Regardless it was well before 2008.

cowboycwr said:

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Edmond Bear said:

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I live in Oklahoma and hear my wife's friends talk about going on girls' weekends to Waco and how much there is to do. I also travel nationally and hear Waco come up in random conversations with clients. At my one visit to Magnolia Table, we sat at the community table by people from Cali and Chicago and both sets came directly to Waco. It wasn't a stopover to somewhere else but a destination.

When I was in school ('88-'92), downtown Waco was boarded up and Valley Mills was the hotspot. The FBI did it's thing on Koresh a year after I graduated. We've always loved Waco because of Baylor and the hidden restaurants and things to do. But, no one else thought that way.

Now Waco has become a hot freaking tourist destination. Tripadvisor shows multiple companies doing $40-50 per head tours. There is a Rivercruise and helicopter tours. Hotel and VRBO occupancy rates are high. We bring kids from my daughter's high school down on Baylor tours and the trip ends up with more moms than kids.

My wife and I frequently look at each other and marvel at how rapidly the change in Waco has happened! I feel pretty darn lucky to have Waco as a second hometown.

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Waco has become a top tourist destination not only in Texas but in the US.

There was a waco trib article that showed that Waco/the silos had more tourists in 2018 than the Alamo. The top tourist destination for years. Replaced by a store from a TV show.

and trip advisor ranked the silos as the #2 trending destination in the US.

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I find this trip advisor ranking dubious. I'm pretty sure Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and Disneyland, NY, LA, and SF would always rank above Waco. In otherwords there is no way the Silos out ranked any of those spots at anytime. Unless trip advisor is saying one day the Silos were trending on twitter more than those places.

Was waiting on a friend for lunch today at the downtown Cafe Cap. Got to talking to some folks at the next table. Mother and two 50 something children. Mother from Austin, son from Bedford, daughter from here. They had met in Waco for the daughter's 50th birthday. They were raving about how much fun Waco is. They loved the Zoo, George's, Silos, Potofino's. Just totally positive!

PartyBear said:

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cowboycwr said:

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Old300Bear said:

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I am pretty sure that Central Texas Marketplace was much later than 2004, It came a good while after we moved here in 2008. Or that is the way my fuzzy memory recalls it.

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The first stores opened in 2003 according to this trib article.

https://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/new-stores-bound-for-central-texas-marketplace/article_869e19fa-b817-5e21-bbf6-10e990c1d040.html

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I honestly think the Trib business editor was wrong in that piece. I'm fairly certain it was Memorial Day of 04. At no time in 03 was construction complete on it.

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Mike Copeland has been at the trib since 1978 according to the Wacotrib site and has been the business editor for a long time writing on new business since before the Central Texas Marketplace was built.

I'm sure his dates are correct.

Every article I find about when it opened shows 03

https://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/gap-to-leave-richland-mall-for-central-texas-marketplace/article_47ada0d4-c9d5-579a-811d-6d91b3cdaa21.html

Why are you so certain it was 04?

It could be one of those things that he is using the date for construction starting or the first store opening and you are using the grand opening (which often comes several days or weeks after a store/restaurant has been open to work out problems/train staff).

PartyBear said:

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cowboycwr said:

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Edmond Bear said:

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I live in Oklahoma and hear my wife's friends talk about going on girls' weekends to Waco and how much there is to do. I also travel nationally and hear Waco come up in random conversations with clients. At my one visit to Magnolia Table, we sat at the community table by people from Cali and Chicago and both sets came directly to Waco. It wasn't a stopover to somewhere else but a destination.

When I was in school ('88-'92), downtown Waco was boarded up and Valley Mills was the hotspot. The FBI did it's thing on Koresh a year after I graduated. We've always loved Waco because of Baylor and the hidden restaurants and things to do. But, no one else thought that way.

Now Waco has become a hot freaking tourist destination. Tripadvisor shows multiple companies doing $40-50 per head tours. There is a Rivercruise and helicopter tours. Hotel and VRBO occupancy rates are high. We bring kids from my daughter's high school down on Baylor tours and the trip ends up with more moms than kids.

My wife and I frequently look at each other and marvel at how rapidly the change in Waco has happened! I feel pretty darn lucky to have Waco as a second hometown.

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Waco has become a top tourist destination not only in Texas but in the US.

There was a waco trib article that showed that Waco/the silos had more tourists in 2018 than the Alamo. The top tourist destination for years. Replaced by a store from a TV show.

and trip advisor ranked the silos as the #2 trending destination in the US.

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I find this trip advisor ranking dubious. I'm pretty sure Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and Disneyland, NY, LA, and SF would always rank above Waco. In otherwords there is no way the Silos out ranked any of those spots at anytime. Unless trip advisor is saying one day the Silos were trending on twitter more than those places.

