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Pioneer Farms
Categories: Local Flavor Education Arts & Entertainment Museums Local Flavor, Education, Museums [Edit]
10621 Pioneer Farms DrAustin, TX 78754
(512) 837-1215
- Hours:
Fri-Sun 10 am - 5 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
12 reviews for Pioneer Farms
12 reviews in English
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Review from Tracy B.
Leander, TX
11/2/2011 8 photos
What a great place.
It is a living Museum. So the people are full of Texas History. The grounds and the building are a great learning facility. Family and Children (They have a summer camp) events are hosted there constantly.
Personally, I went to photograph the place. Because of the History, the is a fantastic place for photo ops. Each time you go, there are different exhibits available, on top of the already furnished buildings.
The have an abundance of animals to photograph as well. The drought has taken its toll on the Farms as well. The river running beside it, is mostly dry, there are pools, full of toads. A some great reflection shots. And allot of bushes and trees have felt the lack of water.
Definitely take bug spray. Little critters seem to always be around. Also be ready to walk. The buildings are spread out, but all of them came from around the Austin area. They are currently receiving carriages from the 1800's for a new long term exhibit.
Do remember, there is nothing fancy about this place. And very family oriented. And a complete volunteer operation. -
Review from alicia k.
Took our family here on a cool Austin Sunday afternoon. The place looks like a deserted ghost town in the early 19th century. It isn't clear that you need to hit the general store when you first arrive to pay and get a map and guide of the property. We discovered this at the end of our excursion.
Once we started venturing out along the trail, I really felt like I was back on the prairie with Laura Ingalls. There are about 7 different historic areas. Each camp or area is a replica of the way of life for the people when Texas was first settled. Learn about the earlier settlers such as Tonkawas and Germans to the cotton plantation homes. The stroll along the path was relaxing and the kids enjoyed learning and imitating pioneer life. The longhorns on the property are super friendly and came up to us. There are also chicken coups, donkeys, rabbits, and other animals.
Some of the drawbacks include only one open restroom on the property.-which can be a challenge for kids. Also, not all of the homes are open so that you can go inside to really experience the era. I was also hoping to see a farm or wildflower fields, but because of our drought, there was very little greenery.
Overall, we can't complain. We spent 4 leisurely hours here. PS. Don't forget to pick up a dozen free range eggs from the chickens on the property. It's quite a bargain $3/doz for chickens that live a completely free range life. -
Review from Hoa N.
1/26/2008
A 1900's demonstration farm replete with smithy, domestic animals, period costumes and restored buildings. Highlights are a tractor pulled hayride and a barn with an old farm wagon you can climb on. My boys also liked the general store, where they sell period toys, calico sun bonnets and sweets like ribbon candy. (They mostly were in it for the candy).
PF is the site for the PBS (award winning) children's show, The Biscuit Brothers. In the show, PF is a "musical farm" and the BB's introduce children to things such as percussion, pitch, instruments, and general musical fun.
We went for the Family Music Day, a fund-raiser to support the farm. It was dry, hot and dusty. The farm is large; a stroller for older toddlers is a good idea though the terrain is quite bumpy-- you'll want to take a stoller that can 4 wheel it.
There are some trees but you really want to bring water! Hot, dusty, like I said--and not much shade.
A hayride took us further into the compound of structures that is PF. The day we went, there were different musical features playing throughout and a variety of decent concessions. We spent one hayride singing along with the BB -- who are fun but not my style of songwriting. They are, however, very sweet and generous to the children who enjoy them
PF offers themed days, including a haunted hayride for Halloween, a turn of the century Christmas, Homeschool Day etc.
A fun and educational outing, if tiring for parents (and no beer!).Listed in: ATX Places to take kids, Outdoors
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Review from Susie G.
12/13/2006
Pioneer Farms is a straaange experience. It is a farm, a working one, that depicts lives it was in the 1800s and offers glimpses into the daily tasks that people had to live through back then. Examples: Butter making, sewing, massive cooking for a ten person family... ect. You do have to pay for the tickets, but the experience is a unique one. There are huge amounts of acres here, a crazy spooky Halloween festival ( bring the kiddos, nothing like haunted stories told in a spooky farm house!)
I , personally, attended camp here for years. Not sure I recommend it. Although the experience of pretending to be a settler in the 1800s was an, umm..enlightening one... They made us dress in full 1800s attire which meant bonnets and long skirts in the sweltering Austin 100 degree heat. Wow. I cant believe I survived many a year of that kind of dress up.
Verdict: Bring the grandparents or the little kids if they are in town for a visit. -
Review from Natalie L.
Austin, TX
6/5/2011
I don't disagree with anyone's descriptions of the property. The buildings were pretty cool.
BUT, it was really hard to see the animals on the property. It was 100 degrees on they day we were there and the donkeys were still wearing their winter coats and had no water and very little feed. The pig had his choice of fluorescent green drinking water or dark brown drinking water. The barn cat ate his last kibble in front of me and had a RAGING ear mite infestation.
