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You Can Tour the Historic Waco Castle from Chip and Joanna Gaines' New 'Fixer Upper' Spinoff

"The doors are open once again, and we can't wait to host you here at the Castle so you can experience this stunning historical home in all its glory."

Chip and Joanna Gaines are inviting fans to experience their biggest renovation to date: a real-life castle.

In Fixer Upper: Welcome Home – The Castle, the Gaineses take on the Herculean task of breathing new life into a nineteenth-century castle in Waco, Texas. Over the course of eight episodes, the couple tackles its challenging infrastructure while preserving its original beauty.

But before the show premieres on discovery+ in September, the Gaineses are offering " intimate guided tours " of the castle. It's the first time in Fixer Upper history that fans have an opportunity for in-person tours of a home from the show.

A representative for Magnolia told Insider that the group tours will give visitors a look at every room in the historic Cottonland Castle. While most of the tour will focus on Joanna's design approach, visitors will also learn about its fascinating history.

"For nearly 20 years, we dreamed and imagined what it would be like to breathe new life into this abandoned, century-old castle," Chip and Jo told Insider . "Finally having the opportunity, we're again reminded that there's great reward in unearthing beauty in unexpected places."

"The doors are open once again, and we can't wait to host you here at the Castle so you can experience this stunning historical home in all its glory," the couple added.

According to Insider , the one-hour tours will run from July 21 to October 26, Monday through Saturday. Tickets cost $50 , though children seven years old and younger get in for free. Plus, 20% of profits will be donated to The Cove, a local non-profit benefiting the homeless youth of Waco.

Tickets are available now at magnolia.com/visit/events.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cottonland Castle, located in Waco, Texas, has four bedrooms. The turn-of-the-century castle has three floors, three-and-a-half baths, and seven fireplaces.

The plot was given to local stone contractor John Tennant in 1890 by banker J. W. Mann in exchange for a stone obelisk marker in Oakwood Cemetery for the Mann plot. Tennant used leftover materials from the Provident Building to  start the castle's construction .

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Tour the Castle

Spring at the silos, waco, tx.

Enjoy an hour-long guided tour through Chip and Jo's renovation of the one-of-a-kind home featured on Fixer Upper: The Castle. Knowledgeable tour guides share the history, design inspiration, and behind-the-scenes details inside this century-old castle in the heart of Waco, Texas.

20% of net profits from castle tours will stay right here in Waco to support local nonprofits!

Accessibility Note: Guests should be able to physically walk three sets of staircases. 

$50/person  |  60-minute tour

Can I go and see the castle if I don’t have a ticket? Out of respect for the neighborhood, we only allow ticketed guests onto the property.

Can I get a refund if I cancel? Yes! Full refunds are offered up to 24 hours before the tour. Any cancellations made within 24 hours of the tour's start time will not be eligible for a refund. All refunds and exchanges are processed in the Customer Support portal.

Can kids take a tour for free? Kids ages 3 years and below do not have to pay for a ticket and are free to join you on the tour!

Is there a group rate or discount for larger groups? We don’t offer group discounts during event weekends.

Does the tour allow for strollers/wheelchairs, etc? This century-old home does not have an elevator and requires guests’ ability to access three staircases.

Can I purchase items I see on the tour? Yes! Select items you'll see in the castle are available here!

Does the castle look the same as it did on Fixer Upper: the Castle? Despite a few minor tweaks, yes! The home is staged exactly how it was shown on the episode when it aired.

Why did Chip and Joanna purchase a castle? Chip wanted a shot at restoring this historical Waco landmark to its full glory and, for nearly 20 years, he put in offers whenever the castle was relisted. When Chip and Jo finally bought it in 2019, Jo embraced the challenge of designing a home that celebrates the castle’s original character but also gives it a new story. Read more here!

What’s next for the castle? Will I be able to stay there as a B&B? Chip and Jo plan to sell this home to someone looking to live in Waco’s beautiful Castle Heights neighborhood.

Should I be prepared to tip my tour guide? Our team is not expecting tips! If tips are given, our tour guides share the generosity as a group.

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Cottonland Castle

Tour the Castle – Click here for tickets .

• Tour of one of Chip and Jo’s biggest Fixer Uppers yet—a century-old castle in the heart of Waco, Texas. This is a limited-time opportunity to step inside the historic home and see its transformation in person.
• Walking tours will be one hour long and hosted in small groups. (Note: Guests should be able to physically walk three sets of staircases.) Buy your tickets to enjoy an inspiring journey through the history and design of this one-of-a-kind home!

About the Cottonland Castle

In 1890, local stone contractor John Tennant decided to build a new home after striking a deal with banker J. W. Mann. The deal provided Tennant with a plot of land in exchange for a stone obelisk to mark the Mann plot in Oakwood Cemetery. Tennant took the leftover stone from his latest construction job and used it to begin construction on his new home, then located on the outskirts of Waco.

Falling on lean years, Tennant sold the unframed house to cotton broker Ripley Hanrick in 1906 under the agreement that Tennant could continue to do the stonework on the house. However, when financial difficulties continued, the pair abandoned the house in 1908.

A few years later Roy E. Lane was hired by a group of investors to transform the frame into a castle, complete with three stories and a basement, eight fireplaces, servants’ quarters, and a tower. Modeled after a small German castle along the Rhine River, white sandstone and small amounts of limestone composed the exterior of the house. The interior accents varied by room and floor, including imported materials such as Caen stone from France, Carrara marble from Italy,  and Honduran mahogany paneling.

In 1941, Irene Pipkin, whose family owned the Pipkin Drugstores, purchased the home. When she passed away, the castle passed to her daughter, Pauline Pipkin Garrett, Waco’s first female pharmacist. Pauline and her husband Barney Garrett resided in the home for many years.

After Pauline passed away, her will stated that Garrett could retain the home until he no longer wished to reside in it. When Garrett decided to move out, the home entered its only period of public use when it passed to the Austin Avenue Methodist Church. The church found the home to be an ideal place to host youth events, but the expense of keeping up the home soon became too great. The church sold the home to Jack Schwan in 1969 for $50,000.

The Schwan family made many repairs and renovations. In 1977, the Schwans applied for and received a historical marker for the home. The family attempted to sell the castle in 1982, believing it to be worth close to $1.25 million after the renovations. In 1991 the property sold after a drastic price cut. Over the next two decades, the home passed through various owners’ hands and fell into disrepair. Many owners found the castle too large and in need of too much maintenance to be a financially feasible home. In 2014, the home sold again and a new group led by Oxford scholar Dirk Obbink took on the renovation project.

In 2019 Cottonland Castle was purchased by Chip and Joanna Gaines and completely redone from top to bottom. Tours were offered for several months in 2022; then it was put up for auction. It was reported that the Gaineses decided to keep the Castle and open it for tours, but information on these is not yet available.

