- Distance
- About 25 miles west
- Drive to Dripping Springs
- 35 minutes on US-290
- Drive to Driftwood
- 40–45 minutes via FM-1826
- Leave Austin by
- 11:00 am
- Home by
- 6:00 pm
The two ways out
US-290 west through Oak Hill takes you straight to Dripping Springs town and the wineries north and west of it. FM-1826 southwest out of South Austin takes you to Driftwood, The Salt Lick, and Duchman more directly. Which you take depends on which cluster you are starting with, and it is worth deciding before you leave rather than following whatever the app suggests.
Itinerary 1: the wine and BBQ day
- Total
- About 7 hours
- Route
- FM-1826 southwest
- 111:00 — Leave Austin southwest.
- 211:45 — First tasting at Duchman Family Winery. Vermentino, then the Aglianico.
- 31:00 — Ten minutes to The Salt Lick.
- 41:15 — A long family-style lunch. Bring your own beer if the policy still allows.
- 53:00 — Second tasting at Fall Creek Driftwood. Order the Tempranillo.
- 64:30 — Third tasting at Driftwood Estate for the hillside and the light.
- 76:00 — Home.
Itinerary 2: the variety day
- Total
- About 7 hours
- Route
- US-290 west, then south
- 111:00 — Leave Austin west.
- 211:45 — First tasting at Bell Springs or Solaro.
- 31:15 — Jester King for wood-fired pizza and a farmhouse ale. Two hours; there are goats.
- 43:15 — Duchman Family Winery in Driftwood.
- 54:45 — Desert Door Distillery for sotol, which will not taste like anything else in the day.
- 66:00 — Home.
Austin Wine Car
The closest wine country, driven for you
Three Dripping Springs and Driftwood wineries, plus an optional stop at The Salt Lick. Door-to-door from Austin.
Not ready to book?
Itinerary 3: the water day
- Total
- About 8 hours
- Season
- May through September
- 18:30 — Leave Austin for Hamilton Pool, with a timed reservation booked weeks ahead.
- 29:30 — Two hours at the pool, or at Reimers Ranch next door.
- 312:00 — Drive east toward Dripping Springs.
- 412:45 — Lunch at Vista Brewing or Homespun.
- 52:30 — Two wineries in the afternoon.
- 65:30 — Home.
Itinerary 4: the half day
- Total
- About 4.5 hours
- Best for
- A Saturday where you still have evening plans
- 112:30 — Leave Austin.
- 21:00 — First tasting at Bell Springs or Solaro.
- 32:30 — Fifteen minutes to Hawk's Shadow.
- 43:00 — Second tasting with the ridge view.
- 54:30 — Home by five, evening intact.
What is out there
- Wineries — Duchman, Fall Creek Driftwood, Driftwood Estate, Bell Springs, Solaro, Hawk's Shadow, Wimberley Valley, Westcave.
- BBQ — The Salt Lick in Driftwood, one of the most famous in Texas.
- Beer — Jester King, Vista Brewing, Twisted X, Last Stand.
- Spirits — Treaty Oak, Desert Door, Deep Eddy.
- Food — Trattoria Lisina, Tillie's at Camp Lucy, Rolling in Thyme & Dough, Mazama Coffee.
- Outdoors — Hamilton Pool, Reimers Ranch, Charro Ranch Park, and Wimberley twenty minutes south.
Practical notes
- The short drive means a late start is survivable — this is the day trip to take when the morning got away from you.
- Book tastings ahead for weekends, and confirm group size if you are more than six. The rooms out here are smaller than Fredericksburg's.
- Hamilton Pool requires a timed reservation and sells out. Book it before anything else if it is part of the plan.
- The Salt Lick has historically been cash-friendly and bring-your-own. Check before you pack a cooler.
- The connector roads between Driftwood and Dripping Springs are narrow, winding, and unlit, with deer at dusk.