The visit to The Homestead Craft Village was truly amazing! Lots of wonderful little stores & shops! Every Staff member we encountered showed exceptional kindness! I will be eagerly looking forward to coming back when me & my wife return to Waco. read more

I try to visit the Fiber Craft shop as often as possible. I love to go and weave on the Swedish drawloom. The ladies who run the shop are absolutely fantastic to work with - even when I keep them late because I'm not quite done..... If you've ever wanted to try weaving, I highly recommend going during one of their open loom days. read more

Food quality is very good, the food tasted very fresh. Normaly prices for this type of restaurant, maybe slighter more but also organic. Service is fine, a little slow but also busy. Reason 4 stars is because some of the food didn't come out as hot. American food and southwestern style as well for selection. read more

Homestead Heritage - Fritters - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Waco, Texas

I would recommend driving out to the Waco, TX area and visiting Homestead Heritage at least once in your lifetime, if you are able to. Do you want the experience of a blast from the past? Then this is the place. There are exhibits and working shops of different tradespeople and their crafts, i.e., quilting, woodworking, leather, soap, cheese, etc. We came on a Saturday when they have an open market at the "Barn" (a big barn where all share their crafts and finished work for sale). It was a delightful experience. All provide friendly service and attention to detail. There is no cost to visit, but you may find their wares pricey. But you need to know that everything is handmade by experts in their craft. Their Homestead Heritage Cafe serves great coffee and is a delightful place to spend some time sipping a cup of coffee or tea. The Homestead Heritage Restaurant is worth the visit (make a reservation though as it fills up). read more

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Not our first experience, but first time in rebuilt cafe since the fire. Excellent way to spend a Saturday. read more

Homestead Heritage - Cornbread fritters. Excellent! - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Waco, Texas

A unique place to visit. Lots of little stores, spread about the property. Some of the things are definitely overpriced but it's a community trying to make money like everyone else. Each store is fun to browse around, the cafe is very good, lots of picture taking places, the people are all very nice. We had a great time walking around. read more

What an amazing community! The stores are so awesome. Teresa who owns/works in the craft barn has an amazing story to tell. Ask her about it. We had a wonderful lunch at The Cafe on site. The dessert tray is the bomb also! The staff are the kindest sweetest gals. Don't visit Waco without visiting this. You will be impressed. read more

Loved visiting this community. Everything was beautiful and well taken care of. The stores had interesting collections and beautiful hand crafts for sale. The weaving studio and woodworking shop were particularly beautiful and inspiring. The craftsmanship here is outstanding. I highly recommend a visit here if you appreciate old world crafts and artisans of any kind. The general store had lots of interesting and useful things for sale from kids toys and candles to water kefir culture, and beef tallow. On Saturdays they have a market with a petting zoo, pony rides and trail rides. You can take classes here to learn weaving or how to make you our own furniture. Everyone was very kind and gracious. It felt very peaceful on this property. read more

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We had a short staycation near our home in Waco. We chose an Airbnb that we thought looked quaint with beautiful scenery. It turns out to be on the heritage Homestead. We had a wonderful time. The area is peaceful and serene. Everyone that works there and lives. There were super helpful and inviting. The Airbnb had amazing views and was a great opportunity for relaxation. We ate at the waffle house there on site and appreciated the staff kindness as well as the fresh waffles toppings and options. I enjoyed a latte at the coffee house and again it was made to perfection. We also visited the cheese house and while staff was inviting, allowed us to try samples, and it was beautifully appointed, we were disappointed that they were out of many of the selections so we didn't get to purchase anything this time. We visited the general store and supermarket and both were fun experience. We've marked down the dates on our calendar for their Christmas event and plan on visiting during that time. read more

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Definitely not a cult. They want your money more than they want your soul. The cafe is good though would recommend the burger. Everything's prices were pretty steep for the item but hey, the place is cool and historic feeling. Bring money! read more

Great day outing. Lovely grounds to walk around, fantastic shots, delicious restaurants, and coffee shop delightful service.

Highly recommend this for a day full of fun activities and good food. Be sure to come on a Saturday and check out the indoor farmers market!