161 S 33rd St, Waco, TX 76710

https://magnolia.com/visit/tours/

The Cottonland Castle

Top ways to experience The Cottonland Castle and nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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The Cottonland Castle - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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'Fixer Upper' fans will be able to tour the castle Chip and Joanna Gaines are renovating before their new spinoff airs

• Chip and Joanna Gaines are renovating a castle in Waco, Texas.
• They're offering guided tours of the castle for $50 per ticket from July to October.
• The renovation will be featured on "Fixer Upper: Welcome Home - The Castle." 

For the first time ever, Chip and Joanna Gaines are letting their fans see a "Fixer Upper" renovation in person. 

On May 18, the Gaineses announced they would be renovating the Cottonland Castle for their upcoming spinoff series "Fixer Upper: Welcome Home - The Castle."

The Gaineses began renovating the castle in Waco, Texas, in 2019 after Chip had spent years coveting it, as Joanna wrote in a blog post . It was originally completed in 1913 and fell into disrepair in 1991, according to Magnolia. 

"We'd drive by often, and Chip never ceased dreaming aloud about how fun it would be to restore the house to its former glory," Joanna wrote. 

"No doubt about it, this is a fixer-upper unlike any other we've ever tackled," she went on to write. "Even though we haven't the slightest idea of what it will become, what Chip did know all along, deep in his bones, and what I have learned to see too, is this: If you look past the cracks in the masonry, past the rotted floorboards, past the wilderness taking over the backyard, there is a lot of beauty to be found in this old castle."

The series about the renovation will air in September on the Magnolia Network, along with a slate of other new shows.

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But before the show premieres, the Gaineses will be offering "intimate guided tours" of the castle, as a representative for Magnolia exclusively told Insider.

The small group tours will give "Fixer Upper" fans a look at every room in the castle. The majority of the tour will focus on Joanna's approach to designing the house, though visitors will also learn about its history. 

Chip and Joanna told Insider that the project has reminded them of the power of "beauty in unexpected places."

"For nearly 20 years, we dreamed and imagined what it would be like to breathe new life into this abandoned, century-old castle," they said. "Finally having the opportunity, we're again reminded that there's great reward in unearthing beauty in unexpected places."

"The doors are open once again, and we can't wait to host you here at the Castle so you can experience this stunning historical home in all its glory," the Gaineses added.

The tours will run from July 21 to October 26, Monday through Saturday, and tickets will cost $50, though children 7 years old and younger can attend for free.

Tickets are available for purchase today on the Magnolia website.

"For the first time ever, we're offering 'Fixer Upper' fans an opportunity to tour one of the homes from the show in person," Magnolia's chief brand officer, Kate Barton, said. "We are excited to have guests come to Waco and see in person the most historic restoration project that Chip and Jo have ever done."

• Main content

How Chip and Joanna Gaines Restored a 1900s Castle in the Heart of Waco, Texas

In their hometown of Waco, Texas, Chip and Joanna Gaines peel back layers of neglect to restore a local legend.

When you’ve renovated so many homes in a town that its name has become nearly synonymous with your own, it takes a special project to really stand out. For Chip and Joanna Gaines, the veritable renovation royals of Waco, Texas, that property is Cottonland Castle.

The 1913 stone manor house, originally modeled after a small German castle along the Rhine River, has a history and foundation dating back to 1890—not to mention a permanent place in local lore. “It sits in the center of a neighborhood downtown, so if you live nearby, you’ve driven past it hundreds of times,” Chip explains. “Ownership changed every few years, and I would make an offer every time it was listed.”

In 2019, the couple’s bid was accepted, and the Gaineses embarked on their most challenging renovation yet: restoring the grand property to its prior glory. “If you look past the cracks in the masonry, past the rotted floorboards, past the wilderness taking over the backyard, there is a lot of beauty to be found in this old castle,” Jo wrote in the winter issue of Magnolia Journal that year.

No one was better suited for this project. The Gaineses, who shot to stardom with their hit show Fixer Upper, have gone from charming small-town couple to leaders of a conglomerate that includes a TV network (Magnolia Network), magazine ( Magnolia Journal), and destination shopping experience (Magnolia Market at the Silos). They oversee all of this from their once-sleepy hometown of Waco, now a pilgrimage site for design buffs all over the world. They’re something of hometown heroes, which made taking on a legendary local property both a fitting and nerve-racking endeavor.

“We were both passionate about giving the castle the opportunity to sort of stand back up straight and present itself to the neighborhood the way it was always meant to,” Chip says. Jo went so far as to partner with KILZ on a line of paint specifically for the project, and the couple dug into the local archives to learn about the original design (a process thoroughly documented on Fixer Upper: The Castle , a six-episode series that aired on Magnolia Network this fall). The castle itself, rather than any trends or preconceived ideas, led the way. The result is a true departure from the modern farmhouse style that Chip and Jo have become known for (not one shiplap wall in sight).

“The best part about restoring a property with this much history is the opportunity to unearth beauty that’s always been there from the beginning,” Jo says. “As we started to clear all the plywood and old debris, we got to really see all of the gorgeous details inside.”

.css-17t1xj6:before{content:'“';display:block;font-size:7.5rem;line-height:1.1;font-family:Apparel,Apparel-roboto,Apparel-local,Helvetica,Arial,Serif;margin-bottom:-4rem;letter-spacing:-0.015rem;background-image:none;} .css-x1fw4v{font-family:ApparelItalic,ApparelItalic-roboto,ApparelItalic-local,Georgia,Times,Sans-serif;font-size:2.0625rem;letter-spacing:0.015rem;line-height:1.1;margin:0rem;}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-x1fw4v{font-size:2.625rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-x1fw4v{font-size:2.625rem;line-height:1.1;}}.css-x1fw4v b,.css-x1fw4v strong{font-family:inherit;font-weight:bold;}.css-x1fw4v em,.css-x1fw4v i{font-style:italic;font-family:inherit;} “We’d open closets or peek into the attic and stumble upon incredible items from over a century ago.”

What unfolded was something of a renovation treasure hunt: “We’d open closets or peek into the attic and stumble upon incredible items from over a century ago,” recalls Jo, who incorporated many—including original light fixtures, paneling, fireplaces (eight total!), and doors—into her final scheme. “In order to capture the essence of the castle when it was originally built, we used all the original materials that were existing.”

Of course, a project of this scale included plenty of hiccups—but nothing a little modern ingenuity couldn’t solve. Jo was initially adamant about maintaining the original floors, but history had other plans: Years of sanding had worn the wood too thin to save in many places, so the couple used reclaimed antique planks from the same era instead. A similar problem arose with the worn exterior, where exact matches of the once-white sand- and limestones, now worn with age, were impossible to find new. Chip concocted a plan to stain the new blocks with a compost mixture that closely mimics the original patina—without a century of aging.

