The 18-acre Homestead Craft Village includes a 200-year old barn, the Potter’s House, a woodwork- ing shop, a restored 1760 gristmill, fiber arts, and a herb garden. Demonstrations take place of wood- working, pottery making, cheese making, basket weaving, iron work, and other crafts.
SHOPS
Homestead Craft Village showcases the work of community of craftsmen who have returned, not to the past, but to the enduring values exemplified in handcraftsmanship. True craft requires more than skill: it expresses the craftsmen’s care and concern, their personal investment in everything they do.
Visit the shops of our crafts village, watch our craftsmen work, even attend classes to learn craft skills and, in all this, experience with our craftsmen the joy and fulfillment of returning to craft, the art of work.
The Barn - Filled with hundreds of one-of-a-kind handcrafted items: soaps, hand-turned wooden bowls, tables, rocking chairs, bed frames, hand-quilted quilts, children’s books, how-to books and much, much more, this restored antique barn houses the work of our community’s craftsmen.
Heritage Forge - Here, blacksmiths hammer raw steel into a wide variety of useful and decorative ironwork, including fireplace tool sets, andirons, floor and table lamps, dinner bells, hooks and brackets, pot racks, custom-designed railings and lighting fixtures, beds, end tables and dining tables.
Homestead Fiber Crafts - Step inside the Fiber Crafts shop, housed in a restored 19th century barn and you’ll find weavers, spinners and knitters, both young and old, carrying on the age old tradition of creating cloth and other items for the home and family. In addition, we have a wide variety of supplies and equipment available for purchase, including: looms, yarn, knitting supplies and books.
Cafe Homestead - Partnering with local and organic sources to provide our guests with the highest quality dining experience, Cafe Homestead serves great tasting, sustainable, natural meals.
Pottery Shop - You’ll enjoy watching our potters as they shape vessels of clay on the potter’s wheel in this attractive workshop. At the Potter’s House you’ll find a wide variety of styles, clays and glazes fired in our custom-built wood-fired kiln. Our distinctive line of pottery includes functional household pieces as well as a wide selection of attractive giftware.
Woodworking Shop - Solid wood construction, hand-cut joinery, steam-bent wood, hand-carved details and much more. Our community’s woodworkers carefully employ centuries-old craft skills to produce award-winning custom furniture.
Homestead Gristmill - Freshly ground, organically grown grains–wheat, spelt, oats, corn and more. Watch our millers operate the water-wheel-driven mill to produce fine flour for baking. Purchase fresh flour, cornmeal and mixes for making delicious breads and pastries. The gristmill is housed in the restored historic timber-framed “John Mott Mill.”
Homestead Baskets - Visit the Homestead Baskets shop and gallery, located in a restored log cabin previously used by early settlers. Here you can watch the basket makers weave various types of baskets, ask questions about the trade, and browse their display of finished products.
ADDITIONAL SHOPS
Once you leave our main craft village, just down the road there are several more shops to visit. As you travel down Halbert Lane they are to your right as you approach FM 933.
Homestead Market - We seek to provide shoppers with the finest locally sourced, natural and organic food and products. The market includes an artisan bakery, a custom butcher shop and a natural ice cream kiosk.
Homestead General Store - If you’re setting up a new homestead, adding to your small-scale farm or simply taking steps toward more sustainable living, you’ll find a full line of products, tools, feed, supplies and books at the Homestead General Store.
Brazos Valley Cheese - The award-winning cheeses from Brazos Valley are used in many of the finest restaurants throughout Texas. Visit their facility. See how cheese is made. Enjoy delicious taste samples. Even explore the cheese cave where Brazos valley cheeses are carefully aged.
Red Wagon Barbecue - Enjoy slow smoked, all natural brisket, chicken and sides. Red Wagon barbecue is carefully marinated and expertly grilled. Located next to Homestead Market.
ACTIVITIES
In addition to touring the craft shops, visiting the gift shop at The Barn and having a meal at Cafe Homestead, there are also many activities to enjoy during your visit to the craft village.
Make-Your-Own Activities - Our “make-your-own” activities are small projects for children that they can complete in about 5 to 15 minutes. Cost varies per activity. For information on which activities are available on any given day, please check with individual craft shops.
Hay Rides - On Saturdays, we have horse-drawn hay rides from 10:30 until 3:30. These guided tours typically take around 45 minutes and offers the chance to ask questions and see much of the farm area from the scenic overlook. Family rates are available.
Gardens and Livestock - The Homestead Garden showcases a diverse selection of plants and gardening methods. Walking paths, seating areas, and educational signs all contribute to make for an enjoyable, informative, and inspirational area. The area behind the gardens and greenhouse, also houses a poultry display area that features several different heritage breeds. This area is also currently under development. Future plans include offering milk cow demonstrations, pasturing horses and other livestock and also having a petting pen area available.
Tour Information
There’s a lot to see and do at our traditional craft village. Come out for a self-guided tour or schedule an appointment for a guided tour or a school field trip. We can accommodate groups of all sizes.
Self-Guided Tours
To take a fairly in-depth tour of our craft village, giving yourself plenty of time to browse in each shop and to visit with our craftsmen, you’ll probably want to allow at least several hours.
Group Tours
Each year, many groups of people — from senior citizen groups, church groups and other tour groups — come out to tour our craft village. We are open year round and can customize a tour for your group.
