Waco, Texas, takes another step toward becoming Chip-and-Joanna-Gainesville this fall.
The married stars of the home-renovation series Fixer Upper have developed and designed their own hotel in the central Texas city (located almost exactly midway between Dallas to the north and Austin to the south) from which they launched their Magnolia lifestyle empire based on modern farmhouse decor and relentless spousal ribbing.
Dubbed Hotel 1928 (rendering above), the 50,000-square-foot property has a freshly announced opening date of November 1. Reservations are open now for stays through April 2024. Room rates start at $375 a night—not exactly basic cable prices.
The two-story hotel occupies the former Grand Karem Shrine Building located at 701 Washington Street in downtown Waco. Dating to 1928 (hence the new hotel's name), the Moorish Revival structure once served as a grandiose lodge for a Freemason-affiliated fraternal organization, but for years the place had sat mostly empty, until the Gaineses came along.
(Watercolor of a common area inside Hotel 1928 in Waco, Texas | Credit: Jane Black)
Following their fixer-uppering (in cooperation with AJ Capital Partners), the site will have 33 Gaines-designed guest rooms as well as three food-and-beverage spots, more than 6,600 square feet of event space, and a rooftop terrace. You'll also find a cozy library and a retail venue.
The hotel's November opening coincides with the premiere of a new series called Fixer Upper: The Hotel that documents the renovation. The show is set to begin airing that same month on the Magnolia Network, available for streaming via Discovery+.
In addition to staying at the new hotel, Fixer Upper fans who make a pilgrimage to Waco will obviously need to swing by Magnolia Market at the Silos, the Gaines's complex of shops selling home goods, baked goods, and many more goods across two city blocks under a pair of landmark silos.
Then of course there's the couple's restaurant, Magnolia Table, and the Magnolia Trail, a self-guided tour put together by Waco's tourism officials to help viewers find locations featured in various Gaines-related TV programming.
(Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco, Texas | Credit: Sebastian Ruzycki / Shutterstock)
Amid all that, we just hope you have time somewhere in there during your Waco sojourn to squeeze in a visit to the Dr Pepper Museum.
For more information about Hotel 1928 or to book a stay, go to TheHotel1928.com.