Ironically, some of the signs posted about the place refer to how people took good care of their animals back in the 1800s. Not so today.... -
Review from Angela M.
Austin, TX
6/24/2009
First off, it gets hotter than you know what out here so go when it's cool outside. Secondly, it can be quite pricey if you have several kids.
But if "Little House on the Prairie" is a huge hit at your house, then you have to go no matter what. First, stop at the gift shop and buy your daughters a bonnet & apron. They're pretty cheap and make for fun pictures and double as dress-up later on. They have cool hats and stuff if you have boys also.
It's fun to visit in Springtime if they have newborn animals. And I hear that Christmas time at the Farm is magical!
If you Homeschool, they have Homeschool Day about twice a year which is a super bargain. Volunteering there is a great way for kids to get first hand knowledge as well! They get to "live" the part in period clothing while the school kids are touring through watching from the sidelines.Listed in: Kids Can Make a Difference
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Review from Greg G.
Kyle, TX
5/20/2011
I took my family here on a nice Sunday afternoon. My four year old loved it and didn't want to leave even after three hours. It was pretty deserted while we were there, but that just made it all the more peaceful. There was plenty to see including several old houses set up as they would have been in the 19th century, a working blacksmith shop, and some animals including longhorns, donkeys, and chickens. There are two areas with picnic tables to each lunch. The grounds are rather large so there is a good deal of walking involved. It is a good place to bring kids, but there is plenty to keep adults interested as well.
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Review from Peggy K.
Austin, TX
2/5/2008
This is one of those places for which I'd really like to write a good review, but can't. I never visited during its days of grandeur (i.e. back when it was funded by the city). However since losing that funding, it's slowly going down hill.
We went most recently for the Halloween Hayride (Brothers Grimm). There was supposed to be a hayride that visited scenes from various Brothers Grimm tales. And other "activities" for families to participate. The other activities consisted of a card reader and a fishing game set up by the 4-H club. The others activities weren't free and weren't included in the price of admission. There's little or no electricity at the farm (it is supposed to be 1900s, after all), so once it was dark there was really nothing to do, but huddle together and hope to not be hit by the hay wagon. It was also too dark to see any of the scenes along the hayride, and the wagon driver seemed more interested in making the coyotes howl than interacting with guests.
It'd been couple a years since we'd been there, and it has gone downhill. It seems they're at the mercy of which volunteers decide to show up that day. The surrounding neighborhoods/subdivisions are getting closer and closer making it hard to really get the feel of the 1900s.
I do think it's a really good idea, but one that's become poorly executed. I do wish someone would fund it in a way that would allow it to reach it's full potential. -
Review from Lori K.
Austin, TX
10/28/2010
This was our second stop on our museum day tour and we were all glad we stopped here. It is a little north, but worth the drive. You may want to skip it on a hot sunny day(which we did not) because it is a lot of outdoor walking. We started at the general store which is cool. It reminded me of when I was a kid and always bought those candy sticks. Had to get one!
We made our way around the property and viewed a variety of buildings. Some with furnishings, some without. Petted some animals and chased some chickens. We enjoyed the outdoors and the opportunity to explore at our own leisure.
Worth a visit! -
Review from Dan A.
10/21/2010
It's something to do with kids. You may spend 1-2 hours here. Bring water with you. The staff was very friendly and knowledgable. There was a nice mix of animals, buildings, and equipment from the 1800s.
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Review from James S.
Austin, TX
7/23/2011
Pleasantly surprised! Took our kids today - 4 & 20 months. They both had a good time. We'll come back when the weather is cooler. Would be nice if they had a bit more funding to restore more and support more staff for tour or interpretive stuff but they are doing ok. One idea for them is to offer an annual pass. Get your $ earlier to support your restorations
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Review from Kate S.
Austin, TX
5/23/2010
Pioneer Farms is in a beautiful setting and it is very interesting to look at the displays they have set up inside the old buildings and houses, and kids will enjoy seeing the animals on the farm. However, I think much work needs to be done...some of the volunteer staff were informative, telling us about what people would have done at such a house. However, others did not seem to make the distinction between what a group of kids/family might want to hear and a group of history students, and also some volunteers brought their kids and this did not seem to work out so well (kids being rowdy, fighting, etc.). Seems like this place is really in need of more volunteers, so they could actually choose which volunteers would be best for which areas. Many buildings are labeled but some of the more interesting structures are not, which leaves you wondering what they are. Went on a Sunday and there were very few people (volunteers included). It does get terribly hot, so if I'd do it over I would have gone right when they opened (10am). Also Pioneer Farms did not come close to the other "living history" farms I have seen, like the one in Des Moines where the woodworker actually makes wooden kids toys that you can buy. One volunteer told me they are working on improving the place and bringing back the summer camp, so it should be interesting to see if PF improves over the next few years. Price was kind of steep for a family with young children.
