Home Care In Dripping Springs, TX

Here’s what you should know about Dripping Springs, a small town outside of Austin with scenic views, a quaint historic district, and numerous places to enjoy a refreshing beverage.

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Escaping the Texas heat — or finding ways to make it slightly more tolerable – is crucial during the warmest months of the year. Respite can be found in air conditioning and patio misters throughout the state, but there are a few other ways to stay cool, especially if you head to the town of Dripping Springs.

The self-proclaimed “Gateway to the Hill Country” and “Wedding Capital of Texas,” Dripping Springs is known for its vineyards, breweries, and distilleries, as well as some of the most incredible natural beauty (including a historic swimming hole) in the region. Located less than 30 miles from Austin, it’s convenient for a day trip or a long weekend getaway.

Whether you’re looking for a break from the bustle of the city or you simply want to experience the best of the Lone Star State, Dripping Springs has something for every type of traveler. Along with water-based activities and a variety of drinking establishments, the area offers antique shopping, hiking, glamping, live music, and more. Here’s what to know before visiting one of the best small towns in the Texas Hill Country.

Related: 8 Best Small Towns in Texas

Best Things to Do in Dripping Springs, Texas

A trip to Dripping Springs wouldn’t be complete without making your way to Hamilton Pool Preserve. The emerald green swimming hole is fed by Hamilton Creek, which spills out over the limestone and creates a 50-foot waterfall. You’ll need to plan your swimming trip beforehand, though, as reservations are required, and swimming is only allowed in certain conditions (depending on bacteria levels, recent rainfall, and falling rocks). You can pay by vehicle online, but per-person entrance fees are paid with cash upon arrival.

Hamilton Pool Preserve isn’t the only place to take in the region’s beauty. Other natural wonders can be found at Pedernales Falls State Park and Reimers Ranch Park, both of which are under a half-hour drive away from Dripping Springs. The former grants visitors access to the Pedernales River for swimming, tubing, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing, and there are numerous trails for hiking and mountain biking. Reimers Ranch, with its world-class rock climbing and proximity to the river, is also an adventurer’s paradise. It even has an astronomical observatory where visitors can look up at the starry Texas sky.

Visiting family-owned olive orchard Texas Hill Country Olive Co. should also be on your Dripping Springs itinerary. Along with touring the production facility, guests can participate in guided tastings of the signature extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. There’s an on-site bistro as well as a gourmet shop (where you can purchase your new favorite olive oils), but there’s more shopping in downtown Dripping Springs.

The historic district is where you’ll find Mercer Street and its delightful shops and storefronts that date back to the 1800s; stop in Vintage Soul, Starrs on Mercer, Home Sweet Home, or Panache for antiques and souvenirs. At the west end of Mercer Street, you’ll find the town’s namesake: the real “dripping springs.” The fern-covered limestone ledges that drip water into a stream were once a gathering place for Native Americans as well as a water source for the first Anglo-American settlers.

Be sure to cap off your night with some live music and two-stepping at Mercer Dancehall’s new location in Driftwood, just a short drive from downtown Dripping Springs.

Dripping Springs Hotels

Hospitality reigns supreme in Texas Hill Country, so it should come as no surprise that there are quite a few charming, unique stays in Dripping Springs. If glamping has been on your travel list, Lucky Arrow Retreat has luxury yurts (yes, they have air conditioning) and cabins to rent.

Camp Lucy is both a wedding venue and a resort with high-end in-room amenities and an outdoor pool. Guests can also take part in the on-site programming, including archery, fishing, hiking, alpaca feeding, and yoga. Hill Country Casitas, which overlooks the Pedernales River Valley, has standalone home-away-from-home accommodations dotting its 13 acres.