“If we needed a new window or door, it was made by local craftsmen, with the same design and wood species that were original to the castle,” Jo says. “If there was a fixture missing or we had to source materials, we looked for time period­­­–appropriate designs.” That meant doing one of Jo’s favorite things: antique hunting. The couple scoured Round Top Antiques Fair, bringing home treasures like the dining room table and chairs as well as pieces that—with the help of the Gaineses’ woodworker—would become the kitchen and butler’s pantry islands. “I’ve always been drawn to mixing old and new in our projects,” Jo says, “but the castle challenged me to take that design approach a step further.”

“Our primary goal was to honor the significance of the home in the neighborhood and the city.”

Despite all their emotional attachments, Chip and Jo ultimately plan to sell the castle. (It was briefly open for tours after completion.) “Our primary goal was to honor the significance of the home in the neighborhood and the city,” Jo says. “This was a good challenge for me and an opportunity to stretch myself in ways I hadn’t before.”

Dining Room

The couple worked with Marvin Kegerreis, president of Kent Mill & Supply, to retrofit antiques (like this dining table) into furniture for the castle. Chairs: antique, from Marburger Farm at the Round Top Antiques Fair. Chandelier: Aerin for Circa Lighting.

While years of sanding made it impossible to salvage all the floors, they restored nearly all of the original millwork. Paint: Castle Cream, Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines for KILZ. Pendant: Mitzi, Lumens.

Butler’s Pantry

The plants in the home came from the propagation wall Jo conceived for Magnolia Market at the Silos. Paint: Castle Cream, Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines for KILZ. Sink: Fireclay. Faucet: deVOL. Sconce: Circa Lighting.

Though the stone from a onetime fireplace here couldn’t be saved, the Gaineses restored the soaring upper mantel, then adapted the space underneath for a range and dish storage. Ivory tile by Bottega Design Gallery gives the space an updated look that still feels classic.

Honed black soapstone is a moody juxtaposition with the home’s original millwork, restored to its onetime shine. The table and chairs debut this winter to the Magnolia Home line. Pendant: Pottery Barn.

Child’s Bedroom

The Gaineses preserved all eight of the home’s existing fireplaces. Tile: Ann Sacks. Paint: Rosy Pink, Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines for KILZ. Art: Etsy. Sconces: Julie Neill.

Teen Bedroom

Custom artwork and antique furniture suit the grand architecture. Chandelier: Troy Lighting. Rug: Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines for Loloi. Paint: Estate Interior, Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines for KILZ.

The original millwork is painted Step Stool Green, part of the Magnolia Home line that Jo developed with KILZ. Mirror: Anthropologie. Faucets , sink , and shower: Kohler. Vanity: Houzz.

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Joanna Gaines’ Latest Fixer Upper House: The Castle 1/2

Recently, I toured Chip and Joanna Gaines’ latest Fixer Upper house. It happens to be a historical castle in downtown Waco, Texas. I have lots of information and photos of the newly renovated home to share. So, head over for part two of the tour, here , to take a look at the second floor of bedrooms & bathrooms, plus the massive basement. And to find out what the castle inspired Joanna Gaines to design which will be available to purchase in October 2022.

But first, let’s start the tour with this fixer upper house’s property, castle exterior and main level which includes the kitchen, dining and living spaces. At the end of this post, you can read about the future of this newly restored castle.

The Castle’s Property

This house mimics a small German castle with the exterior constructed of mostly white sandstone and partly limestone. Construction began in 1890 with several different owners, and not much progress. It was not complete until 1913 when home owner and Civil War Captain Alfred Abeel hired Waco architect Roy E. Lane to oversee the project. Lane built another Waco landmark that locals will immediately recognize, the Alico building.

Nine foot tall oak doors weighing four hundred pounds secure the entrance of the home. I guess if you are a civil war captain, security is of the upmost importance. A tower and two small balconies with machicolations, or openings in the flooring of the corbels, add character to the castle. The front of the home also shares the graceful arch of bay windows in the drawing room and second story primary bedroom.

Behind the castle, a stone built garage and second tower stand. This detached building served as a used car dealership called ‘Castle Cars’ for several decades. Growing up near Waco, we assumed the tower was simply a gimmick to attract customers. However this space was original to the property and acted as the living quarters for the servants of the Abeel family.

The Castle is secured by a stone wall fence around the perimeter of the property. It was originally built on the ‘outskirts of town.’ Now, this whole area is split between residential and commercial property as what we, Wacoans, refer to as ‘downtown’ and the Castle Heights neighborhood.

How it Became a Fixer Upper House

In 1941, the Abeel family sold the castle to Waco’s first female pharmacist, Irene Pipkin, and her family who lived in the home for many years. After her death, her widowed husband gave the home to a local Methodist church. However, the cost of upkeep became too much to bare, so the castle sold yet again to a new family who lived in it for twenty years. After 1991, it sold many times with new owners hoping to bring the property back to life each time. However, maintenance and restoration costs, followed by trespassers onto the property, left the house in despair.

For years, Chip and Joanna Gaines longed to make this one hundred year old castle their latest fixer upper house. However, they didn’t have the opportunity to purchase the property until 2019. For the next two years, speculation floated around Waco about what Chip and Joanna would do with this Waco landmark. Some thought that it would become their offices for Magnolia or a non-profit group, or a short term rental like a bed and breakfast style inn. Chip and Joanna Gaines ultimately chose to restore the castle into a home, as originally built. Today, it is a beautiful mix of both historical architectural charm and modern conveniences.

The Sun Room Addition

From the back of the castle, notice the black exterior windows on the left. Chip and Joanna Gaines actually enclosed what was a concrete slab into the beautiful addition it is today. This light filled sunroom is one of my favorite spaces. Because the Gaines sourced European antique tile, the already worn, lived in tile looks original to the home. Not reproduction nor aging techniques created this perfectly imperfect patina.

The Garden Shed

To the right of the castle, sits a garden shed. If you have visited the garden area at the Silos, you know that Joanna and her team of gardeners have amazing green thumbs. Therefore, the bountiful of flowerbeds and potted pants surrounding this garden shed did not disappoint. Under large shady trees in the yard, this garden shed still boasts the original shingle roof, but has been refreshed with new paint and lighting.

Tour of the Main Level

Drawing room.

Right off the front entry way is the drawing room. I was today years old when I found out that it is not the room where people draw or paint… it is a room where guests can ‘withdraw’ into a more private setting, maybe from a dinner party. This space hosted potential candidates for marriage to the Abeel’s son, who later built a home for his wife and himself right next door.

The castle originally had eight fireplaces including this showstopper with plenty of ornamental moulding. While central heat and air conditioning were updated in the home, the original radiators remain on both sides of the beautifully restored fireplace.