This is a must stop for us anytime we are in Waco! we will love walking through all the different artisans buildings and seeing their wares. The restaurant on the property is also excellent as well as the coffee shop. We absolutely love the cheese market as well as the grounds. They are beautiful. read more

Loved the spinach dip! Everything was delicious! Our server was so nice and helpful! Would definitely return read more

Homestead Heritage - Spinach dip So yum ate it up - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Waco, Texas

The whole Homestead facility was beautiful. This was our second visit, and more buildings were open, but the friendly staff and experience were as expected. The food was awesome. Homemade ranch! They need to bottle this! read more

Homestead Heritage - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Waco, Texas

I love this area, it's so cute ! It was such a pleasant stop with different themed buildings : weaving, gristmill, pottery, blacksmithing, woodwork, etc. It was like being on a educational field trip. They even have a highly rated restaurant on site - Cafe Homestead. You can easily spend over an hour or two here to explore each of the buildings and watch the demonstrations. You can also buy all the handmade goods made on site at the respective buildings or in the craft village building. read more

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Since my review is 8 years old, it's time to update. We've been here multiple times, but this is our first time during the fair. It's amazing! There are thousands of people here! In addition to the craft village, which is year round, the fair brings SO much more. The farm is 500 acres, so there's lots of room. There are hayrides and trail rides. The petting zoo was so cute! There is a huge craft tent for the kids where they can build all sorts of things. About 10 or 12 different food vendors. We enjoyed the Red Wagon BBQ! The craft pavilion shows off all the different things they make, and all are for sale. They do an old fashioned barn raising that you can participate in. The brand new Heritage Center is the location for the pie contest! In the afternoon, the kids choir is accompanied by the orchestra, and at night the adult choir is accompanied by the orchestra. Incredible entertainment! There are 19 different seminars you can attend. There's rope making, sheep shearing, sheep herding, broom making, cow milking, and the historical building tour. It's definitely a full day of entertainment. If you might be interested, check Homesteadfair.com. It's 3 weekends. You'll love it! read more

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If you're going to Waco and not going to Homestead Heritage then you're doing it wrong! This place is a whole event. Food was amazing, coffee is delicious, chocolate had unique amazing flavors and plenty to walk around and do- especially on a Saturday with the Market! read more

We enjoyed our time here. The main restaurant was open and airy and the service was just fine. The food options were more limited than I expected and missed items evoking a home cooked style that went with the theme of the location. That is, menu was too standard restaurant fair. The shops were enjoyable to tour and we picked up a few things. All in all it's worth the visit but I doubt we'll return. read more

Great day with family. Good service and walk around the property were all so enjoyable.

We came here again on the weekend to check out the café and walk around the homestead. After reading a Google review about the long wait, my friend made a reservation for us to come for lunch. We enjoyed the food; everything was fresh, along with the tea. Afterwards, we walked around the homestead, and it was quite relaxing, but we left early because of the outdoor heat. Nonetheless, we love coming here and look forward to the chocolate store that will be opening in the near future. read more

We were looking for activities to do around Waco, Texas and read about this place. It's a small community that lives life simply, sustainably, and cooperatively. It is based around Christian principles. It was very interesting to walk around the community and visit the various shops they have. Most interesting to us was the mill. A worker there told us all about it and gave us a demonstration of how it works. Everyone who was working in the other shops and the restaurant were all friendly and helpful in answering our questions. It was a fun way to read more

Homestead Heritage - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Waco, Texas

Such a fabulous back to basics place. Lots of young families and older couples and everything in between. So much to see and so many options. Loved the pottery shop. Young man was painting cups for the fabulous Rise soufflé in Dallas. The mill was so awesome inside and loved watching the stone work after over 150 years. Great products for sale there. So much for kids to do there old school, like stepping back in time in the best way. The restaurant was our last stop and it was fabulous. We were hit and tired so we ate light. Chicken salad sandwich for hubby and homemade pimento cheese with crackers for me. Soooo fresh. But, we did opt to take key lime pie and blackberry cobbler with us for later. Great decision. Everything was so fresh, plentiful and flavorful. So worth the heat! read more

The food was amazing. Be sure to make a reservation or you may have to wait awhile. Even if you do have to wait there are great little shops you see and the grounds are beautiful. Service was excellent. I had the chicken fried steak and it was tender. Best I have ever had. read more

Homestead Heritage - Chicken fried steak - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Waco, Texas

