Log Cabin Village

DFW Wayfarer

Daytrips exploring North Texas’ diverse, rich heritage and culture.

Log Cabin Village 

2100 Log Cabin Village Lane
Fort Worth, Texas 76109
(817) 392-5881

Village Hours

Tuesday – Friday: 9 am – 4 pm

Saturday & Sunday: 1 pm – 5 pm

Closed Mondays

$3.00 for ages 4-17 and 65 & over
$3.50 for ages 18 & over
Ages 3 & under, free

www.logcabinvillage.org

Greater Fort Worth Herb Society

www.gfwhs.org.

What’s a good recipe for creating history?  Find seven different families from four different North Texas counties.  Obtain a log cabin structure from each of the seven families.  Move them together onto a small plot of land.  Restore the cabins.  Donate to the City of Fort Worth.  Serves: an entire community with our rich North Texas frontier history.

Seven different log cabin structures, ranging from ca 1848-1860, create the focal point of Log Cabin Village.  Original milling equipment from the Smith family of Moline Texas adds an operational water-powered gristmill to the collection.  A one room school house from the City of Worth, built in 1872, augments the village.  A smokehouse from Azle was the latest addition.  The Greater Fort Worth Herb Society maintains a period herb garden consisting of herbs, either native or that the settlers would have brought with them.

Knowledgeable staff and volunteers dress in authentic apparel from the 1840’s – 1890’s.  They depict the lifestyle of 19^th century North Texas.  Each log structure is themed to represent different aspects of this early pioneer life. 

Admission to Log Cabin Village is a bargain in today’s tough economic times.  Admission is $3.50 for adults, $3.00 for children aged 4-17 and free for children 3 and under.  And, it’s close and the trip is good on gas!  Plan to spend some time in the gift shop and museum, housed in the Foster Cabin, a rare surviving Texas plantation home.  The period toys, games and gifts are tempting.  For just a few dollars, I couldn’t resist a few of the small period cookbooks and cornmeal that was available. Group tours and Family Programs are also available.  Check their web page for more information.

Over a hundred years ago these seven 19^th century families were building new lives, battling a fierce western frontier and struggling to survive.  Little did they know that their future paths would cross and their heritage would continue as Log Cabin Village.

I want to live a healtier, greener, more authentic life!

I want to live a healthier, greener, more authentic life.  I really do.  But …  real life seems to intrude on my ultraistic dreams.

I want to eat healthier. I keep thinking I’ll reduce my red meat consumption.  I’ll eat leaner meats; more chicken and fish.  I’ll eat more salads and vegetables.  I’ll cut down on fats, especially trans fats.  I’ll stop the diet sodas.

I read the articles and books.  I agree with what I read.  I know in my brain that eating healthier is better for me. I’ll live longer. I’ll have more energy. I’ll have fewer health problems.  But …

It’s the ‘buts’ that get in the way.  But … it costs more money to buy healthy foods, especially organic. But … it takes more time to cook a healthy dinner instead of picking up quick, cheap, no-nutrient fast food.  But … what it comes down to is that I’m mostly lazy.  It’s easier to fall into the trap of following old habits and routines.  It takes energy to break old habits.  That makes putting healthy eating habits into practice difficult.

I want to live greener.  I keep joking that I’m a closet environmentalist.  I’m not really in the closet about it. I just don’t actively do as much as I’d like to.  I compost.  My coffee grounds, eggshells, vegetable peelings and newspapers enrich my small home garden instead of going to a landfill. I garden organically. I make my own fertilizer and don’t use pesticides. I try to remember my recycle bags. I usually remember them when I’m checking out with a cart full with people in line behind me. Then I remember that they’re in the car, tucked safely behind the seat. There’s a lot more I want to do, now, to just really do it instead of merely thinking about it.

I want to live a more authentic life. I want to be true to myself. I desire the courage to chase my dreams. I need to strengthen my ability to say ‘no.’ I wish to be more optimistic. I want to believe in myself more. But … yes, those dreaded ‘buts’ interfere in so many aspects of my life.

