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If you’re a fan of Chip and Joanna Gaines, then you are aware that there is a lot to see and explore at Magnolia Market at the Silos. Crystal visited Waco last year when she was on a solo cross-country road trip and had a fantastic time with Kuma (her fur baby).

Some things had already changed since Crystal’s visit, so this year, we both went together when we embarked on a cross-country road trip from California to Florida. Although this was Crystal’s second visit, there were plenty of new things to explore.

When Is The Best Time To Visit?

We visited in January on a Thursday and we did not experience long lines or overcrowding. There was a line outside at the Silos Baking Co. during the day, but in the morning and evening, the line was gone or really short.

Peak shopping hours are around lunch and the weekends and holidays are when you’ll experience large crowds. Their website suggests that Wednesday is the best day to visit. 

Here is our complete itinerary on how to get the most out of your day at Magnolia Market at the Silos.

7 AM - Breakfast at Magnolia Press Coffee

Last year, Crystal had breakfast at Magnolia Table (which is not located at the Silos), so this year, she wanted to experience coffee and breakfast at Magnolia Press. You can grab a seat indoors, order to-go from their walk-up window, or sit outdoors on their back patio. 

We opted to dine inside since it was pretty chilly outside, plus we wanted to enjoy Jo’s charming interior design. 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. 

Since we were there bright and early, there was plenty of seating and we loved the different options from community tables to booths by the window. With all the choices, we had a hard time deciding where to sit. We also took a moment (honestly, more like 30 minutes) to take a ton of photos since we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

Their website boasts about their chocolate cake, but we ordered something a little less sweet. Candy ordered the Apple Pie Oatmeal and Crystal had the Croissant Souffle (flaky butter croissant with egg, bacon, Cheddar cheese, and spinach filling).

Candy really enjoyed her oatmeal that was filled with cinnamon spiced apples and topped with brown sugar pecan streusel. She also appreciated that they had decaf English Breakfast tea. It’s not so often you can order that particular flavor in decaf. The Croissant Souffle was also fantastic and tasted similar to a quiche.

8 AM - Walk Through 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.

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. When we walked in, it smelled like we had just stepped foot into a forest as there were notes of a warm and earthy woody scent throughout the building. 

There really isn’t a whole lot to explore here, but to simply take in the beauty of the space. Since we were there early in the morning, it was peaceful and the sun beaming through the glass windows was really beautiful. 

9:30 AM - SHOPS AT THE SILOS

We walked back to our hotel and picked up Kuma so that she can come shopping with us since all the shops are pet-friendly. Each of the shops at the Silos has been curated by Jo with a specific style and theme and we had to check them all out.

The shops here have a more intimate experience (compared to her larger home decor store) and you’ll find product selections from various brands.  

Vie Bien Aimee

We had no intentions of buying something in here since it’s a collection of bath and body products (we already have plenty at home), including skincare, makeup, and beauty tools. But we decided to check it out since the decor was so inviting and it looked like a lovely spa in there. 

We ended up getting stuck in the makeup section when we discovered an organic lip tint from a brand called French Girl. They had testers where you can try the product on your hand, so we kind of got the gist of what it might look like on our lips.

We purchased one of the lip tints and immediately tested it out. We really liked the texture and color of it, so we decided to buy another one in a different color.

Ferny’s Retro Plant Shop

Ferny’s is a new addition and it replaced Juniper & Crew which was previously a kid and baby store. Ferny’s is a plant shop with a retro twist and is created by Jo’s sister. We think it’s so sweet that Jo is sharing a retail space with her sister.

We loved the modern retro ambiance and there were so many cute pots and plant accessories throughout the store. There was also a fun little corner where you can sit down next to a rotary phone and enjoy a tootsie roll.

Chapter One

This store reminds us of Japan because when we were younger, our Japanese grandmother would often take us shopping and buy us whatever we wanted at the stationery stores.

We both had a hobby of collecting stationery sets and had a box full of them to write letters to family, penpals, and friends. This was in the 90s before emailing and Skype took over communications.

You can find cards, journals, and art supplies in this store. Candy almost bought some calligraphy-style pens, but opted not to since she couldn’t test them out first. It would have been nice if there was a little pad of paper there to test out the various writing tools.

No. 16

Most of the shops at the Silos are aimed towards women, but No. 16 is for the gentlemen. It’s filled with modern and retro men’s goods and you can see Chip’s personality all over this provisions store.

There were plenty of handy items for camping, woodworking, shaving, apparel, and more. We really enjoyed browsing the National Park goods like the books and puzzles. Fun fact: No. 16 is Chip’s baseball jersey number from back in the day. 

You can also grab a copy of Chip’s books here as well. We think Chip looks hot on the cover of his book titled, No Pain, No Gaines.

Tried & True

This shop has a great selection of bags, jewelry, and other timeless accessories. We both are obsessed with dainty jewelry pieces and tried on quite a bit of rings. We both ended up purchasing an adorable bar ring and lucky for us, it was on sale.

We have a pretty good collection of hats, but when we saw that Tried & True was selling hats from GiGi Pip, we were pretty excited to try them on. We’ve been eyeing this brand for a while on Instagram, but their return policy isn’t the greatest and hats are definitely an accessory you have to try on. 

Crystal tried the hat and the fit was perfect, so she officially added another hat to her collection. We couldn’t wait to wear our new rings and Crystal wore her new hat so that she didn’t have to carry it around while we shopped. Plus, it matched her outfit and it was starting to get really sunny outside so it worked out perfectly. 

Reverie

This is a women’s clothing store with laid-back evergreen styles and we can definitely see Joanna wearing these pieces. There were several items that caught our eye, but the items were either out of the color we liked or our size was sold-out. Candy also tried on a pair of bell-bottom jeans, which were great, but the rise wasn’t quite high enough.

