Magnolia Shedding Light on All That Waco has to Offer
By: Paige Nelson
In between Austin and Dallas lies what once was a small, quaint town, Waco, TX. What used to be just another dot on a Texas map, has now turned into a Magnolia empire.
Chip and Joanna Gaines, owners of Magnolia, have made Waco their “Fixer Upper.” The HGTV show, “Fixer Upper” about Chip and Joanna flipping and renovating houses started to put Waco back on the map, and with the addition of Magnolia Market is now a hot spot for tourists. What started as Joanna Gaines’, “Little Shop on Bosque” in 2003 exploded into Magnolia Market 12 years later. Magnolia Market now sits on two blocks in downtown Waco at the Silos, a historical landmark built in 1950 as part of the Brazos Valley Cotton Oil Company. The Silos along with the land around them were acquired by the Gaines in 2015 to create Magnolia Market. The market encompasses a retail store, a bakery, a food truck park, a garden store, and a lawn with different games for children.
In 2013, pre-Magnolia, there were 564,205 people a year visiting Waco. Just five years later, according to the Waco Convention & Visitors Bureau, there are 2,640,208 tourists a year (a nearly 500% increase).
“We moved to Waco in 2001, a good 13–14 years before the Magnolia “Fixer Upper” phenomenon. I remember Waco as a great place that was quiet and small enough where you felt like you knew somebody everywhere you went,” Brian Peters, a longtime Waco resident said.
Because of Magnolia, and most of all Chip and Joanna Gaines, all of Waco has gotten to experience the benefit of the major increase in tourism. But, Magnolia isn’t the only thing to do in Waco. In fact, because of Magnolia, other intriguing stops in Waco are being recognized even more.
Restaurants, Coffee Shops, and Baked Goods
According to Sammy Citrano, owner of George’s in Waco, with 30,000 people coming into town each week, his restaurant among others and shops are seeing more customers. For restaurants like George’s, tourists are given an opportunity to experience a local and enjoyable atmosphere for a meal in Waco.
George’s is known for the “big ole beers and big ole burgers.” Their beers known as “Big O’s” got their name because one of the waitresses called them “Big Oranges” and the rest of the staff shortened it to “Big O’s,” it stuck ever since. George’s has two locations in Waco, one located off I-35 on Speight Avenue, the other on Hewitt Drive. Both locations provide an inviting atmosphere with a variety of affordable options on the menu.
Along with George’s, Pinewood Coffee Bar is a great stop. The whole shop is covered in wood which gives it a cozy and warm ambiance. The music is a little on the louder side, but the staff is inviting and making your visit enjoyable seems to be their top priority.
By the river in downtown Waco is a local bakery called Lula Jane’s. After a walk around the river, a tasteful and tangible reward would be one of their chocolate chip cookies that melt in your mouth.
Aside from the restaurant industry, a place that you wouldn’t think would benefit from the visitors Magnolia has brought is a church across from the Silos. According to Citrano, First Baptist Church of Waco was approached by Chip and Joanna Gaines about using their parking lot for their customers visiting the Silos.
The church started out offering parking for free and then went to charging people $10 a day. Citrano said the church brought in $750,000 in revenue the first year. They have been able to send their youth on mission trips and donate to various causes in the community and around the world because of it.
The Culture in Waco in Action
Old shops and restaurants are now being highlighted more because of the overflow of visitors, while also providing an opportunity and a market to create new places.
“The biggest change in Waco over the past five years is the influx in the tourism traffic that has allowed the influx of money to be invested into more places to eat, more shopping options, and more entertainment options,” Peters said.
Spice Village is comprised of more than 60 boutiques in one large building. Each vendor’s craft ranges from hip fashion to personalized artwork.
From the moment you walk through the doors you can smell Spice’s signature scent in their homemade candles, diffusers, and sprays. In each boutique, there are things specific to that vendor — homemade makeup bags, dried flower arrangements, jewelry, and even the kitchen towels with the funny sayings on them.
Businesses in Waco have not only benefitted from the tourism and increase in customers that Magnolia has brought to town, but have been able to bring and retain more people in Waco for jobs. Most Baylor students post-grad are in a rush to get to Dallas, Austin, or another larger cities for jobs because Waco isn’t giving them the experience they want. But, Waco has been able to hold on to more college graduates because now they are seeing Waco as “hip” and want to stay, says Citrano.
Museums in Waco
Among the many Museums in Waco, one that has made history in the soft drink industry is the Dr. Pepper Museum. In 1885, Dr. Pepper was originally created, manufactured and sold in Waco. Believed to be created by Charles Alderton, Dr. Pepper is the oldest in the line of major brand soft drinks. The museum in Waco opened in 1991.
At the Dr. Pepper museum, you walk into a courtyard with different games for children, and the Dr. Pepper truck, a prime photo opportunity. You can purchase your ticket for admission (4 years and under- free, students and children- $6, adults- $10, senior adults- $8, and military with ID $8.00) in the building to the left. With your purchase of an admission ticket, you are able to explore the entire museum at your own pace. Guided tours must be booked a week in advance and have minimum of 10 people, (click here for more information). Frosty’s Soda Shop is another component of the museum, serving a variety of treat options, including, Dr. Pepper the old-fashioned way, ice cream floats and other specialty items.
Cameron Park is one of the largest municipal parks in Texas, according to Waco Parks and Recreation. There are three different playgrounds, multiple hikes and look-outs to the river, and the accredited Cameron Park Zoo. Though the zoo, establish in 1993 is on the smaller side, it is well organized.
A place that holds a lot of history in Waco is the Suspension Bridge. The bridge is 475 feet long and stretches across the Brazos River. The 1866 bridge project was built by the John Roebling Co., the same company that built the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
Along with the history, the bridge has a longstanding, but not completely serious, tradition for local Baylor students — throwing flour tortillas off the bridge at a cement platform in the water. It is said that if your tortilla lands on the platform you will get a “ring by spring” insinuating you will be engaged before you graduate.
Waco is a place of tradition and community. It is still a small enough place where you know somebody everywhere you go, but is now big enough to allow people to dream and grow, according to Peters.
Yes, it is the Magnolia empire, but because of Magnolia and the Gaines family, Waco has been able to band together and brush the dust off the places that used to never get a second look.
“It (Magnolia) has been more than a positive change, it has been a shot in the arm, a breath of fresh air, and a revitalizing of old buildings that have been closed down,” Citrano said.
For help finding any of the places listed, here is a map.