We visited as part of a group and knew next to nothing about the location in advance, other than it was place to "learn about handicrafts and see demonstrations". It is indeed that. Within about five minutes of stepping foot on the property, however, I promptly turned to the group organizer and asked "okay, who owns this place?" because I was getting some interesting vibes. Some indications that this is not a nonprofit, museum, or other historical place. The women, many of which looked like young teenage girls, working in the various stations were dressed in homemade, modest clothing with long, braided hair. At first you think perhaps this is period dress, but the men are walking around in blue jeans and current clothes. No one braids that well just as a "work uniform". We toured around a half dozen buildings, each one dedicated to a specific "craft": baskets, fibers, grist mill, blacksmith, pottery, cheese making, etc. Each one did have some information on history or background as well as at least one worker creating a product and willing to discuss and demonstrate their work. But the VAST majority of the spaces was dedicated to the finished products for sale, and to say they are pricey is an understatement. A large basket was priced at $450, when asked how long such a basket would take the worker, she answered 3 hours. So the workers are expecting $150 per hour for their goods? That's expensive. I don't know many executives that bring home that amount, it's equivalent to almost 300,000 per year. Another example was a soft, but very small and very thin blanket for $125. A scarf for $150, etc. The personnel were nice and inviting, but I was put off by how much of each space is designated for goods for sale versus learning. There is no admission fee, so I guess any amount over zero is "fair" technically. I did not like that the prices were unapproachable, because at the end of the day if there's not much learning and not much to afford, there's not much sense in going? My kids enjoyed it, and that's what earns it 2 stars. Another star for having friendly, well informed staff. Loss of two for price and commercialization, and for not being particularly forward that this is a commercially designed property for the sole purpose of generating income for a religious group that lives communally onsite. Not that that would have changed my mind, but I honestly thought we were going to a museum or historical center. Lastly, in one of the craft houses a worker looked over our group of moms and children and asked "and how many families are these children from?". Call me suspicious, but I *think* she just politely asked if we were sister wives. read more

I went here with my two best friends, we had a BLAST. Loved the entire complex. We went to all the shops. The products are legit, as far as a young adult can tell. They make their own stuff in small batches and are very willing to talk to you about it. Furniture is really great from what I can tell but it will definitely cost you. The food is excellent, especially the cheese. I'm lactose intolerant and ate a metric F ton of their low pasteurized milk, cheese, and ice cream. I'm talking more than I've ever consumed in a day. I should have been totaled at that point, but alas - not one single complication. All their dairy products were fantastic and I'd do it again Some woman in the cheese shop was so nice to me, warms my heart. Omg, there was this one super nice man in the cheese shop who explained literally everything to us: aquaponics, cheese aging, the inn that traveled from New York to Waco...just the nicest guy (Jason). 10/10 STRONGLY recommend read more

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Wow. I'm so glad a friend tipped me off to this place before a recent trip down to Waco! Hubby and I ate the restaurant on site and it was so yummy! Just a really great, fresh meal. Then we walked around and got to check out the blacksmith shop (hubby was super interested in that), the bakery (my parents owned one when I was a kid, so I liked that), the pottery studio, and the gift shop. I was really impressed with the whole experience - this type of lifestyle is intriguing to me and I loved getting a glimpse into it! read more

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Love love loved our time at Homestead Heritage. We found it by accident but now fully plan on going back every chance we get. Brazos Valley Cheese and Cafe Homestead were our favorite attractions. There are plenty of shops to explore full of handmade goods. The community at Homestead Heritage believe in self sustained living and you can tell that they do everything with excellence. It was such a cool experience and a nice escape from reality. Bring your walking shoes and take some time to have some of the best food of your life and explore the self sustained community of Homestead Heritage. read more

Bottom Line: A highly recommended attraction to see in the Waco area. For families with kids, the action of the craftspeople working & the chance to make something themselves, should grab their attention. Top Line: This is a very, very interesting & educational "village" that is part reenactment of period craft skills, part retail venue, part school where you can sign up to take classes, and part extremely soft sell propoganda device for the organization that built and runs the site now. As others have noted, everyone you interact with at the site is hyper friendly & engaging. It's like Texas cordiality on steroids. It is so incredibly pleasant to talk with the folks there & get the story of their skill history, the background of the group, where the buildings came from (many were relocated to the site), and any other questions you may come up with. The craft demonstrations are set up & overseen very well. The shops where the demos are done & wares are sold are super clean. Some can get crowded due to space limitations or visitor overload, so keep your courtesy handy. The signage around the property is well done. The site maps do a pretty good job of keeping yourself oriented. But any of the on-site folks will gladly & politely help you get where you want to go, if you get confused. read more