Do you notice all the beautiful woodworking detail in this room, too? Some of the wood moulding was destroyed over time. Therefore, the Gaines hired a talented wood craftsmen for the restoration process.

Dining Room

The dining room originally included a French Caen stone fireplace and Honduran mahogany paneling. These were revitalized, while paint, wallpaper, flooring and lighting were added. The restoration and furnishings are so beautifully done that it is hard to distinguish between what is and is not original to the home.

Kitchen and Butler’s Pantry

Behind the dining room lies the kitchen. This room held the eighth fireplace, but Chip & Joanna Gaines removed it during the renovation. In its place, sits a La Cornue Château premium range, the same kind that Joanna Gaines uses on her cooking show, Magnolia Table . Craftsmen have built these ranges by hand with copper, brass and steel in France since 1908, so the style fits well with the period of the home. The small doors to the right of the stove once served as a ‘dumb waiter,’ but have been conveniently converted to a spice cabinet. A built-in hutch that was original to the home to hold dishes and serving pieces is not shown.

I am not sure if it is the pantry staples filling glass canisters on endless open shelves or the large windows filling this room with light, but the butler’s pantry makes me want to cook three square meals a day… I mean if and only if I lived here. The kitchen island is a $125 local antique find that Joanna Gaines had a marble top fitted for. Now, it’s priceless! Again, the windows, crown molding and fireplace may be the only original architectural features in this room. However, Chip and Joanna Gaines have proved that they can take on any age, size or style of a fixer upper house.

More Fixer Upper House

Additionally, a restored half bathroom sits tucked away on the main level. While a small sitting area made its home in the tower portion of the castle. I do not think that anyone could have done a better job of restoring this one hundred year old castle than Chip and Joanna Gaines, and their talented team of craftsmen, designers and skilled workers. It is the perfect mix of history, architectural detail and modern conveniences.

The Future of this Fixer Upper House

Take a tour of the castle.

If you love all things Fixer Upper, Chip & Joanna Gaines or Waco, Texas, purchase tickets to tour The Castle, here . It’s an hour long tour with plenty of time to take photos and awe at the craftsmanship. The Castle is open for tours through the end of October, which coincides with the 2022 Magnolia Silobration.

Watch Fixer Upper: The Castle

However, if you are not local or visiting Waco this Fall, don’t worry. You can watch the entire restoration process in a special six part series called Fixer Upper: The Castle on Magnolia Network. All of the furniture and decor currently featured in the home will be the same as what you see on the show when it airs in October 2022. Plus, many new pieces staged in the castle are for sale at Magnolia.com .

For Sale by Magnolia Realty… coming soon!

Our tour guide told us that the Cottonland Castle will be listed for sale in late October 2022. What a dream come true for the family that calls this place home!  At the time of the sale in 2019, Zillow listed the home for $425K. However, it appraised around $350K. Currently appraises at $1,127,470 for tax purposes. But, I predict the Gaines will sell it for closer to $2 million. I mean it is a castle, a piece of Waco history and a Fixer Upper house renovated by the queen of home design, Joanna Gaines.

Lastly, be sure to subscribe to my blog for more of what’s happening in Waco, Texas! Like this photographic tour of the Silos or the Magnolia Market Summer 2022 displays!

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4 thoughts on “ Joanna Gaines’ Latest Fixer Upper House: The Castle 1/2 ”

Absolutely stunning! Thank you for sharing it.

I love being able to share about Magnolia! Chip and Jo did an amazing job on the restoration and update of modern conveniences. Thanks for stopping by the blog!

My sister and I want to make reservations, to see everything Chip and JoAnn and Waco. How and when to make reservations.

Beautiful! I’d like the paint name of the main bedroom please…

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Hear ye, hear ye

Royal renovators chip and joanna gaines reopen their waco castle for tours.

A year after closing the 400-pound, solid-oak door to their Waco castle, Texas' Fixer Upper king and queen Chip and Joanna Gaines are reopening it to the public.

According to a release, tours of the century-old "Cottonland Castle" will resume November 1. One-hour, guided walking tours that explore its design and history will be offered Mondays through Saturdays, for a limited time.

The regal three-story, 6,700-square-foot residence in the heart of Waco was modeled after a Rhine River castle in Germany. Construction was started in 1890 and finished in 1913. The Gaineses purchased the structure in disrepair in 2019 and spent three years planning and executing a renovation, which they made the focus of a special Fixer Upper series on Magnolia Network in fall 2022.

The four-bedroom castle opened for tours for three months before the TV special aired - the first and only time a Chip-and-Jo TV fixer upper has been opened to the public. Hour-long expeditions took visitors through every room, nook, and cranny — from turret to toilettes and all seven fireplaces.

Chip and Joanna Gaines still have the keys to their castle.

CultureMap was among the first media outlets to step inside and revealed seven spectacular surprises behind the castle walls.

Last year's tours were also an open house of sorts. The Gainses had planned to sell the property after the TV special aired. In June 2023, it was listed through their Magnolia Realty for $2.9 million and was also offered on auction .

But they kept the keys to their castle, and it's now part of the Magnolia portfolio.

"After restoration, the property went to auction where the buyer and Magnolia mutually agreed not to close," a release says. "The Castle's story continues with Magnolia through limited-time home tours."

According to the Waco Tribune-Herald , Magnolia obtained a special permit from the city of Waco in late September to resume operations as a "house museum" for at least six months, until April 17, 2024.

The release from Magnolia does not specify when tours will end or what will happen next with the castle. But an FAQ on the tour website still says, "Chip and Jo plan to sell this home to someone looking to live in Waco’s beautiful Castle Heights neighborhood."

The home is still staged exactly how it was on the show, they say.

Tour tickets are now available online , in timed intervals from 9 am-12:30 pm, Monday-Saturday, November 1, 2023-January 31, 2024. Tickets are $50 (children under 4 free), with a 10 percent discount for groups of six or more. A portion of sales will be donated to The Cove, a Waco nonprofit that supports homeless youth.

The castle's official address is 161 S. 33rd Street, in the historic Castle Heights neighborhood of Waco, about 2.5 miles southwest of the Magnolia Silos complex.

By pure coincidence or genius marketing (and with Magnolia, it's always the latter), the Gaineses' fixed-up Hotel 1928 also officially opens for reservations on November 1. The 33-room, luxe boutique hotel sits in the historic Grand Karem Shrine Building in downtown Waco and is named for the year in which it was completed. Rates start at $375 per night.

Hotel 1928 will get its own weekly TV series, Fixer Upper: The Hotel , beginning 8 pm November 8 on Magnolia Network. Watch a trailer here .

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Where to drink, where to drink in fort worth right now: 4 hottest new hotel bars.

Fort Worth is in its haute hotel era. New luxury accommodations are becoming the go-to for evening cocktails and post-dinner nightcaps – overnight stay not required.