Where to Eat and Drink in Dripping Springs, Texas

Breweries, distilleries, wineries, and tasting rooms are aplenty in Dripping Springs, so you’ll want to line up a designated driver before heading out for the day. If you aren’t sure which ones to add to your list, start with the Dripping with Taste Trail. For wine, there’s Bell Springs Winery or Graveyard Vineyards. Dripping Springs Distilling offers tours and tastings of their vodka, and Deep Eddy Distillery has a tasting room where you can order various cocktails, a flight of vodka, and barbecue sandwiches.

Bourbon drinkers should look no further than Treaty Oak Distilling, a 28-acre ranch with tours, tastings, and classes where you can learn to cook brisket, make classic cocktails, or create a custom bottle to take home as a souvenir. Twisted X Brewing Company and The Barber Shop are both perfect for craft beer lovers or anyone who appreciates a cold, Texas-brewed IPA, lager, or pilsner.

To soak up all of that alcohol (or fill up beforehand), indulge in a crepe from Crepe Crazy, grab a latte and sweet treats from Mazama Coffee Co, or enjoy a fine dining experience at Camp Lucy’s Tillie’s. For the best barbecue, drive to Salt Lick Barbecue in Driftwood, which has been cooking for guests on open-air barbecue pits since 1967.

Best Time to Visit

Late March to mid-May is the ideal time to visit Dripping Springs. You’ll avoid the hot, muggy weather associated with a Texas summer, but you’ll still get to enjoy the variety of outdoor activities in the area.

Getting to Dripping Springs

Dripping Springs is easily accessible from Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (about a 40-minute drive away). You may be able to get an Uber or Lyft upon arrival, but renting a car is necessary if you want to be able to explore Texas Hill Country to its full extent.

New England seafood restaurant Garbo’s Lobster is opening its third location in Dripping Springs next year. It will be found at 136 Drifting Wind Run (close to the Deep Eddy Vodka tasting room) in early 2024.

The new location of Garbo’s will feature many of the dishes the restaurant is known for, like lobster rolls (both hot with butter and cold with mayonnaise), fish and chips, and oysters. New at this location is an expanded raw bar, including seafood towers, crudos, and oysters and caviar from Island Creek Oyster Co. There’s also the wine program curated by beverage director Josh Loving, who is the co-owner of cocktail bar Small Victory and had previously been the beverage director for fancy steakhouse Jeffrey’s.

Connor’s Creamery, the soft-serve ice cream located next to the North Austin location of Garbo’s, will also open a takeout window in the building. The restaurant seats 150 people and includes two event spaces.

In a press release, owner Heidi Garbo said that Austin was becoming oversaturated with great food and Dripping Springs represents an “underserved market for exceptional cuisine.” This location took over the address that had belonged to French restaurant La Vacher, which opened in August 2020 and closed in January 2023.

Garbo opened Garbo’s as a food truck in 2013. The first Garbo’s restaurant opened in Wells Branch in 2014, but that location closed in 2020 to move to a new location in far North Austin. Garbo’s also took over the former Counter Cafe on Lamar in March.

Update, 2 p.m.: This article has been updated to correct the location of Connor’s Creamery and clarify the new raw bar offerings.

Map data ©2024 Google

Terms

Garbo's

12709 North Mopac Expressway, Austin, Texas 78727 Visit Website

Map data ©2024 Google

Terms

Garbo's Lobster [Dripping Springs]

136 Drifting Wind Run, Dripping Springs, TX 78620 Visit Website

Large parts of Central Texas experienced significant ice accumulation — leading to multiple governmental agencies making disaster declarations — after Winter Storm Mara blew through the Hill Country early this year.

The initial winter storm warning went into effect the morning of Monday, Jan. 30, and lasted through 6 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2. Temperatures dipped just below freezing throughout the three-day span with precipitation in the form of a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain. However, it was the ice accumulation on tree branches and power lines that led to the state of disaster, as noted by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in a statement.

'The State of Texas has provided all assistance requested throughout the severe weather this week, and we continue to ensure that communities across our state have the resources and support they need to recover from the winter weather event,' the statement read.