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Wow. You just don't agree with any one else's data do you?

https://www.today.com/money/2018-travel-spots-rise-according-tripadvisor-t120975


It isn't ranking them in terms of numbers of people. But on how many searches and bookings they get on their site compared to previous times.... thus trending.

Are you the Trib business writer or the Trip Advisor guy, I'm not sure why you take it personally. I didnt accuse you of being wrong God forbid. Have you found out what opened in 03? I used to drive by the site often during construction. I do not recall any aspect of it complete during 03. I remember the grand opening weekend for a weird reason, it is based on a trip we took, the date of which I distinctly remember, right after the grand opening and my wife insisted we go do some shopping for the trip there since it was opening right before the trip.

PartyBear said:

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Are you the Trib business writer or the Trip Advisor guy, I'm not sure why you take it personally. I didnt accuse you of being wrong God forbid. Have you found out what opened in 03? I used to drive by the site often during construction. I remember the grand opening weekend for a weird reason, it is based on a trip we took, the date of which I distinctly remember, right after that and my wife insisted we go do some shopping for the trip there since it was opening right before the trip.

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LOL. I am neither of those and not taking it personally.

Just pointing out that I have provided links and you provide your "personal memory" as the basis to say when it opened.

https://www.baylor.edu/lariatarchives/news.php?action=story&story=19786

April 2004... stores already opened.... One had a grand opening in March.... Memorial Day is in May....


So perhaps there was a grand opening for a store that weekend or the entire mall but stores were open for a while before memorial day.

I stand corrected a shoe store opened at the end of March of 04 apparently. I think Ross, Marshalls, Belk and the other big department store over there opened at the end of May perhaps. Maybe Logans opened at the same time, end of May 04. I'm not claiming there was not a soft opening a week or so before then, that we wouldnt have known about.

cowboycwr said:

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Longstreet said:

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Just wait until Chip & Joanna's new TV show starts! It's going to rocket Waco even higher.

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But but but..... There have been numerous "experts" on this site that have said for years that their flame would burn out.......

Then they pointed to the show ending as "proof"

Then they ignored the creation of the network as proof their flame would not burn out.

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It's true that some attractions have long lifespans, but most things eventually run out of gas. It's likely that the public will eventually lose interest in the Silos, but it doesn't seem like this will be anytime in the near future. One thing the Gaines' are doing to retain and expand interest levels is their continual improvement. Today the Silos isn't just a store, they've added the bakery, food trucks, and so forth. They opened a restaurant and will soon start up a TV network. They keep expanding and adding attractions. Disney does the same thing. Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, et al, are not the same parks they were 10 or even 5 years ago. Chip and Joanna are doing the same thing with the Magnolia brand. They've proven to be excellent business people.

Redbrickbear said:

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Waco is right on the I-35 corridor.

Between the explosive growth of the Austin metro area.....and the DFW super metro area.

It was always gonna grow.

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This is my main point earlier on this or another thread. This was always Waco/McLennan County's destiny based on its location and changing demographics of the state it was always an issue of when not if. I believe there is also alot more to come it is just an matter of when not if.

Volunteer said:

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cowboycwr said:

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Longstreet said:

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Just wait until Chip & Joanna's new TV show starts! It's going to rocket Waco even higher.

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But but but..... There have been numerous "experts" on this site that have said for years that their flame would burn out.......

Then they pointed to the show ending as "proof"

Then they ignored the creation of the network as proof their flame would not burn out.

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It's true that some attractions have long lifespans, but most things eventually run out of gas. It's likely that the public will eventually lose interest in the Silos, but it doesn't seem like this will be anytime in the near future. One thing the Gaines' are doing to retain and expand interest levels is their continual improvement. Today the Silos isn't just a store, they've added the bakery, food trucks, and so forth. They opened a restaurant and will soon start up a TV network. They keep expanding and adding attractions. Disney does the same thing. Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, et al, are not the same parks they were 10 or even 5 years ago. Chip and Joanna are doing the same thing with the Magnolia brand. They've proven to be excellent business people.

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Sure the interest will drop at some point. But I don't think it will flame out and die. They will keep it going with all they have going to where the silos are always a destination for some. It will probably drop in rankings of tourist destinations but not to the point it becomes one of those obscure tourist attractions.

PartyBear said:

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I stand corrected a shoe store opened at the end of March of 04 apparently. I think Ross, Marshalls, Belk and the other big department store over there opened at the end of May perhaps. Maybe Logans opened at the same time, end of May 04. I'm not claiming there was not a soft opening a week or so before then, that we wouldnt have known about.

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Tell me more about this 'soft opening".