Upscale hotels that raised the bar for hometown hospitality in recent years include favorites like Hotel Drover , The Sinclair , and The Kimpton Harper . Pioneers in the local high-end hotel movement also include The Worthington Renaissance Hotel (still a hot spot after more than 40 years in business) and the iconic Omni Fort Worth Hotel , which plans to add a new 400-room tower with a new 15,000 square-foot restaurant by 2026.

But a new batch of elegant new hotels has emerged in recent months, some just a few weeks old. With their openings come new options for hotel bars, which often serve as the social hub for the entire venue. Here are four new hotel bars to visit this month.

The Circle Bar at The Crescent Hotel With its museum-caliber qualities – from the white walls to the marble columns – The Crescent Hotel (3300 Camp Bowie Blvd.) exudes off-the-chart levels of sophistication. Just off the lobby is The Circle Bar, which matches the hotel’s tone in look and feel. Floor-to-ceiling windows, tall potted greenery, and nooks of modern seating areas surround the actual bar – which is not technically shaped like a circle but does span 360 degrees. The name “Circle” refers to a diverse group of creative artists called Fort Worth Circle who produced hundreds of works of art in the 1940s. (The group is mentioned on the opening page of the bar menu .)

Anchored by a giant, gold-framed awning and a couple of huge TVs, the bar draws well-dressed Fort Worth elite and out-of-town hotel guests for cocktails and aperitivos. Signature drinks include the gin-based Olive and Herb martini, the blood orange and tequila-infused That’s Amore, and the Mediterranean Vesper made with Italian vodka. Visit during Social Hour Monday through Friday from 4-6 pm, when oysters are only $2 each and Parmesan fries are $5. There’s also live music on Wednesdays starting at 7 pm.

The Bar at Bowie House National Cutting Horse Association hall-of-famer Jo Ellard is the visionary behind this Western-inspired hotel, which opened in December at 3700 Camp Bowie Blvd. is part of the high-end Auberge Resorts Collection. (There’s also a spa and newly opened pool on-site.) The interior showcases much of Ellard’s eclectic art haul, which is not all horse-centric and includes some surprises, like pieces with graffiti.

The Bar at Bowie House draws big business; it’s established itself as the new go-to for many West Fort Worth regulars for pre- and post-dinner cocktails. The bar itself - with its triple archway, weathered mirrors, and ornate wooden details - is one of Ellard’s unique finds from an antique dealer in Central Texas.

As for the drinks , signature selections include Better the Devil Know You made with Casamigos repo, orange and passion fruit juices, and "firewater tincture," and the Ramblin' Mr. Crosby, a gin-based drink best served with the optional champagne topper that's presented separately, making for an interactive experience. Bar apps are Southern-focused and include Ritz & Dips with pimento cheese, smoked salmon dip, and French onion dip, Deviled Egg Puffs, and Lil Smokies made with jalapeno wagyu sausage. Don't miss live music every Thursday evening.

The | Bar at Loews Arlington Hotel Newly opened near Globe Life Field is the long-awaited Loews Arlington Hotel and Convention Center (888 Nolan Ryan Expy.), a neighbor to its sports-centric sister resort, Live! By Loews - Arlington. (It's easy to get the two mixed up, but they are not the same.) With 888 rooms, five restaurants and lounges, two pools, a sandy beach, cabanas, spa, and loads of meeting and event space, the hotel debuted just in time for the World Series Champion Texas Rangers 2024 season.

Of the quintet of dining and drinking establishments , The | Bar serves as the hotel's main meeting spot and social hub. Plush seating surrounds an island bar crowned with a crystal chandelier, where cocktails include the expected margaritas and espresso martinis alongside the Ketel One and lime-infused Augustus, and the Patron Silver Sunrise made with mint, ginger, and bergamot. Or try a No-Fashioned – mocktail that’s part of the new Free Spirited by Loews program that embraces the growing trend of non-alcoholic consumption. There’s also outdoor seating with fire pits and a menu of snacks, pizzas, pastas, and entrees like steak and salmon.

West + Stone at Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown Hotel While the Sheraton (1701 Commerce St.) is not new, the downtown hotel just completed a $50 million renovation including updated rooms and event space and the addition of a sleek new signature restaurant and bar called West + Stone. Anchoring the restaurant, the large, rectangular-shaped bar boasts soft faux leather high-back barstools, a smooth marble bar top, TVs, and lounge seating areas with access to street-side patio seating.

The upgrades also include a new lobby bar. Called &More, the day-to-night gathering spot serves coffee in the morning, cocktails in the afternoon to evening, and light bites all day. So really, the Sheraton is a two-for-one when it comes to new hotel bars. Interesting cocktails include the Blood Moon Mule made with Texas wildflower blood orange vodka, When the Dust Settles made with scotch, sweet vermouth, and tobacco bitters, and the Oaxacan Sour shaken with Casamigos repo tequila, mezcal, and chocolate bitters. Also note the bars feature “Booze Free” options, like the Blackberry Paloma made with zero-proof tequila, and tropical coconut-infused Sunshine Fix.

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The Bar at Bowie House is popular with locals.

• The Grackle

Observations, Reflections and Miscellany from the Wacoan

Touring the cottonland castle, a native wacoan reflects on a texas castle for the bucket list.

2 years ago

By Emily Ober

When someone asks you to describe landmarks in Waco, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the ALICO building or maybe Baylor or even the Silos.

But when you ask me, I think of the little castle nestled away on Austin Avenue that I’ve admired since childhood when my days were filled with princess movies and fairy tale dresses.

As I stepped up to the 10-foot tall, 400-pound wooden door and pulled back the heavy brass knocker, I realized that I was fulfilling a lifelong wish. My imagination ran wild as to what I might find on the other side.

Dubbed the Cottonland Castle, this historic home’s story began in 1890 when John Tennant bought the land. He only completed the basement and floor before running out of funds.

Ripley Hanrick took over the construction in 1906, but the castle wouldn’t be complete until 1930 when Civil War Captain Alfred Abeel hired Roy E. Lane to construct the castle. Modeled after a small castle on the Rhine River in Germany, this peculiar addition to Waco is a special piece of history.

Lane also designed other prominent features of the Waco skyline, including the Hippodrome building, the Grand Karem Shrine which will soon house the Magnolia hotel, and he even collaborated on the ALICO building.

After passing through different owners over the decades, the castle fell into disrepair. With graffiti staining the original wooden floor, wallpaper ripped from the walls, and old wiring hanging from the ceiling, the castle needed a lot of work to bring it to the glory it deserves.

The goal of Chip and Joanna when they took on the colossal project in 2019 —  to save as much of the original castle as possible, but still make it livable for a family today — has resulted in a beautiful home that brings history to the present.

It’s staged in all the furnishings for a modern family with historical touches scattered throughout, giving it a feel of a museum.

