Magnolia Market at The Silos – Our Visit

It’s hard not to be captivated by the Chip and Joanna Gaines story as well as by the empire they have built, including Magnolia Market at the Silos. So I when I found out we’d be travelling past Waco on our visit to Texas a year or so ago, I decided a visit was definitely in order.

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It promised to be tricky to fit in, as the trip was a work trip for my husband Guy, and his colleague, who is also our friend. However, as we had to drive from Austin to Dallas, and Waco is halfway in between, I was pretty determined. It helped that Guy’s colleague’s wife, who is our friend too, was just as keen to visit Magnolia Market as I was.

As it happened, we were all able to travel from Austin late one afternoon, arriving at Magnolia Market just before they closed in the evening.

We even had enough time to enjoy a treat at the Bakery.

Silos Baking Co.

If you love very special cupcakes, the Silos Baking Co. is the place for you! It was near to closing time when we arrived but there was still a good selection of treats available. The staff were really friendly and happy to help us choose. Between the four of us we tried a Silobration cupcake, a couple of Classic Chocolate Cookies and a Nutty Cinnamon Roll. They were all so delicious! The chocolate chip cookie I had was definitely one of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. It was also possibly one of the biggest. This was not a bad thing as it meant we could share!

The Bakery, formerly a florist shop, has been beautifully renovated and feels really quaint. There are tables to eat our treats outside if you are not taking them home with you. There were quite a lot of over-friendly birds around, and of course the treats were very tempting for them. I’m not great with birds, so next time I think I might take my treats back to the hotel! It was still fun though.

If we had been looking for something more substantial to eat and we had been earlier, there are lots of very cool Gaines approved food trucks on site that looked  really interesting.

Magnolia Market at The Silos

Magnolia Market is a paradise of a shop, with a carefully curated selection of beautiful things on offer. If I hadn’t had to bring everything I bought home in a suitcase, I definitely would have bought even more than I did! There truly is something for everyone, and the way the merchandise is displayed is appealing and well thought out.

I do love the ‘attitude of gratitude’ and encouraging culture that pervades at Magnolia. I was impressed by how many of the things on offer were made by lots of local craftspeople as well. The staff are super friendly, helpful, and very chatty. Everyone I spoke to clearly enjoyed working at Magnolia Market, that is for sure!

Guy and I are very keen on the word art that is on offer at Magnolia Market. We were limited in our choices by size and weight but we brought home some pieces we are really pleased with.

I love the ‘grateful’ and ‘thankful’ word art. We also bought a lovely pillow, some pretty tea towels, and one of the comfiest t-shirts I have ever owned!

Back to Magnolia Market

Guy and Teck travelled on to Dallas first thing the next morning, but Lillian and I didn’t need to be in Dallas until the afternoon. This left us with time to visit Magnolia Market once again before we followed our husbands on to Dallas.

After a quick visit inside, we explored the grounds more thoroughly, and really enjoyed the garden. (Since we visited, Magnolia Market has expanded and there are even more shops and spaces to explore.)

After  a little spin round Magnolia Seed & Supply (sadly we couldn’t buy anything as you can’t bring seeds or plants when you are travelling internationally), we decided it was time to head off so we could enjoy lunch at Magnolia Table. It’s about  15 minutes’ drive from The Silos, but it is well worth the trip.

Magnolia Table

I was worried about the queues at Magnolia Table but luck was on our side. The day we visited was a Wednesday, apparently one of the least busy days. After we put our names down for a table, we only waited for about 20 minutes. As I didn’t have a US cell (mobile) phone with me, they actually kept an eye out for us, and came and got us when our table was ready.

My friend tried the legendary Magnolia Table biscuits. She shared some with me, and I can testify their reputation is well deserved. They were the lightest, flakiest biscuits ever! I enjoyed them so much I bought the Magnolia Table Cookbook so I can make them at home.

I ordered the chicken salad croissant, which was also outstanding. Although it was busy, we never felt rushed and the service and atmosphere were lovely. I would definitely go back, that’s for sure!

Everything was so delicious, I resolved to get a copy of the Magnolia Table Cookbook as soon as I could! I was thrilled to see that the recipes for both our lunches were in the book. (Since our visit The Magnolia Table Volume 2 has also been released.) Both books are full of delicious recipes and make for a great read as well.

Hints and Tips for Visiting Magnolia Market and Magnolia Table

1. Midweek is a great time to visit. It can get busy very later in the week and at weekends.
2. It gets really hot at the Silos. We arrived very late in the afternoon and we still nearly melted! Be sure to have water with you and wear light clothes.
3. Although we visited quite near to closing time by accident, it was actually a very good idea. It was still busy, but I was told it’s a lot less busy later in the day or first thing.
4. Consider staying locally. We were only there for one night and our visit wasn’t  planned in advance so we didn’t have the opportunity to try one of Chip and Joanna’s properties, but we enjoyed our  stay at  the Hotel Indigo Waco – Baylor. It was only 5 minutes walk to The Silos from there.
5. Only breakfast and lunch are served at Magnolia Table. Again, midweek is the best time to visit. Whichever meal you plan to enjoy, be sure to get there at least an hour before you would like to eat.

If you do find yourself near Waco, Magnolia Market at The Silos and Magnolia Table are well worth a visit. I would definitely go back, especially as Chip and Joanna are now building a hotel. It’s lovely to see how they are revitalising their home town and giving back to the community.

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