the shop doesn’t have much of a parking lot. Denis and I found t-shirts and caps there at a discounted price and because Denis is a coach and teacher we got an additional discount.
7. Wear Comfortable Shoes
There’s a lot to see at the Silos – from the gardens to the food trucks to the historical church – so you’ll definitely want to wear some comfortable shoes. But even if you forget this tip and wear high heels there’s plenty of gorgeous places to sit down and rest your feet.
8. Plan to Be There At Least 2 Days
The first day we visited the Market I wasn’t able to get into the bakery or into Magnolia Home, the furniture store/showplace, so we went back another day. I suggest planning to go to the Silos for at least 2 days just in case you miss something.
9. Stop & Smell the Flowers
Fresh flowers are everywhere at the Silos so take a moment to stop and appreciate them. I found myself taking lots of pictures of the greenery and flowers. All of it just added a nice, relaxing touch to the place and added some color to the black and white color scheme. There’s so much to see and take pictures of that it can be easy to forget to just stop and enjoy the scenery.
10. Make Sure Your Phone is Charged to Take Maximum Pictures
One thing Chip and Joanna made sure of is that the Market has lots of places to stop and take a picture at. You can definitely find the perfect spot to take a family picture, a selfie, or just a picture of your surroundings. So make sure your phone or camera is charged and ready to go because you’ll be snapping pics all day.
Have you ever been to the Magnolia Market at the Silos? If so, what was your favorite part of your visit? Would you go back? Let me know in the comments.
Verse of the Day: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. – 1 John 4: 7 – 8