Sprinkled throughout the rooms are many historical items not set to a specific decade. It combines vintage items found throughout the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries. The guide emphasizes why this is called a “Historic Tour,” as there is no specific date attached to the décor.

As I tour the castle, I’m in awe of the restoration process that saved so many facets of the castle, including the Honduran mahogany panels lining the walls, Caen stones from France, and Carrara marble from Italy.

But the guide is quick to remind us that not everything in the house is perfect, and this was something that Chip and Joanna had to come to accept. They had to embrace the imperfections.

This is seen in the impressive fireplace in what is now the dining hall which still has Alfred Abeel’s crest engraved in the stone, alongside the heights and names of the various children who have grown up in the castle.

It was that remark by the tour guide that made me think about how the restoration of the Cottonland Castle is much like the restoration of Waco itself.

When I was growing up, Downtown Waco was a series of empty buildings that looked beautiful on the outside but neglected on the inside.

Those gorgeous facades that Roy E. Lee brought to the Waco skyline were mostly forgotten in a city that needed a second life.

Fast forward a couple of decades and today, downtown is now a gathering place for locals and tourists alike.

Small, locally owned shops have popped up on every corner, and more is still to come. Visiting Waco has become a dream for many people. Much like the castle, the restoration of downtown brings these beautiful old buildings to modern life while still retaining what made them special.

The city has a vivid history that is illustrated in Cottonland Castle. Built during a time of prosperity, then falling to disrepair, and now revived for a second life. This tour is a must-see experience for both locals and visitors before it’s gone.

Tours run Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until October 29. Tickets cost $50 per person with 20% of the proceeds going to The Cove, a local nonprofit that provides a safe space for homeless youth. This cause is special to the Gaines. “It’s an honor to get to unearth and restore beauty and help create home for families, but we also have a responsibility to take care of the children in our community that may be experiencing homelessness,” Joanna said. Get tickets here. 

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Chip and Joanna Gaines’s Latest “Fixer Upper” Is Lovely, but Unsurprising

The large, velvet couch in the drawing room, where previous young male residents once received potential suitors, the tour guide tells us, is for sale. As are the linen-scented Magnolia-brand candles, which waft with the strength of 1,000 sprays of Febreze throughout the roughly 6,000-square-foot castle. The guide is unsure if the rugs in an upstairs bedroom are available to purchase, but we’ll all be able to learn for sure at the conclusion of our tour, where a QR code linking to an official castle look book—product links included—is waiting for us. 

In fact, the entire Cottonland Castle —a more than 100-year-old estate in Waco, Texas—will soon be on the market. The castle sat empty and in disrepair for decades, until, in 2019, a certain Waco couple known for revitalizing dilapidated homes with potential saw opportunity in the pile of stone and dust. Now, the historic landmark is Chip and Joanna Gaines’s latest fixer-upper—maybe even their biggest yet. The Fixer Upper stars spent years overhauling the castle, and this July opened it up to the public for one-hour guided tours . At the end of October, the tours will cease as the house goes on the market for some undisclosed listing price. The entire renovation will be viewable at home this fall, when a dedicated season of Fixer Upper: The Castle airs on the Gainses’ own Magnolia Network .

Chip and Joanna Gaines renovated the historic Cottonland Castle in Waco, Texas, for an upcoming season of Fixer Upper: The Castle , which airs   on Magnolia Network this October 14.

It’s only fitting that Chip and Joanna would take on one of Waco’s most iconic homes, situated on Austin Avenue, a wide stretch of main road lined with Texas mansions, both old and new. My family in Houston has a joke that Chip and Jo will eventually need to leave Waco, having fixed up every home in the tiny Texas town. It’s impossible to drive through the area, as I did on a recent Saturday afternoon, without feeling the couple’s impact. Their complex of businesses —including a bakery, furniture store, plant shop, and more—rises like a fortress in the center of town and is more like a small, Magnolia-branded amusement park with half a dozen parking lots, all of which were full. The line to get into the Silos Baking Co.  (brought to life by the home renovation TV stars on Fixer Upper ’s fourth season) snaked like one for a roller coaster or airport security. Tours for the castle, set miles away from the Magnolia compound, were completely sold out for the day, as a sign near the entrance alerted me. Others in my group had traveled from out of town to see Chip and Joanna’s latest renovation. 

Construction on the three-story castle began in 1890 and, due to financial difficulties, took until 1913 to complete. The property changed hands multiple times since then, until the Gainses bought it in 2019.

The history of the castle was outlined succinctly at the very beginning of our tour. In 1890, local stone contractor John Tennant began construction on a grandiose new home, suddenly flush with cash from a fruitful deal with a Waco banker. When he ran out of funds to complete the property, he sold it to a cotton broker in 1906 under the agreement that he could finish the stonework. After financial difficulties continued, the pair abandoned the project two years later. A war veteran took over construction in 1913, completing the structure that stands today: A three-story castle (modeled after a German fortress along the Rhine River) with a basement, eight fireplaces, and a turret. The castle changed hands a few times since then, once selling, in 1969, for $50,000. The house received its historical marker in 1977, but in the 1990s went through a rapid succession of owners, falling into extreme disrepair. It wasn’t until 2019 that the Gainses, who’d been watching the property change hands for years, finally bought the structure.

Even if you’d only seen one or two episodes of Fixer Upper —which was certainly not true for the fans on my tour—you’d be able to recognize Joanna Gaines’s characteristic farmhouse-inspired touch.

Only a few of the castle’s original features remain—a pair of solid wood doors that we passed through at the entrance, a refinished fireplace, and one of many old light switches. The rest has been reimagined and renovated by America’s most DIY-famous couple. Even if you’d only seen one or two episodes of Fixer Upper —which was certainly not true for the fans on my tour—you’d be able to recognize Joanna Gaines’s characteristic farmhouse-inspired touch throughout the home. There was no shiplap in sight, but there were at least two fiddle-leaf fig trees, standing tall in sun-drenched rooms. The couple converted the turret into an alcove for a soaking tub. Antiques from Texas’s  Round Top Antiques Fair  (about two hours from Waco), as well as from England (much farther), are situated among furniture from Magnolia Market, all of which tour guests were encouraged to sit on—and buy.

Chip and Joanna Gaines turned their success from HGTV’s  Fixer Upper  series into a home improvement empire with a complex of businesses in Waco, Texas. They also launched Magnolia Network, which broadcasts entertainment programs related to home improvement and cuisine.

While our tour guide was eager to point out which details in the castle were original to the construction, she also seemed aware that the guests were likely there as Fixer Upper fans, rather than Waco history enthusiasts. Halfway through the tour, one guest finally asked our guide the inevitable question: Had she ever met Joanna herself? The guide, of course, had. We were shown the mirror in which Joanna checked her makeup on days filming Fixer Upper: The Castle and were given spiels about how Joanna envisioned each space. The guide pointed out which plants Joanna harvested from her personal garden. Pausing in front of a big-screen TV, we were told that Joanna doesn’t have one in her own house—but of course, as fans, we already knew that.  

