Move Over Magnolia: Homestead Heritage Is The Hottest Place to Shop, Eat, and Stay in Waco

We’ve all heard of Magnolia Market, and there’s a good chance it was you original gateway to Waco. Because except for those of us who grew up in Texas, the town of Waco wasn’t even a blip in your mind until Fixer Upper premiered on HGTV. (Thanks, Chip and Jo!) 

However, if you’re planning to visit Waco and spend the majority of your time at Magnolia Market, I want to strongly recommend another really cool Waco spot: Homestead Heritage. 

Gristmill at Homestead Heritage
Kelsey Kennedy headshot-4

About me: I’m Kelsey, a bestselling travel book author and the creator of 3 Texas travel websites. As a native Texan, I spend my own time and money exploring this state to help millions of readers find the best food, things to do, places to stay in Austin and beyond. Check out my other sites: TheSanAntonioThings.com and TheAustinThings.com! 

What The Heck Is This Homestead Heritage?

Homestead Heritage is an “agrarian and craft-based intentional Christian community.” So yes: this is literally a homestead. As in, making their own bread from their own flour which they mill on their own water-powered mill. (Yep!) Living in homes made by their own hands and sleeping under quilts that they sew. Eating cheese made from the milk of cows and goats that they raise. Etc. 

Goods for sale at Homestead Heritage

It’s a pretty radical concept in this modern day! The entire community is made up of a few family homesteads. They work on the 550-acre farm, raise animals and crops, and produce as much of their own food as possible.

And you can visit this place! It’s about 15 minutes north of downtown Waco.

Quilt Barn at Homestead Heritage

>> It's worth noting that this isn't a "historic village" where actors dress up in costumes like they're in Little House on the Prairie. This is actually where this community lives and works! This is their way of life, and it's not just a show. However, visitors are welcome to come by, shop, and learn. <<

Things To Do At Homestead Heritage

It would be quicker to tell you what you can’t do at Homestead Heritage, but there  are four basic categories we can start with: 

Cafe Homestead Cobbler

Eating at Homestead Heritage. There’s a lot of fun places to eat here! In addition to the main restaurant at Homestead Heritage, which is called Café Homestead, there’s a breakfast and lunch spot called Waco Waffle, a fabulous coffee shop, a bakery, a cheese shop, and a chocolate shop. There’s also a BBQ restaurant that’s only open on Saturdays. 

Leather shop at Homestead Heritage

Shopping at Homestead Heritage. You could easily spend an entire day shopping here! Every shop is full of handmade, one-of-a-kind items that are made right here at the homestead. The craft village is full of multiple shops that sell items like pottery, leather goods, fiber arts, baskets, and wooden furniture. There’s a massive quilt barn that not only sells beautiful quilts, but it also has fabric, sewing and quilting goods, and pre-made kits so you can make your own quilts and clothes. 

Chocolate Suites in Waco

Staying at Homestead Heritage. There are two places to stay if you want to make your visit to Homestead Heritage an overnight stay: Mohawk Valley Inn, or The Chocolate Suites. {Photo credit: Chocolate Suites}

quilt making at Homestead Heritage

Events at Homestead Heritage. Ever wanted to learn how to make your own cheese? Bread baking? Orchard growing? Raising poultry? Pottery? There are about a dozen different in-person classes you can take. Most classes are one day, but a few of them are three day events. Book them in advance because there are only a few offered per year. (Psst: How about an animal husbandry class? Yep, it’s offered!) 

If You Love Magnolia Market, Here’s Why You’ll Love Homestead Craft Village

You can go shopping for truly unique items. Sorry Magnolia Market, but you’re full of bulk-made homegoods now. I mean, odds are that you fell in love with the idea of Magnolia Market because of Jo’s ability to source cool, vintage items. Watching her walk into an antique shop and find some treasure is so inspiring! But the truth is, everything at Magnolia Market these days is made in bulk, and it’s the same stuff you can find at Target stores. Womp womp…

If you love one-of-a-kind items, go check out Homestead Craft Village! It’s full of stuff that is LITERALLY handmade and completely original. (Meaning you’ll be the only person in the world who has that exact item!) The craftsmanship of these items is so phenomenal. These aren't crappy crafts that look like they’re homemade…they look completely professional. 

Quilts at Homestead Heritage

The food at Homestead Heritage is phenomenal. I’ve shared this before, but Cafe Homestead is truly one of the very best restaurants in Waco right now. (With one small caveat, which I mention here.) If you love eating locally (like, the chickens were raised right here on the farm!) then you’ll love Cafe Homestead. In addition to that fabulous restaurant, you can dine at Waco Waffle, get coffee and pastries at Heritage Coffee, visit the mill for some homemade baked goods, and even go to the chocolate shop for some phenomenal dark chocolate.