Abbott issued a disaster declaration for Denton, Hays, Henderson, Milam, Smith, Travis and Williamson counties, all of which experienced significant initial damage. More counties were later added based on damage assessments.

Abbott said the declaration would enable the state to provide assistance to people and communities with property damage and provide additional access to local, state and federal resources. Abbott encouraged residents to report damage, with details and photos if possible, through the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool survey, organized by the Texas Department of Emergency Management and available at damage, tdem.texas.gov. Hays County also issued a disaster declaration regarding the significant damage throughout the county, mobilizing county resources to deal with the dangerous conditions.

“Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra under the advisement of Mike Jones, Emergency Services Director, and Alex Villalobos, Chief of Staff, issued the declaration to prevent threats and maintain the health and safety of the community,” Hays County said in a statement on Friday, Feb. 3.

This declaration activated the Hays County Emergency Management Plan, which is designed to remain in effect until (in this case) winter weather conditions no longer exist, it expires after seven days or it is continued by a resolution of the Hays County Commissioners Court.

The city of Dripping Springs followed suit with its own disaster declaration, issued by Mayor Bill Foulds, Jr. on Sunday, Feb. 5.

According to a statement from the city, “The mayor and the Emergency Management Director have determined that weather-related conditions pose a significant threat of property damage and that there is an imminent threat of injury or loss of property resulting from icy weather conditions, damaged trees and landscaping, power outages, internet outages and other related infrastructure due to the recent ice storm.”

This disaster declaration was added to the agenda for the Dripping Springs City Council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7. At this meeting, the City Council voted to enable emergency spending by the city’s Emergency Management department up to $50,000.

After months of cleanup, President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration in April for 13 Texas counties, freeing federal relief for areas damaged in the crippling ice storms.

Disaster relief was made available for state agencies, local governments and some nonprofits “on a cost-sharing basis” to repair and replace damaged facilities and conduct other emergency work, according to a statement from the White House on April 22.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who had requested a disaster declaration covering 23 counties, thanked Biden for the designation, calling it “a critical first step to helping Texans recover from this severe weather event.”

“Texas will continue to work with our federal partners to support recovery from damage that occurred as a result of this storm,” Abbott said in a statement.

Saturday’s disaster declaration included Travis County, home to the state capital, and nearby counties of Bastrop, Blanco, Burleson, Burnet, Hays, Lee, Milam and Williamson. Henderson County southeast of Dallas, Kendall County south of Fredericksburg and Leon and Robertson counties east of Waco also were included.

Money was also made available for hazard mitigation measures across Texas, the White House said, with additional disaster relief available if Texas requests help and future damage assessments find a need.

Ultimately, the storm in late January and early February left a damaging coat of ice across a broad swath of Texas, cutting power to more than 300,000 customers statewide and hitting the Central Texas region around Austin particularly hard.

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas — Dripping Springs families say they're living a nightmare after the homes they built were pulled out from under them.

It's a problem that became most common over the last two years when the Central Texas housing market was hottest and the price of lumber soared.

CBS Austin looks at what every home buyer needs to know before signing a contract with a builder for new construction.

In 2021, Heather Oktay and her family found the community where they wanted to put down roots-- Dripping Springs. The Esperanza Development is where they chose to build their five-bedroom custom home with builder, Buffington Homes.

"We saw a house that they were offering, and it was everything. I couldn't believe it was so perfect," recalls Oktay.

The family kept tabs on construction, visiting the lot frequently. The kids even started naming the trees in their future yard.

"They had been there several times, so it was already feeling like this is our home. This is where we're going to raise our kids forever," Oktay explains.

However, six months later the Oktays learned their builder, Buffington Homes, had been acquired by another company, LGI-Homes Texas. The family was told their contract was being cancelled, the home was no longer theirs and their earnest money would be refunded.