That’s to do no disservice to the beauty of the castle, or to the duo’s impressive renovation work. The primary suite, lined with a wall of windows, sits next to a library with newly built dark-wood shelves adorned with old, unreadable books and one of those sliding ladders on a track. The kids’ room is more elegant than my adult bedroom, complete with one of the home’s many stone fireplaces. The matching twin beds were originally purchased for the Gaines’s daughters, Ella Rose and Emmie Kay, but, as our guide told us, the girls turned their noses up at them, so they now sit in the castle. The kitchen, we learned, was moved from the basement level to the main floor, and an old dumbwaiter was removed to make space for a spice cabinet. The basement now contains a guest suite with (of course) a secret room situated off a dark, wood-trimmed area staged for playing cards, hidden behind a trick wall. 

Magnolia Network is offering one-hour guided tours of the recently renovated castle in the Gainses’ hometown before the full renovation story unfolds on the upcoming Fixer Upper season.

To lean all the way into the obvious metaphor, the Cottonland Castle is a bit representative of Waco, which might belong more to Chip and Joanna Gaines than any other of its residents, for better or for worse. The entire town may not also smell like Magnolia linen candles, but upon visiting the castle, you may think you’re getting whiffs for days after too.  

Top photo courtesy of Magnolia.

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See 10 Texas castles, plus one in Waco for sale by TV fixer-uppers Chip and Joanna Gaines

Chip and Joanna Gaines of "Fixer Upper" TV fame have put their celebrated Texas castle up for sale in Waco.

The auction bidding for Cottonland Castle, sometimes called the Waco Castle, will open at 4 p.m., July 20.

Stone replicas of European castles are scattered all over the state — at least five can be found in Austin — but this one is dusted with the enchantment of that celebrity couple who is transforming Waco into a national tourist spot.

If you can't afford to bid on Cottonland Castle , plenty of castle-like structures around Texas are worth lingering views from the curb. Some are open for tours or can be leased for special events. (More on those options below.)

What's for sale in Waco?

Many of Gaineses' early fixer-up projects were fairly modest redos. As time went by, however, the couple took on larger enterprises, such as their downtown Waco lifestyle center known as Magnolia Market .

According to Magnolia Realty, this mansion at 3300 Austin Ave. in the Castle Heights neighborhood includes four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms as part of more than 6,000 square feet of floor space.

Its history is quite complicated. For one thing, it didn't start as a castle.

During the cotton boom of the late 19th century, Waco was a center for all aspects of the cotton business. Significant buildings shot up all over the city.

In 1890, stone contractor John Tennant started to craft a new home out of leftover stone from a downtown project. He sold the unfinished house to cotton broker Ripley Hanrick in 1906, but continued to work on it himself. Together, they abandoned the mansion in 1908.

More: Where the locals say to eat and drink in Waco

Civil War veteran Capt. Alfred Abeel purchased it in 1913 and hired developer Roy E. Lane to finish the frame and add more castle-like elements, modeled after a small German castle on the Rhine.

"In 1941, Irene Pipkin, whose family owned the Pipkin Drugstores, purchased the home and moved in with her daughter and son-in-law," writes Amanda Sawyer on the wacohistory.org website. "When she passed away, the castle passed to her daughter, Pauline Pipkin Garrett, Waco’s first female pharmacist. Pauline and her husband Barney Garrett resided in the home for many years."

Cottonland next passed through the hands of the Austin Avenue Methodist Church, which used it as a youth center, the Jack Schwan family and others. Yet almost every owner found it too costly to maintain.

Chip and Joanna Gaines purchased it in 2019 and completed the remake in 2022.

They aired the renovation process on  Magnolia Network  last year, then opened the place up for tours. "Now, they’re ready for someone new to write the next chapter in this historic home’s story," according to the Magnolia Reality site.

Five castles in Austin

Kids dream of living in castles. When they grow up, they discover that the original medieval fortresses were often dark, dank, drafty and hard to keep up. Castles in Texas, built more recently, tend to comport with modern standards of comfort, health and upkeep, which is not cheap.

If you are new to Austin, you might not already know these landmarks:

• Bouldin Castle (715 W. Mary St.): Built of limestone, this castle began as San Jose Catholic Church, then served as an Orthodox church before being outfitted with a turret, moat (actually a lap pool), dungeon (really an underground studio) and banquet hall . I've been to some parties here and the interiors are quite lovely.
• Castle Hill (1111 W. 11th St.): Perhaps Austin's most visible castle , this former military academy perched high on a hill above Shoal Creek has served many roles, now the offices of Castle Hill Partners, a private investment firm. The Austin History Center Association held a reception there not long ago and I can confirm that it has been decorated expertly and sensitively.
• Chateau Bellevue (708 San Antonio St): Like the Cottonland Castle, this 1874 landmark mansion was not originally built in a castle style. Most of that look was added by a later owner. For almost a century, it has been home to the Austin Woman's Club. For a while, it was also a dormitory. I've attended many events here and always jump at the chance to return.
• Formosa (304 E 44th St.): Although small compared to other Austin castles, this studio for sculptor Elisabet Ney must have towered over the raw land north of Hyde Park when it was built in 1892. Now the Elisabet Ney Museum — packed with Ney's art — it by far is the easiest of these Austin castles to access.
• Pemberton Castle (1415 Wooldridge Dr.) A Dallas class recently wrote a full report on Samuel Edward Gideon and his fantastical private home that began in the 1890s as a farm cistern, turned into a sales office for the Pemberton neighborhood in the 1920s, then was transformed into a castle by UT architecture professor Gideon during the 1930s and '40s.

Central Texas: Take a grand tour of Lyndon B. Johnson's historic offices

Five castles elsewhere in Texas

Some Texas castles are located on private land far away from preying eyes. I picked five that normally can be reached easily by the public. (Falkenstein Castle is temporarily closed.)

• Bishop's Palace (1402 Broadway, Galveston): At 19,082 square feet, this definitely is a palace. Built between 1887 and 1893 for the Gresham family, the mansion survived the 1900 hurricane. The Catholic Diocese of Galveston purchased it in 1923 as a residence for the bishop. Tours of the museum go back to 1963, which is around the time I first gawked at its Victorian interiors. The Galveston Historical Foundation now gives self-guided tours daily.
• Castle Avalon (10900 Texas 46, New Braunfels): Used as an events center, especially for weddings, this castle is named for an island from the King Arthur myths. I've never been there, but it looks pretty romantic in images.
• Falkenstein Castle (7400 Park Road 4 South, Burnet) Currently not open for public tours or drive-up traffic, this is one of several extravagant Hill Country castles. It was modeled after drawings by scene designer Christian Jank for Ludwig II, who also commissioned the famous Neuschwanstein Castle.
• Lambermont Estate (950 E. Grayson St, San Antonio) Yet another events venue, this castle was built in 1894 as the residence of Edwin Holland Terrell and his family. Terrell had served as American ambassador to Belgium during the 1890s and he commissioned architect Alfred Giles — who added the castle elements to Chateau Bellevue in Austin — to design his home in the Belgian mode.
• Newman's Castle (Off Old Highway 36) Mike Newman dreamt up this castle and bakery near Bellville. The castle handles parties, weddings, wine tastings and other special occasions. It is open for tours six days a week with advance reservations.

