It’s 4 o’clock on a beautiful April afternoon, and we’re trying to decide if we must check out the Cheese Cave at Brazos Valley Cheese after spending a full early afternoon touring Homestead Heritage Community in Waco. It’s a short walk to the cave, which is actually more of a cellar and unfortunately does not have stalactites of cheese hanging from the roof, but still very cool to see where the huge round cheese wheels are aged! Their cheese is made daily, and you can even watch as it’s being made! It’s just one of the really great shops at Homestead Craft Village!
We were in Waco for the day, with my Mother and Father-in-law, who had come to watch my daughter’s tennis tournament. We were eager to show off some of the best stops in Waco, and Homestead Heritage, along with Magnolia Market, were at the top of the list!
Homestead Heritage is a non-denominational Christian Community in Waco. The residents of the community live a simple life, and make hand-made furniture, baskets, cheese and more to sell at their shops, which are open 6 days a week!
We pulled into the General Store and BBQ pit as soon as we arrived, a mistake for me since they were selling baby chicks and my kids naturally begged for the chicks during our entire visit! For once, I was pretty firm and we did leave chick-less!
I’ve eaten at the Homestead Café, but never the BBQ, but I’ve been told it’s really good, and their pit master was trained at Franklin’s in Austin!
The general store sells soaps and candles.
As well as artisan breads, pastas, and sauces.
On Saturdays, there is a horse-drawn wagon that takes you on rides around the farm.
The tour takes you around the village, farm and to a scenic overlook on a bluff overlooking the farm!
The Barn showcases the crafts you can find all around the farm! I love these antler baskets!
They also sell amazing soaps, and even furniture! Since we had a lot of walking to do, they held our packages for us, which we were able to pick up on the way back to our car! Click HERE for more information.
In the Pottery, we were able to watch them making a butter crock and toothpick holders.
My 10-year-old really wants to take a pottery class, and he and his Grandmother made plans to do one together! Click HERE for more information.
My son loved the woodworking building!
They also teach classes on woodworking, even assisting you creating your own piece of furniture!
My son really enjoyed getting to learn how to use different tools during our visit. They were really informative and helpful!
We took the walk on the Scenic Nature Path to the Gristmill.
My daughter found a friend along the way.
I love this little bridge, and this picture of my daughter, her grandmother and the snail.
- No animals were harmed in the making of this blog post.
We had tried to eat at Magnolia Table earlier in the day, only to find a 4 hour line, so we grabbed a burger at Health Camp instead. I have eaten at Café Homestead before, and it’s terrific.
My little motor-head wanted to pose with this classic car.
At the forge, they were in the middle of a class. One of the students came over to tell me about it. He said he was visiting with his wife, and when he saw this, he couldn’t wait to sign up, and did 2 classes back-to-back. Click HERE for more information on any of their classes at the village, or see their online courses. .
I had to have a dinner bell for our East Texas farm! They also sell other items in the little store.
The Gristmill is one of only 2 working gristmills in the state, and the only one that produces flours, meals and mixes for sale.
A water pump keeps water flowing into the wheel to turn the mill.
We had such a fun day!
Homestead Heritage has over 500 acres, and much of it is private homes and farms. While you won’t see their homes during your visit, all the workers are residents, and you’ll see kids running around, too!
The Basket Shop is in an old 1800’s log cabin that has been restored.
Ploughshare shows a completely optional 15-minute video of life at Homestead Heritage.
The herb garden showcases their traditional and hydroponic gardening.
A small petting area has goats, sheep, chickens, turkeys and rabbits.
They had a baby lamb, also.
This is where they begged me for the baby chicks again.
We had a terrific day!
Know Before You Go
They are closed on Sunday
No pets are allowed
Things To Do in Waco
Play
Spice Village is a collection of terrific little boutique shops! Click HERE to read more!
Located in Cameron Park, climb to the top of Jacob’s Ladder for a view of the Brazos River! Click HERE to read more!
The Dr. Pepper Museum has fun history about Texas favorite drink, and kids love the Liquid Laboratory daily Science Shows! Click HERE to read more!
Stay
The Hotel Indigo is our fave! Click HERE to visit their website.
Homestead Heritage
608 Dry Creek Rd,. Waco
Click HERE to visit their website.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
Having Fun in the TEXAS Sun is on PINTEREST! Use it as a quick resource to find activities in different Texas towns! Click HERE!
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