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We had a great time and enjoyed the restaurant. We were lucky enough to catch the kid/youth choirs preparing for their Christmas concert. They were awesome. read more

Amazing experience for our family. We spent 3 hours walking through the entire complex. We just loved the back to our roots wonderful history. Well done y'all. read more

The Homestead Heritage provides a unique glimpse into the life of small town living. And when I say small town, I mean SMALL! This is actually smaller than a town, but the functionality resembles that of such. My family and I decided to visit this community while we were out in Waco. The community has two restaurants on site, a general store, a market, green room, cheese factory, gift shop, workshop classes, barnyard, and lots more! They offer horse rides on a haystacked carriage that will allow you an intimate tour of the premises. Workshop classes of all trades are offered near the gift shop. We didn't get a chance to view the entire community, but we were able to get a real feel of how the society functions and lives. This part of town is very secluded and rural, something that this city girl isn't used to! We spent most of our time in the gift shop called "The Barn". Here, you will find everything from jams to bath salts to hand made quilts and baskets! The shop offers many unique handmade items from which the community directly profits. Not gonna lie though; this stuff is expensive! But being that so many items are handmade, it makes total sense. I really enjoyed all of the handmade soaps, lotions, and bath salts. My family went crazy in here buying all kinds of handmade trinkets! If you are visiting the area, I would highly recommend stopping by. read more

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Love this place. Great setup and the staff is all amazing. Love walking around to the various shops. Definitely can spend a few hours here with the family. read more

It's really a nice peaceful place. I enjoyed the experience. Only down side is that most things are overpriced.

Hubby and I plan some of our dates around the alphabet. I chose this place because I was planning around "W", and we were in Waco. I read about this place and knew they had Working horses, Wheat grinding, Water-Wheel, Woodworking, and Weaving. I planned for us to have 2 hours here and worried that was too much time. Let me tell you, I was wrong. This place was so interesting and so much fun. It's a Working village with several Workshops to explore. The craftsmen and craftswoman were so friendly and helpful. They offer courses in the Woodworking shop that last several days. The Weaving, blacksmith, Wreath shops offer make your own activities that you can do on the same day for a fee. Hubby and I both said we would come back for this. We did not have enough time here. The grounds were beautiful with shaded paths and beautiful wildflowers blooming throughout. Lastly, we ate at their cafe. Everything was fresh and delicious. Definitely worth a visit if you are in Waco. read more

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This really is one of Waco's treasure villages. Wonderful gifts that are homemade and very unusual. You can buy soaps and bath crystals, kitchenware, high-end quilts, handmade furniture rockers chairs tables, candles and preserves. There are shops which you can see hand looming, quilt making, pottery, Woodworking, blacksmithing. The non-GMO homegrown fresh grains at the Grist Mill tastes and is more healthy. And they now have added a coffee bar there to sit and hang out and watch the grain be ground. They have a wonderful health food grocery store, nearby they have a coffee shop and a cheese store with cellar below ground with cheese rounds. They also have festivals with hayride seven exhibition barn raising and animal and farm food growing And an old time general store. They also have a Christmas concert and a barbecue place for the weekend nights. It was my daughter's favorite place to go in all of Waco. We spent three hours they're just looking around. The people are nice and helpful! This place is truly a treasure. They had a fire this year that destroyed their restaurant. It had wonderful food and service and was beautifully constructed with wood logs and stone fireplaces. They have said they will rebuild and I pray that it will be soon! A great breakfast and lunch and dinner place. read more

Did takeout here a few weeks ago. Second time to be here. People are very friendly and the food is exceptional.

Food is extremely fresh - you can tell it's homemade with care. The quesadilla burger is incredible, sweet potato fries are awesome. Ketchup is really unique! read more

This is a hidden gem. The walk through this little craft village is stunning. At every corner you'll find beautiful little buildings housing different crafts like pottery and woodworking. You'll also be impressed by their flower gardens and views. read more

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What a unique and wonderful experience! Watching the skilled craftsmen and women forging, steel, creating textiles, making pottery, milling wheat, and woodworking was amazing. The food and service in the café was also excellent! read more