Joanna Gaines and Chip Gaines garnered quite the following after starring in their HGTV hit Fixer Upper, so much so, that fans are following in their famous footsteps at home (hello, shiplap!) and all the way to Waco, TX, where the couple and their five kids call home. If you’re fixing up to take a trip to the Lone Star State, here’s how to do a day in Waco just like Joanna.
STAY
Credit: Magnolia
You’ll need to plan ahead if you want to stay in one of Chip and Joanna’s properties. Hillcrest Estate is located inside Waco, TX, while The Magnolia House is just 20 minutes outside in the town of McGregor, TX, and both book up well in advance. Make sure to read up on reservation requirements, such as the two-night minimums and online-only booking.
BREAKFAST
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Joanna kicked off one of her July 2017 “#drivethrusaturdays” grabbing “something sweet” at Common Grounds Shop and thanked the coffee spot “for making all my dreams come true.”
Common Grounds Shop, 1123 S. 8th St., Waco, TX, 76706
DO
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Following your morning fuel up, you can either work it off at REFIT Studio a la Chip in a March 2018 Fixer Upper episode that showed him busting some moves at this gym, or, you can get your art on like Joanna — the Magnolia maven practiced “how to throw pottery” at Black Oak Art in April 2017 and said she was thankful she “got to learn something new.”
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Refit Studio, 1109 Richland Dr., Waco, TX 76710
Black Oak Art, 7005 Woodway Dr. #114, Woodway, TX 76712
LUNCH
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After purchasing the historic Elite Cafe in 2016, Chip and Joanna transformed the restaurant into Magnolia Table, a breakfast and lunch spot that often sources produce from Joanna’s farm garden and eggs from her chickens! (And despite Chip’s protests of frou-frou food, avocado toast is on the menu). Dining is first come, first served, Mondays through Saturdays only, with the kitchen closing at 3 p.m. If you aren’t able to score a table at Magnolia Table, you can grab pre-packaged food to go at its Take Away + Market, or, head on over to Lolita’s Restaurante for a Mexican feast — Joanna bought a burrito there in July 2017 and bit into it while still in her car, saying, “Get in my belly!”
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Magnolia Table, 2132 S. Valley Mills Dr., Waco, TX 76706
Lolita’s Restaurante, 1911 Franklin Ave., Waco, TX, 76701
SHOP
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You can’t come to Waco as a Chip and Joanna fan without visiting Magnolia Market at the Silos — their premiere property that brings together their many businesses and was “set up with one goal in mind: to inspire you to own the space you’re in.” Shop its market, play games on the big green lawn, grab a snack at the food trucks, explore the garden, and treat yourself to something sweet at the Silos Baking Co. store. Fun fact: Reese Witherspoon, New Kids on the Block’s Jonathan Knight, and Zachary Levi are a few stars who’ve visited The Silos.
Magnolia Market at the Silos, 601 Webster Ave., Waco, TX 76706
DINNER
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If you’re not too full from a full day of wandering round Waco, do dinner at Shorty’s Pizza Shack and grab a Butterfinger Blizard dessert from one of the nearby Dairy Queens just like Joanna and her sister did during a fun night out together in June 2017.
Shorty’s Pizza Shack, 1712 12th St., Waco, TX 76706
Stargazer Tip: Several of these spots are closed on Sundays, so pick a different day if you want to do them all!