We didn’t end up buying anything in this store, but the store associate was super friendly and gave Kuma tons of attention. Out of all the stores we visited, she was the most inviting and helpful. 

12 PM - LUNCH AT THE FOOD TRUCKS

There is a great selection of food trucks ranging from Asian cuisine, grilled cheese, pizza, burgers, hot dogs, and more. We were both craving Asian, so we went with Club Sandwich. The name definitely throws you off because you would think they sell sandwiches here. 

This was the only food truck that was giving out samples and they were very engaged with the customers about their product. They handed out various samples of their meat, which helped Candy decide between the chicken and lemongrass pork.

1 PM - DESSERT AT SILOS BAKING CO. 

We actually stopped by Silos Baking Co. the night before right after we checked into our hotel. There was no line, but since it was nearing their closing time, some of the popular items were sold out. When we returned, we picked out a couple of new cupcakes and cookies to try as well as some new flavors. 

Our absolute favorite cupcake was their seasonal flavor, Cup O’ Jo. We typically don’t go for chocolate-flavored cakes, but this chocolate cake topped with espresso buttercream icing was divine.

The Lemon Lavender cupcake is a fan favorite, so we had to give this one a try as well. It was super yummy and is one of their best sellers along with the Strawberries n’ Cream. 

We also grabbed the Silo Cookie (oatmeal chocolate chip with peanut butter chips and walnuts) and butter croissant. Apparently, the Silo Cookie sells out often, so if you want to give that one a try, definitely stop by earlier in the day. 

Right outside the bakery, there is a seating area where you can enjoy your yummy desserts. The space reminded us of our trip to Paris with the bistro wicker chairs and tiny round tables.

2 PM - MAGNOLIA MARKET 

This is the original market that opened at the Silos. It is packed with home decor goods, kitchenware, gardening tools, and apparel. The market is updated each season to match the theme that Jo curates and it can be a little overwhelming at first because this place is humungous.

The kitchen section had a gazillion things we wanted like adorable plates and linens. For some reason, we kept getting sucked into looking at the various tea towels, and Crystal eventually ended up buying one for her kitchen.

We also grabbed some candles and diffusers, which was a bit of a challenge picking just one scent because they all had such a pleasant smell. Crystal bought some last year and they make her home smell so inviting.

One section had a variety of Magnolia T-shirts and these adorable farmer’s market inspired tote bags made out of burlap, but the price tag was a bit steep so we passed on that purchase.

There is a new addition to Magnolia Market located downstairs at the Grain Barn where you can find Jo’s collection of one-of-a-kind antique and vintage pieces for sale.

The items are all on a first-come, first-served basis and are only available at the Silos. We enjoyed combing through these Found and Collected by Jo pieces, but it’s definitely an investment.

There was also a huge Christmas sale at the Grain Barn and many of the items were marked down to 70% off. The sale prices were amazing so this section was pretty packed and for good reason. 

3 PM - MAGNOLIA HOME

Magnolia Home has several displays of fully-designed rooms to help you imagine the possibilities for your own home. Most of the items are reasonably priced compared to other furniture stores like West Elm or Crate and Barrel. 

We both have a slight addiction to throw pillows and blankets and of course, we found a throw blanket that would look perfect in our home. Last year, Crystal splurged a little and bought some throw pillows that add so much texture and character to her couch.

This store was calm with less foot traffic compared to the other shops, which made it the perfect one to end the day with. After a full afternoon of shopping, we were pretty exhausted and ready to head back to our hotel. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

We had such a fun girl’s day shopping, sipping on coffee, and munching on cupcakes. The entire complex is super Instagrammable and there were plenty of places to sit outside and relax when we needed a break.

Most of the staff were super friendly and helpful, but we did run into a few sales clerks that weren’t particularly helpful and didn’t want to be bothered when we had questions about the merchandise.

TOUR THE SILOS GROUNDS

We wish we would have known that the Silos had guided tours, but only found out when we saw a sign outside at Magnolia Market. The tour runs for 45 minutes and starts early at 8:15 AM (Mon-Sat). You’ll learn the history behind The Silos property and hear the inspiring story of how Magnolia came to be.

The tour comes with a free Magnolia Press coffee and a photo-op at the rooftop of Magnolia Market. Apparently, the rooftop is where you can get the best views and pics of the property. The tour costs $25 and reservations are required. Their weekend slots are already booked months in advance, so your best chance of getting a tour is on a weekday.

SOME TIPS

• There is a dedicated pet relief area with a waste bag station located behind Ferny’s Retro Plant Shop since pets are not allowed on the turf grass.

• Download the Magnolia app and sign into your account (if you don’t already have one) for extra savings. At the time of our visit, every purchase qualified for 10% off by simply scanning the QR code on our phone. Surprisingly, none of the employees mentioned this perk and we just happened to see a sign at the register.

• If you weren’t able to reserve a seat at Magnolia Table, you can get a little taste of it at the Magnolia Table food truck next to Katy Ballpark.

• There are plenty of bathrooms throughout the property, so if you see one with a long line, just head on over to another one. There are family-friendly restrooms and convenient baby changing stations with disposable table sheets.

WHERE TO STAY 

We stayed within walking distance of the Silos at Hotel Indigo Waco. It’s the perfect accommodation if your plans are to spend the day at the Silos. We didn’t have to worry about parking and when we needed to go back to the hotel, it was only a 5-minute walk. 

The year prior, Crystal stayed at La Quinta Inn, which is located about a mile from the Silos. It’s also a pet-friendly hotel and fairly new. After staying at two different hotels in Waco, Crystal prefers Hotel Indigo since it was nice to be able to walk easily to the Silos and not have to worry about finding a parking spot. 

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