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Chip and Joanna Gaines to Sell Waco Castle They Renovated at Auction

The Magnolia founders documented the overhaul of the 100-year-old Texas landmark on 'Fixer Upper: Welcome Home - The Castle'

Erin Clack is a Staff Editor for PEOPLE. She has been writing about fashion, parenting and pop culture for more than 15 years.

Chip and Joanna Gaines are officially letting go of one of their biggest projects ever.

Next month, the Magnolia founders will auction off the 100-year-old Waco, Texas, castle they renovated on their 2022 spin-off show Fixer Upper: Welcome Home - The Castle . Bidding on the historic property — which the Gaineses purchased in 2019 for an undisclosed amount — opens July 20 and ends July 27, according to the Wall Street Journal .

The couple said in a statement that they hope the sale will make the local landmark, known as  Cottonland Castle , “a well-loved home once again.” As for the price? That remains to be determined. But the auction is "no reserve," meaning there's no predetermined minimum bid.

“The castle is historic and it also has been redesigned and renovated, and so the value of the property is very difficult to define,” explained Laura Brady of Concierge Auctions, which is partnering with the Gainses' own Magnolia Realty on the sale. “It’s going to be worth what the highest bidder is willing to bid.”

The 6,000-square-foot castle sits on nearly 1.6 acres and features four bedrooms, plus a library, a conservatory, a card room and a tower, per WSJ .

Over the past three years, Chip, 48, and Joanna, 45, transformed the old castle from a state of severe disrepair into a showpiece blending historic details such as intricate millwork and diamond-paned windows with luxurious updates, such as Honduran mahogany paneling, Caen stone and Carrara marble.

Lisa Petrole

In an exclusive first look at Fixer Upper: The Castle ahead of the show's premiere last October, the pair expressed their excitement about tackling such a unique project.

"This castle is one of the most impressive properties in the entire Waco, Central Texas area and I've wanted it for two decades now," Chip said at the time. "The plan for the castle is to bring this beautiful property back to its original state."

They also shared the challenges they encountered as they worked on the structure. For one, the project turned out to be much bigger than they originally thought. "We're keeping all the paneling, we've got to fix this plasterwork," Joanna explained as the camera panned to a crumbling ceiling.

The couple's main focus was to make the castle feel accurate to the original time period it was built. "Getting the same exact stone from 100 years ago has been a challenge," Joanna admitted. And materials aren't the only hurdle. After encountering a water leak, Chip joked, "I would say this is more like zero steps forward, 12 steps back."

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As the project progressed, however, the couple's confidence grew. "When we bought this place it was a figment of our imagination," Chip noted in the clip. "But this house is coming together."

Now that the keys to the castle will soon be handed over to the new owners, Chip and Joanna are diving into their next big project .

In April, the pair announced a new show on Magnolia Network,  Fixer Upper: The Hotel,  which will premiere in November 2023. The six-episode series will follow the Gaineses as they renovate a historic building in downtown Waco, built in 1928.

To honor the history of the nearly 100-year-old building, their new project will be called Hotel 1928. Since the boutique property is located right by their shopping and dining destination, Magnolia Market at the Silos, it will give fans a chance to book lodging that's been decked out by  Chip  and  Joanna during their visit to the tourist hotspot.

According to a release, the hotel will consist of four floors and feature 33 guest rooms, along with a restaurant, a rooftop terrace, an event space and a ballroom.

"Y'all, we're going to have a hotel in downtown Waco, Texas!" Chip said in a trailer for the show.

"When you think about a 50,000 square-foot hotel remodel — I mean this is the big leagues," he added. "This is what you dream about."

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Why Chip and Joanna Gaines Decided Not to Sell the 'Fixer Upper' Castle

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We all followed along in 2022 as Chip and Joanna Gaines renovated their iconic and historic castle in their hometown of Waco, Texas, bringing it back to its original glory after years of disrepair. Though now that Fixer Upper: The Castle is no longer on the air, we wonder: what ever happened to the castle and do Chip and Joanna still own the property?

Of course, any fan would be lucky to own a property redesigned by the farmhouse king and queen, but a 6,000 square castle, complete with a tower and conservatory, is no small undertaking for an ordinary homeowner. Owning and renovating the castle was a dream 20 years in the making for Chip Gaines , so he's not likely to let it go to just anyone.

Chip and Joanna Put the Castle Up For Auction

However in June 2023, they decided it was time to put their labor of love up for auction.

"In 2019 — after 20 years of dreaming about the chance to renovate this castle — Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines finally did," a statement on Concierge Auctions' Facebook page read. "They aired the whole process on Magnolia Network last summer, then opened it up for guests to tour. Now, they’re ready for someone new to write the next chapter in this historic home’s story."

The listing process was unconventional, but it was difficult to estimate the exact value of the property, hence they would have to let a pool of bidders decide. "The castle is historic and it also has been redesigned and renovated, and so the value of the property is very difficult to define. It’s going to be worth what the highest bidder is willing to bid," Laura Brady of Concierge Auctions said in a statement. The castle did receive an offer, but Chip, Joanna, and the potential buyer eventually decided not to go through with the sale.

The Gaineses Decided Not to Sell

In July 2023, Chip and Joanna announced that they planned to keep the castle for at least 6 more months. "Magnolia is pleased to share that the Historic Waco Castle is staying in the Magnolia family,” a statement from Magnolia read. “A prospective buyer and Magnolia mutually agreed not to close, and the unique property will not be sold at this time. This decision is made with much enthusiasm and anticipation as the beloved Castle’s story continues with Magnolia.” As of today, nearly a year later, Chip and Joanna Gaines still own the castle.

While the Gaines family owns the property, it remains vacant, so they offer guided tours to fans. Fans can buy tickets to tour the castle, complete with all the design elements and furnishing featured in the show. Tickets to the small group tours of Cottonland Castle cost $50 per person, and must be purchased in advance, with 20 percent of net profits benefitting local nonprofits in Waco. Fans can also purchase select furnishing and decor seen in the castle from the Castle Tour section of Magnolia.com . Eventually, the Gaineses still plan to sell the castle to someone who wants to live in it, but for now it's still in the Magnolia family.

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