WACO, Texas — The city of Waco got some national attention Wednesday as fans came from all over the country to see Good Morning America hosted at the Magnolia Marketplace Silos.
A crowded Magnolia Marketplace is not an unfamiliar sight in Waco as the area has quickly become a tourist destination.
"It's been really exciting," Waco resident Dana Lee Haines told 25 News after the show. "For the community, it becomes a home and the way they've created the silos and magnolia market is just really exciting for this city and the community."
Sheila Scheve and Roxanne Buckmaster are sisters from Portland, Oregon who were also there for GMA. They traveled to Waco for the Silos but quickly found there's so much more to the city.
"Yesterday when we were looking at where to go, we were like gosh Waco has so much cool stuff," Scheve said. "This is our big spot but there's all kinds of other stuff we want to go see now that we've looked at the town."
The Silos bring in about 1.5 million tourists each year, which has been a huge boost to the Waco economy these last few years.
"The economic impact they've had on Waco is about a half a billion dollars per year in gross products, several thousand jobs and have increased tourism to the city by about 44%," economist Ray Perryman of the Perryman Group said.
On top of the economic help that comes along with tourism, it also exposes Baylor to a whole new group of potential fans.
"Over the years of becoming friends with Chip Gaines, I've become a Baylor football fan," Chef Andrew Zimmern, host of Family Dinner on the Magnolia Network, told 25 News. "My dream in Waco is to cook dinner for the team."
