Cheese travel
Cheese in Texas
Texas has no cheese trail, but it has a handful of very good places to visit. Veldhuizen Cheese near Dublin runs farm and cheesemaking tours on Thursdays and Saturdays, and River Whey Creamery outside San Antonio opens its aging caves on the first Sunday of every month. In Dallas, the Mozzarella Company teaches hands-on classes in its downtown factory, and in Austin, Antonelli's Cheese runs guided tastings most nights. November brings two mac and cheese festivals on the same Sunday.
Coming Up
- 14 Nov 2026 Mozzarella Company, Hands-on class, noon to 2pm or 3 to 5pm
- 15 Nov 2026 Austin Mac and Cheese Festival, VIP 11am, general admission noon to 3pm
Factories and Dairies to Visit
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Festivals
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Texas cheesemaking is small and spread out. Most of the state's artisan makers sell through farmers' markets and a few good cheese shops rather than opening their farms, so the places below are the ones that actually welcome visitors.
North Texas
The Mozzarella Company has made cheese by hand on Elm Street in Dallas since 1982 and runs Saturday cheesemaking classes. Southwest of Fort Worth, off US 377, Veldhuizen Cheese is a family farmstead in Dublin making raw milk cheese from its own Jersey and Guernsey cows and a flock of dairy sheep, aged in a cave built into a hill. Denton holds a mac and cheese crawl downtown each November.
Central Texas and the Hill Country
Austin is the best city for tasting. Antonelli's Cheese has a shop in Hyde Park and two tasting rooms, and stocks cheese from Texas makers who do not open to the public, such as Pure Luck in Dripping Springs, CKC Farms in Blanco and Eagle Mountain Farmhouse near Granbury. The Austin Mac and Cheese Festival takes over Star Hill Ranch in Bee Cave each November. Down I-35 near San Antonio, River Whey Creamery in Schertz runs monthly tour and tasting days and cheesemaking classes.
Houston, East and West Texas
Houston Dairymaids, a cheese shop on Airline Drive, gives free tastings every day it is open. Lira Rossa, an Italian-style creamery at the Four E Dairy in Moulton, sells at farmers' markets in Houston on Saturdays and Austin on Sundays. In the Piney Woods, Chulita Hill Farm and Creamery near Nacogdoches has a farm store and goats to visit. Out west, Licon Dairy in San Elizario, near El Paso, has made asadero cheese since the 1950s and runs a shop, restaurant and petting zoo.
When to Go
Spring and autumn are the comfortable seasons; summer heat makes farm visits hard work in the afternoon, and Veldhuizen cancels tours in bad weather. November is the month for festivals: in 2026 the Austin and Denton mac and cheese festivals both fall on Sunday 15 November. River Whey's tour days are on the first Sunday of each month all year, and the Mozzarella Company posts class dates a couple of months ahead.
A Suggested Route
Start in Dallas with a Saturday class at the Mozzarella Company, or come on a weekday to shop. Drive southwest to Dublin for a Veldhuizen tour (Thursday at noon, or Saturday at 10:30am or 1:30pm) and a picnic of their cheese. Continue south to Austin for an evening tasting at Antonelli's, then on to Schertz if your trip includes the first Sunday of the month. Houston and its Saturday markets are a detour east.
Getting Around
You need a car. Dallas Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio airports are the practical gateways. Veldhuizen is on a rural county road; the farm asks you to follow Google Maps rather than Apple Maps.
Other Places to Visit
| Place | Town | What you can do | When | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Dairymaids | Houston | Cheese shop with more than 150 cheeses and a strong Texas range; free tasting of five cheeses every day | Tue to Sat 10am to 4pm, Fri to 5pm | houstondairymaids.com |
| Chulita Hill Farm and Creamery | Nacogdoches | Farm store with goat cheese and pantry goods, goats to meet, farm-to-table dinners; guided farm tours restart in February | Tue to Sat 9am to 4pm | chulitahillfarm.com |
| Licon Dairy | San Elizario | Family dairy shop selling asadero, requeson and chile con queso, with a restaurant, duck pond and petting zoo | Daily 6am to 5pm | licondairy.com |
| Lira Rossa | Houston and Austin markets | Fresh mozzarella, ricotta and raw milk Latteria from a creamery at the Four E Dairy in Moulton | Saturdays in Houston, Sundays in Austin | lirarossa.com |
| Downtown Denton Mac and Cheese Fest | Denton | Walking tasting of more than 25 mac and cheeses at four downtown venues, raising money for school lunches | Sun 15 Nov 2026, 11:30am to 2:30pm; $25, VIP $75 | Eventbrite |
Where to Stay in Texas
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Questions People Ask
Can you tour a cheese factory in Texas?
Yes. Veldhuizen Cheese in Dublin runs cheesemaking tours on Thursdays at noon and farm tours on Saturdays, River Whey Creamery in Schertz opens on the first Sunday of each month, and the Mozzarella Company in Dallas teaches hands-on classes in its factory.
Is there a Texas cheese trail?
No official one. The places that take visitors are spread across the state, so plan a road trip from Dallas through Dublin to Austin and San Antonio.
When are the Texas mac and cheese festivals?
Both fall in November. In 2026 the Austin Mac and Cheese Festival at Star Hill Ranch in Bee Cave and the Downtown Denton Mac and Cheese Fest are on Sunday 15 November.
Where can I taste Texas cheese without visiting a farm?
At Antonelli's Cheese in Austin and Houston Dairymaids in Houston, which both stock cheese from small Texas makers and give samples at the counter.