Research says that it takes 21, or 28, or 30, (depending on which research study you look at) for a new thought or routine to become a habit. I start out strong.  Three days …. Five days …. Maybe even seven or ten days!  I seem to drift back to my old behaviors and old thought patterns long before I reach the magic 21 (or 28, or 30) day point.

I don’t think I’m alone in my quest. Some people appear to achieve their goals without any effort or sweat. However, I think that the majority of us battle with at least a few of these dilemmas.

I’m going to fight these ‘buts. Here we go. One step at a time, and soon, some day I’ll be living a healthier, greener, more authentic life!

Lavender Ridge Farms

DFW Wayfarer

Lavender Ridge Farms

2391 County Rd 178
Gainesville, Texas 78240
(940) 665-6938

Farm Hours

Thursday – Sunday: 9 am – 5 pm

Café Hours

Lunch: Friday – Sunday: 11 am – 3 pm

Dinner: Friday – Sunday: 5 pm – 10 pm, by reservation only

www.lavendrridgefarms.com

It’s true!  Texas is ‘God’s Country’.  And heaven lies on a ridge eight miles east of Gainesville.  Tucked away, off a small country road, Lavender Ridge Farms offers a respite from day-to-day life.  The small countryside farm is serene and picturesque.  Surrounded by green rolling hills, the colorful zinnias and bachelor buttons urge visitors to wander and pick. 

Jane Dane, one of the owners of Lavender Ridge Farms, says “Living here and having this as a business is a dream come true.”  The farm offers fresh cut flowers; zinnias and bachelor buttons right now, lavender earlier in the year.  This u-pick garden produces yellow squash, cucumbers, purple hull peas and okra.  This year farming wasn’t favorable for tomatoes.  Visitors receive a basket to fill with produce for only $12.00.  Small baskets of produce are available for sale in the gift shop also.  And, if it’s as hot as it was the day I visited, having the produce picked and ready to go was a welcome surprise.  The fresh picked purple hull peas cooked up beautifully and complemented several dinners.  And what says Texas better than a mess of fresh picked purple hull peas?

Chairs sit out under the large shady oaks in front of the gift shop, tempting visitors to sit and relax, basking in the scenic view of the farm.  Farm visitors might be greeted by Purdy and Dutch, two sweet furry caretakers of the farm.  The fragrances wafting through the gift shop delight the senses.  I threatened that I was going to put a sleeping bag down and not leave that room.  The shop contains an assortment of handmade herbal soaps, dried lavender bundles, lotions and ointments, herbal books, cute country signs, lavender honey, jams and much more.

Dane shared that she dreamed of having a business like this for several years.  After taking her school class to visit an apple orchard in Roanoke, Henrietta Creek Orchard, she became enamored with farm life.  She stated “After meeting ‘Farmer Sue’ that day, I knew that I wanted to be ‘Farmer Jane’.”  Her only frustrations with the farming life were after a two-acre lavender field and a half-acre herb garden were destroyed from the flooding in 2007.

Besides farming and the gift shop, Dane keeps busy with the café on the premises.  Lunch is available Friday through Sunday.  The café menu offers lavender honey chicken salad and rosemary green beans, ham and swiss cheese on a croissant with dilled potato salad, or a salad trio.  The salad trio consists of the lavender honey chicken potato salad, dilled potato salad and a garden salad.  Dinner at the café is available by reservation only.

Farmer, herb gatherer, chef and hostess, Farmer Jane has a full plate.  But the tantalizing aromas that arise from her plate are delightful: fresh Texas soil, aromatic lavender, fragrant flowers and herbs are amidst the peaceful serenity of her newfound country life.  She’s discovered her own little haven in the hustle and bustle of urban life.  Fortunately for us, she’s willing to share it.  For a day to enjoy, take a trip out to Lavender Ridge Farms.  It’s a trip you’ll treasure.

PS.  Be sure to mark your calendars … October 9^th – 11^th , 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., rain or shine …

Lavender Ridge Farm’s Fall Festival offers pumpkins to buy, flowers to cut from their fields, good food, music and great shopping.  Vendors feature everything from antiques, art, handcrafted items and much more.  Saturday there is a horseshoe tournament to benefit a local family.