A Homestead Christmas - Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area Kids Activities Blog

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LLELA is hosting A Homestead Christmas on Saturday, December 12 from noon to 3 pm. My family and I attended last year and had a really good time. It created some family memories for us while stepping back in time at the log cabin in the woods of Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area.

There is no additional fee for this event – admission is the usual $3 per person entry gate fee. Once you are parked, the Homestead is a short “hike” through the woods.

The trails are wide open and great for little ones to run ahead and explore. I have negotiated the area with a stroller in the past with no trouble. The distance to the log cabin homestead is less than 1/2 mile.

If you peek through the trees, you can see the homestead log cabin area which consists of two cabins and a smoke house. The larger cabin is the 1869 Minor-Porter Log Home which was quite large and fancy for it’s time.

LLELA staff and volunteers were there to welcome us with hot spiced cider cooked over the cabin’s fire. There were also other holiday treats that would have been enjoyed during the times of the original homestead. We tried the candied orange rinds…

I really liked them, but the boys decided they preferred candy from the present. They didn’t seem to mind cookies from the late 1800s…

In the smaller cabin which also has a dirt floor, the boys took part in the craft. They made a toy that might have been a Christmas gift in Homestead days – an animated horse. When the paper spins the horse appears to move.

One of the things I find fascinating is how they used to keep bugs off the table. Check out the muli-layer bowls at the bottom of these table legs.

This kept crawling bugs out of the food that was stored on the table. The outer ring was filled with water creating an elaborate insect trap.

A Homestead Christmas at Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area also featured music, additional crafts and wildlife tree trimming. Overall, great fun for 2009 from a 1869 perspective.