Homestead Heritage

Everything they do here is top-​notch.
October 2014, I attended a workshop through the Ploughshare Institute, the teaching arm of the organization, held here. Loved every aspect.
Went back yesterday and a staff member remembered me from over a year ago!
Food at the café is consistently great. Shops are filled with friendly folks, although not everything in the markets are produced onsite so read labels or ask if you are unsure.

As a place to visit, 5 stars all the way. This group of people have decided to live low tech. Located on 500 acres, they have a farm to grow food and all sorts of workshops where they build things they use and sell. Start with a café that is open to the public, the food is absolutely wonderful. There is a pottery shop, woodworking shop, blacksmith forge, a water powered grist mill, and a textile shop. All the shops give classes to the public to learn these skills. Lastly, there is a gift shop where all the products are for sell. The grounds are beautiful and the people very nice. When in the area, I definitely recommend a visit.

Wow! This place is a must experience. The quality of food and craftsmanship is unmatched. The people seem extremely pleasant and meticulous. I saw nothing that wasn’t the best of the best quality. Great place for lunch and to buy special handmade gifts. Beautiful grounds as well. Can’t eat to take a tour.

For people wanting a taste of the simple life, I encourage you to visit. This is what a successful community looks like if you are interested in or leaning towards community based living. Even for those who are interested but dont really want to put all that much effort into the work it actually takes to build a good community, you’re welcome as well. The three day fair/​festival offers fun music, mostly a gospel/​raggamuffin/​bluegrass mix. There are carriage wagon rides, a hay maze for kids, activities and chances for kids to help build boats, tool kits etc. great homemade food and ice cream is served all day as well. Interesting look at how we lived in the past and how many choose to live today. The water mill is only one of two operable mills in Texas. They do accept cash, no bartering for goods here. You will need money for many of the hands on activities. Enjoy, wear yourself out, teach your kids how to roll up their sleeves and enjoy work.

Hands down, my favorite place to eat besides home. You know the food is clean and natural, the staff is friendly and the whole place is peaceful.

Homestead Heritage is a great place. I went to college and law school at Baylor, and homestead heritage was a great destination to take out of town visitors.
The restaurant is great and for what you get, an excellent value. Order the sweet potato jalapeño soup and thank me later. They sell flour that I’ve been using for years and which is a huge improvement over anything you are going to get locally.
In addition to the food items, Homestead Heritage has a great woodworking shop that will do custom projects. We ordered a box and it came out perfectly. They also offer lessons, though I have not tried them.
The best comparison here is to visiting some kind of Amish community with less German. They host a sorghum festival that is really excellent– great ice cream. They’re a little more open that your typical Amish, not that I’ve had negative experiences with either group. I cannot speak to their religious beliefs, but I have never felt a cultish vibe.

This visit, while short, exceeded our expectations. Everything about the «open to the public» property speaks of care and dedication. Every individual we spoke to we friendly, knowledgeable and happy to discuss anything and everything. The crafts are all great, though most out of my price range. We bought a few food items from the gristmill store after receiving a generous sample.

I can’t emphasize what a unique place this is and how everyone should visit it. The beautiful pottery, wood work, weaving, etc is mesmerizing. You feel like you were taken back in time. This is a community that is self sufficient and you can see it. Everyone here is very friendly and kind too. I bought some delicious wild Texan honey here. They have a gift shop where you can purchase some of their unique hand made items. When you are here you must go to their café and try their peach ice tea. It doesn’t cost anything to visit and is open all year long.

Homestead Heritage is our local supplier for organic flours and meals.
We also enjoy their restaurant. There are always a couple of vegetarian choices, and the meats are grass fed and raised naturally.
HH makes quite a variety of cheeses and breads, too.

This is a really nice mini-​road trip if you’d like to get out of the city on a beautiful day. Homestead Heritage is what the title implies, a 510-​acre homesteading community that opens itself to the public.
There is a restaurant featuring meals made from locally made meats, breads, cheeses etc. I was there for breakfast and had Cinnamon French Toast made from fresh baked bread and real butter! Also in the restaurant is a bakery featuring pastries and various breads (I purchased an Apricot Scone) and a handmade cheese section with samples.
In the historic 200 year old barn is a gift shop featuring a all sorts of hand crafted items from furniture to quilts to candles to children’s toys and many many more items. I purchased some Texas Wildflower Honey and Pear Butter.
Next is the Potter’s House housing tons of pretty items all created in-​house. Plus a selection of discounted items that were perhaps slightly chipped or irregular in way but still truly well made and beautiful. My mom bought some items but kept them secret for future gifts.
There’s also a wood shop were classes are offered… no power tools allowed! Same with the Blacksmithing Forge.
Also there is a Gristmill run by a water wheel that produces whole wheat flour, corn meal and hand-​mixed baking mixes for sale. I purchased the Ginger Spice Cookie mix.
Lastly is the Fiber Crafts building which is across from the Herb Garden. Here yarn and other textiles are created by hand and spun on large looms. We got to see a young lady working and it was pretty awesome.
To travel from building to building you walk on pebble walkways through blooming trees and flowers and babbling brooks. Every so often a horse and carriage will travel by to add to the charm. All the people who live and work here are very nice and welcoming. The whole experience was relaxing and very enjoyable.
Please visit the website for better descriptions and more info. Take the back roads to and from for a more scenic drive. Some poor quality pictures to come.