A Magnolia Dream: Our Fixer Upper-inspired visit to Waco, Texas

Waco and Magnolia: A Fixer Upper fan’s dream come true

I’ve been a faithful Fixer Upper fan for years. Joanna’s design aesthetic is simply stunning, and Chip’s goofy charm always makes me smile. From home renovations to The Castle, the Lake House, and now Hotel 1928—I’ve followed their story with much admiration.

So when we were planning our recent U.S. adventure and realized Waco was just a detour from Houston, I didn’t even hesitate. Thankfully through osmosis, the Fisherman (aka hubby) has seen many of the shows, and understood my desire to visit. Magnolia was officially on the itinerary. 😃

Road-tripping through Texas

We tacked Waco onto the end of our trip, driving in from New Orleans. To break up the long 8-hour journey, we overnighted in The Woodlands—a place I thought would be a sleepy little town. But no, this is Texas. Everything is big, bold, and sprawling.

After an adrenaline-pumping highway experience (think 80mph in the slow lane!), we arrived in Waco late Saturday afternoon and checked into our Airbnb.

Our charming stay at Pine Cone Place

While staying in a Fixer Upper property or Hotel 1928 would’ve been amazing, the Kiwi dollar made us think twice. Instead, I found Pine Cone Place, a beautiful and comfortable BnB hosted by Keith and Toni. The bed? Divine. The pillows? Perfect. The vibe? Spot on. If you’re heading to Waco, we highly recommend it – follow this link.

They also provided the best local guidebook—our gateway to discovering the massive H-E-B supermarket, which totally blew us away. It was like Disneyland for grocery lovers. We left with way more than we planned… including a Texas-sized watermelon (that was sooooo good).

The Magnolia Mishap

After two full days of driving, we opted to rest Saturday night and visit Magnolia on Sunday. But as I flipped through the BnB’s guidebook, I saw it: Magnolia is closed Sundays.

Heartbreak! I’d dedicated the whole day to it. Now, it would have to be a rushed Monday visit before heading to San Antonio. Not ideal, but still possible.

And – I learned a good lesson here. It’s always worth checking the hours of operation for any business you’re intending to visit.

Thunder, Lightning, and Hotel 1928

Sunday morning greeted us with thunder that shook the house and lightning that danced across the sky, before forking to the ground. It was wild—and beautiful.

Before heading out into the weather, and with our newfound knowledge of Magnolia hours, we checked on a few of our other possible destinations. Unbelievably there are a lot of places in Waco that are shut on Sundays, or only open for the afternoon. While I think this is great for both their faith and families, I just wish I’d known this when planning.

Thankfully, hotels are a 24/7 businesses, so Hotel 1928 was open. This is another Chip and Joanna project, that I was keen to see and ‘experience’ in some small way. There are many places to explore in the hotel – Bertie’s on the rooftop, The Brasserie, The Cafe, the giftshop and the library among others. Every nook is gorgeous, but the library downstairs was very special.

Change of plans (for the better)

With tornado warnings in San Antonio (our next destination), and uncertainty around Memorial Day traffic (especially with the current weather conditions), we made a snap decision – stay another night in Waco. It gave us more time to explore, and best of all – a proper visit to Magnolia.

Magnolia Magic

Pulling up and seeing the silos in the distance gave me goosebumps. The coffee shop opens at 7:30 a.m., but we arrived at 9 a.m. as Magnolia Market opened.

As we entered the Market, we were offered a shopping bag – just in case! Gosh, I could have filled this many times over.

Everything has been so cleverly designed, to engage all of your senses from the minute you walk in the store.

• Everywhere your eyes rest there are curated displays and vignettes that are just delightful
• The Market smelled soooo good (that could be attributed to the candle bar!)
• And there was a peaceful calm throughout, inviting you to take your time, and just indulge your senses

I settled on a few small keepsakes perfect for our kitchen. If I’m buying ‘souvenirs’ I like them to hold practical value, and these are items I’ll certainly use again and again, and forever remind me of the joy of wandering the Magnolia Market.

Coffee, Decor and Cottage Shops

From Magnolia Market, we wandered over to Magnolia Press for coffee. The design was gorgeous, prices reasonable, and the vibe cozy and refined. (The pick-up area seating is soooo cute!) The table seating actually reminded me of the Suzzallo Library at Washington University.

Next was Magnolia Home, filled with larger furniture, art, and textiles. There was no chance of any of this stuff fitting in a suitcase, although I did manage to find / treat myself to a stunning throw blanket.

From there, we explored the cottage shops, six small stores each dedicated to a different theme:

• Body care
• Faux flowers
• Entertaining
• Souvenirs
• Chip’s picks
• Seasonal goods

The Church, Katy Ballpark and the garden

Next up: the 1894 church that Chip and Joanna relocated and restored. With its original pews, beams, and floors, it’s simply beautiful. It’s also a great testament to their commitment to Waco and their local community.

We wandered past the Katy Ballpark, a wiffle ball field that adds charm and nostalgia. Though the food trucks weren’t open due to the weather, I could imagine the lawn buzzing with energy on a sunnier day.

We wrapped up the morning with a stroll through Joanna’s garden and the Herbarium, where a workshop was in progress. I love how gardening has become part of her passion—there’s something grounding and beautiful about growing your own food.

Cupcakes for Breakfast? Absolutely!

You can’t visit Magnolia without trying a cupcake from Silos Baking Co. With five regular flavours plus rotating specials, it was tough to choose—but The Shiplap won me over (vanilla with vanilla frosting). I know that sounds a little boring, but a vanilla cupcake is the truest way of testing the quality of the cupcake.

I’ll be honest: I make a better cupcake. But the frosting? The best I’ve had in the U.S. And again, the prices were surprisingly fair.

So, was it worth it?

Absolutely. If you’re a fan of Fixer Upper, visiting Magnolia is a must. The vibe, the design, the heart behind it all—it’s every bit as special as it looks on TV. It honestly warmed my heart – the entire environment just FELT good. And it’s amazing to be ‘on the set’ of the tv show you’ve followed for years.

One final sweet stop: Blue Bell Creameries

On our way back to Houston, we took a scenic detour through Brenham to visit Blue Bell Creameries. What a treat!

• $1 ice creams (and they were delicious)
• A viewing deck into the factory
• A gift shop and country store
  We wished we had more time, but it was a delightful final stop before returning to Houston airport.

Homeward Bound

Just like that, our Magnolia-inspired adventure was over. We dropped off the rental car, headed for our flight – and left with full hearts (and heavy suitcases!).

PS. Pin the image below so you can find this post again when planning your own trip.