There are so many great things to eat here, and they’re all made on-site. It’s such an interesting place, which is why I’m kind of obsessed with it. Haha. 

Mohawk Valley Inn

It’s a beautiful place to stay overnight. Yes, there are some cute Airbnb's near the Silos, and Magnolia Market is in the heart of downtown Waco which is pretty rad. But if you’re looking for a more secluded, quiet stay in Waco, check out Mohawk Valley Inn (pictured above.)

Or book the the Chocolate Suites! They’re these beautiful farmhouse suites that are built above the chocolate factory. You get a gorgeous private space (some of the suites have copper tubs!), a lot of outdoor rooms, and in the morning you can just walk downstairs and get coffee at Heritage Coffee Shop. Oh, and you’re walking distance to Cafe Homestead. 

A List Of All The Shops At Homestead Heritage

Homestead General Store
chicks at Homestead General Store

Homestead General Store: this is a homesteading store… basically if Home Depot only sold stuff to help you live off your own land. There are lots of farming and gardening supplies, tools, seeds…and you might even see some live chicks in the store! 

Homestead market

Homestead Market: think “Whole Foods Market” but most of the food is made on site! Yes, you can still purchase things like national brands of healthy salad dressings, orange juice, and such. But the majority of the produce is grown on site, poultry that was raised on site, and specialty foods like nut butters, spices, and herbs that were all made right here. This grocery store has a lot of fun stuff to discover. 

Quilt Barn at Homestead Heritage

The Quilt Barn: in addition to completed quilts, they have kits so you can make your own fabric to purchase, quilting and sewing materials, and more. (I love the little doll dresses!) This is also where they have quilting classes, so about 50% of the quilt barn is dedicated to sewing machines and production space. 

Waco Waffle: The waffle restaurant, which is open for breakfast and lunch (and dinner on the weekends)

Cheese Cave in Waco

Brazos Valley Cheese: an award-winning creamery where they’ve been making cheese since 1999. You can even visit the cheese cave, which is 18 feet underground! 

Cafe Homestead in Waco

Café Homestead: restaurant serving Tex Mex-inspired food with fresh, local ingredients like pasture-raised beef, cheese from the local cheese shop, and bread that was made on site. 

Craft Barn at Homestead Heritage

The Craft Barn: this is my favorite store at the craft village! It’s a hodgepodge of items that are made onsite, like greeting cards, candles, beautiful cutlery, and so much more. If you’re looking for a cool gift idea, you’ll probably find it here. 

Heritage Forge: blacksmithing! This is where they make things like beds and chandeliers. 

The Potter's House: If you’re looking for a few new items for your kitchen, this is some of the most beautiful pottery you’ll ever see. A single coffee cup would make a beautiful gift for a friend, or you can purchase entire sets to use every day for your family.

leather shops at Homestead Heritage

Leather shop: from simple wallets to elaborate duffel bags and toiletry cases, there are so many gorgeous things in the leather shop. One of my favorites isn’t leather at all…it’s the leather-scented candle. Yum. 

Woodworking: The best part about the woodworking shop is if you happen to stop by while they’re actually working on something. They make a lot of custom, commissioned furniture here, and it’s stunning. 

Basketmaking: Who even knew baskets could be this pretty? 

Gristmill at Homestead Heritage

The Gristmill: there are only two functioning mills in the state of Texas, and this is the only one that produces food for retail. Yes, it’s literally a water-powered mill and you can see it working in the middle  of the store, and then walk to the register and purchase a scone made from the flour that was ground in the mill. Very cool! You can also purchase flour and grains to bring home for your own baking needs.

weaving and spinning at Homestead Heritage

Heritage Fiber Crafts: weaving, knitting, and spinning are happening here all the time, and it results in some gorgeous blankets, towels, and fabrics. 

Visiting Homestead Heritage Is A Step Back In Time

I think the reason that I love Homestead Heritage so much is that it’s an incredibly unique (gosh I’ve overused that word on this post!) place to visit. When you drive into this homestead site, you feel like you’re stepping back to the 1800s. There are some “museum”-type places you can visit that might show historical cabins and ideas of what life looked like back then, but it’s pretty rare to find a place that’s welcoming to the public and ready and willing to share their life with others. 

It’s certainly not a lifestyle that I would like to live, but I love to peek into it and see what it’s all about. And it’s such a gift to be able to purchase the amazing homemade bread, cheese, chocolate, poultry, produce, and crafts that they’ve been working for decades to perfect. 

Homestead Heritage-36

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