"Having to tell my kids that we weren't moving to a place that we had promised them, that we had invested in, that they were counting on-- it wasn't just a disappointment to us. It felt like we had let our kids down, too," Oktay says through tears.

She soon learned they weren't the only ones. Another family, the Accettas, who were also building in the Esperanza Community, got the same notice.

"We got an email to be notified. An email that our contract was cancelled just like that," recalls Lynette Accetta. She explains, they'd already re-located their family from Michigan to a Dripping Springs apartment waiting for their new house to be finished.

Dripping Springs families sue homebuilders over cancelled contracts

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"We're owed that. That's our home. That's what moved us here," Accetta says.

The 8-page purchase agreements the Oktays and Accettas signed contained this line, "Seller shall have the right to terminate this Agreement at any time prior to closing."

"Why do builders do this? Well, they do this because it's in their best interest," says Bill Gammon, an Austin real estate attorney. He's not connected to the Oktays or the Accettas cases, but he is very familiar with the problem having several homebuyers contact him about the exact same issue with other builders.

"You're planning to move. You've got everything wound up, kids enrolled in school-- none of that makes any difference. Suddenly the builder says, 'Well, gee, I can make $100,000 more by putting this on the open market as a spec home than allowing these homebuyers to go ahead and close on this transaction. That's what they do," Gammon explains.

Homebuilder contracts often require buyers to waive their right to a jury trial or a class action lawsuit, too. Both clauses were in the Oktay and Accettas contracts.

"Try to negotiate with these folks rather than sign on the dotted line," Gammon says, adding anyone entering a contract with a homebuilder needs to be on the lookout for clauses allowing the builder to walk away but not the buyer.

If you're unsure about your rights as they buyer, have a lawyer take a look at the purchase agreement before you sign it.

"You're taking about, in most cases, a 30-year obligation. Having a little legal advice along the way is a really smart idea," Gammon adds. It's something the Oktays and Accettas tell us they wish they'd done.

"I think it's absolutely scared me to want to build a brand-new home again. I would just be afraid every minute, 'Will we receive a cancelation? Will we receive this?" says Accetta.

Both families are now suing Buffington Homes and LGI-Homes Texas. CBS Austin reached out to the builders' attorneys for comment on this story and have not heard back.

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With a new school year underway, both families have their kids enrolled in Dripping Springs ISD hopeful they can reclaim the homes they built before someone else signs on the dotted line.

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — The City of Dripping Springs has entered an emergency level of water conservation.

The city posted an announcement from Dripping Springs Water Supply Corp., or DSWSC, on Facebook Thursday that said Stage 5 watering restrictions were in place effective immediately. Stage 5 is limited to emergency water use only.

During this level of watering restriction, all non-essential water use and any outdoor irrigation is prohibited, according to DSWSC’s website. Stages 1-4 also remain in place.

DSWSC said on its website that neighboring utilities have experienced high consumption use and left critical storage tanks low.

Dripping Springs is asking residents to reduce their water consumption and only use water for essential purposes.

The city also said that adherence to these guidelines will play a huge roll in replenishing storage tanks.

The rules of Stage 5 watering restrictions are below.

Under threat of penalty for violation, all retail customers are required to reduce nonessential water uses during an emergency. All requirements of Stages 1 through 4 are also in effect during stage 5, with the following modifications and additions:

1. Irrigation of landscaped areas is prohibited.

2. Use of water to wash any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, airplane, or other vehicle is prohibited. This activity is only exempt from these regulations if the health, safety, and welfare of the public are served by washing the vehicle, such as a truck used to collect garbage or used to trasport food and perishables.

3. Use of water from fire hydrants shall be limited to firefighting and activities necessary to maintain public health, safety, and welfare only.

4. No applications for new, additional, expanded, or larger service connections, meters, service lines, pipeline extensions, mains, or water service facilities of any kind shall be allowed or approved.

Additional information about the Dripping Springs Water Supply Drought Contingency and Water Conservation Plan can be found online.