There’s An Underground Cheese Cave In Waco And You Can Visit It
It’s no longer surprising to discover cool things to do and places to eat in Waco. In the past few years, Waco has experienced a boom in tourism and amazing restaurants. What is surprising, though, is to find a hidden treasure that’s been here for nearly 3 decades…and that’s why I was SO shocked to find out that there’s an underground cheese cave in Waco! And yes, it’s totally FREE and open to the public. You can literally just drive up to this cheese cave and walk underground to go look at it.
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 Exactly Is A “Cheese Cave” Anyway?
The cheese cave in Waco is essentially a giant hole that was dug 18-feet underground as a way to naturally age cheeses in a climate-controlled environment. The cave is insulated, which helps the cheesemakers to keep the humidity and temperature just right for the cheese. This particular cheese cave is 6,000 square feet and can hold 2,000 wheels of cheese.
The cheese cave in Waco is located at Homestead Heritage, which is an agrarian and craft-based Christian community homestead.
By the way: there are lots of things to do and see at Homestead Heritage, including dining at their incredible restaurant, shopping at the general store, visiting the craft shops which sell baskets, quilts, fiber arts, pottery, leather, and more, and even staying overnight at their inn.
But if you want to visit the underground cheese cave, you’ll need to go to the onsite cheese store, which is called Brazos Valley Cheese. It’s an award-winning creamery that was created in 1999.
The Science Behind The Cheese Cave In Waco
News flash: Waco is HOT. And so it’s remarkably hard to make really good hard cheeses in Texas, because cheese needs a consistent climate to age properly.
Brazos Valley Cheese realized that if they want to make REMARKABLE cheese in Texas, they’ll need to create a climate-controlled environment. So…they dug 18 feet underground!
The cheese cave is buried deep in the earth where the temperature is naturally a lot cooler, year-round. They created thick walls and a sturdy door to make sure that the humidity and temperature don’t vary, even when the weather up on the surface of the earth is going crazy. (As we all know it does in the Waco winters and summers!)
Can I Go Inside The Cheese Cave?
The opening to the cave is wide open and anyone is welcome to walk down there! You’ll see a sign that says “CHEESE CAVE” and you simply walk in the door and go down the stairs.
When you get to the bottom of the stairs, you’ll see a giant window where you can look into the cave and see the cheese aging. If you’re lucky, you’ll be there when the cheesemakers are in there. They go in regularly to check on the cheese, hosing down the walls to make sure that the humidity is perfect.
But no, visitors can’t literally walk into the cheese cave and touch the cheese. They have to keep the climate perfect, so having a door open/close all day long would ruin the cheese.
If you want to go into the cheese cave and get up-close-and-personal with the cheese, you can book one of the cheese classes at Homestead Heritage. They offer a hard cheese class, soft cheese class, and advanced cheese class. All of these classes cost about $200, and offer a full-day of instruction on their cheesemaking process. And if you are a class attendee, you’ll be taken into the cheese cave.
What Types Of Cheese Do They Age Down There?
The sharper and “funkier” the cheese, the longer it has to age. So, they age cheeses differently based on the desired end result:
Parmesan wheels: 2-3 years (you want to age these cheeses a very long time!)
Sharp cheddar cheese: 18 months (which still seems like a VERY long time for cheddar cheese, but that’s why it tastes so good)
Mild cheddar, Havarti, and gouda: about 2 months
Best Time To Visit The Cheese Cave
Any time of year is great! Start by visiting Brazos Valley Cheese shop, located at Homestead Heritage. It’s a cool place to stop by, shop around, and purchase some cheese to bring home.
Then you can step outside and go to the cheese cave, which is adjacent to Brazos Valley Cheese shop. Walk down the steps and you’ll be able to see the exact cheese that they’re about to be selling in their cheese shop.
Looking for more cool things to see in Waco?
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