"There was a soda shop, where the kids could get ice cream and milkshakes. Then, obviously, a bar and restaurant where we frequented to let the kids run around and play and look out over the hill country."
That's Dallas Miller, speaking to the Hays Free Press in August. He was explaining why he and Sarah Miller bid on Oakwood Public Market after it announced it was closing. He wasn't describing a children's venue. He was describing an adult venue where kids happen to fit, and the same idea runs through what's new around Dripping Springs this fall. A market, a distillery and a set of indoor courts have each opened, reopened or set an opening date in 2026, and each was planned so that a parent and a kid can spend the afternoon in the same place.
Oakwood Public Market Came Back as a Family Plan
Oakwood's first run was short. It opened last September with a coffee shop, a patio bar, a soda shop, a pizza restaurant, a food market and retail shopping. Community Impact reported in late June that it would close July 3, citing staffing constraints, leadership turnover and rising costs.
The Millers had lived in Dripping Springs for three years and visited Oakwood often. They won the bid and signed a 10-year lease that keeps the building, the name and the concept. According to the Hays Free Press, they want it to serve as a one-stop shop for families, and their biggest addition is an arcade. Community Impact confirmed the reopening in September, with the existing concepts back and the arcade added.
The building at 2500 Beverly Drive now has a coffee shop, a soda shop, a bar and restaurant, a bodega and an arcade. The arcade has Pac-Man, claw machines, basketball and racing games, all tap-to-play. The restaurant menu covers American, traditional Italian and Southwest Tex-Mex food. The Hays Free Press reported that chef Charles Dowd, whose past kitchens include North Italia, Haymaker and Black Sheep Lodge, is leading the menu.
Hours vary by concept. Here's what Oakwood's site lists right now:
| Concept | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee shop | Mon–Fri | 6:45 a.m.–2 p.m. |
| Coffee shop | Sat–Sun | 8 a.m.–2 p.m. |
| Bodega | Daily | 10 a.m.–8:30 p.m. |
| Arcade | Daily | 10 a.m.–close |
| Soda shop and bar/restaurant | Mon–Wed | 11 a.m.–9 p.m. |
| Soda shop and bar/restaurant | Thu–Sun | 11 a.m.–10 p.m. |
Since this is a live listing, give them a call before you plan a visit around it. The Millers have also described an adults-only option for later on. Dallas Miller told the Hays Free Press they plan to keep the coffee shop open late on Friday and Saturday nights as a 21-and-up supper club with craft cocktails and draft beer, aimed at couples looking for a date night. As of now that's a stated plan, not a posted schedule.
Driftwood's New Distillery Includes the Kids
About the time Oakwood was changing hands, the Driftwood tasting-room scene was losing a well-known name. Community Impact reported in June that the Desert Door Texas Sotol distillery at 211 Darden Hill Road closed in late April. It noted that the business hadn't issued a statement and that it was unclear whether it would reopen.
The area's newest distillery is planned around families. Briggs Distilling Co., at 121 Brownson Lane in Driftwood, set its grand opening for Oct. 17. Community Impact quoted Vice President of Marketing Bailey Briggs from the company's news release: "Briggs Distilling was born from family and built for families."
That line is backed up by the plans. Briggs is opening with a children's area, a kids' menu and kid-friendly events. It serves mocktails and coffee alongside its spirits, so a full table can order. The Briggs FAQ also lists a permanent food truck that serves during open hours, plus an outdoor play area for kids.
For the adults, master distiller Colton Weinstein makes three spirits:
- Straight Rye Whiskey, with spice and herbal notes
- Heritage Reserve Bourbon, medium-bodied with caramel and leather notes
- Wheated Bourbon, sweeter with fruit notes
The hours suit families, too. Briggs lists Wednesday and Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Saturday and Sunday midday openings make a lunchtime visit with kids easy. Like Oakwood's hours, these are a live listing, so it's worth checking the Briggs site before you drive out.
Fitzhugh Road Is Adding Indoor Courts
On Fitzhugh Road, the family-focused openings aren't about food or drinks. They're about indoor court time, which was hard to find around here before this year.
Drew Rose, founder and CEO of Dripping Springs Sports Club, opened the Warehouse at 15113 Fitzhugh Road this spring with volleyball courts, basketball courts and a weight room. It's a few miles from the club's Flex facility, which opened last fall. A second building, Warehouse II, is next door at Building 400. It was scheduled to open Oct. 19 with one more basketball court and two more volleyball courts.
Rose told Community Impact that the first building gave Dripping Springs "indoor court space it didn't have." He also said, "DS Elite Volleyball now has 20 teams training here, and we're gaining real traction with our camps and birthday parties." Birthday parties are part of the same trend. Venues are being built to handle a whole family's weekend plans, not only one activity.
The club has a bigger project planned as well. Its flagship facility will sit at the front of the Headwaters subdivision, at the corner of Hwy. 290 and Canyonwood Drive, and will include a wellness and recovery center, a cafe and childcare. According to the company, construction starts in 2027 and the facility opens at the end of 2028.
A short drive up the same road, Beerburg Beer Garden opened a new outdoor space at 13476 Fitzhugh Road on May 28. It has native landscaping and is open weekends from 2 to 8 p.m. If one parent has a kid at volleyball practice on a Saturday afternoon, the courts and the beer garden are now on the same stretch of Fitzhugh Road.
The Library Is Part of It Too
The public library has been adding family programming as well. On April 23, the Dripping Springs Community Library launched the Library on Wheels, a mobile library with STEM labs, story times, cultural programs, books and technology. Its first programming focuses on Dripping Springs and its extraterritorial jurisdiction. Anyone who lives, works or attends school in Hays County can get a free library card.
The library's main fall event for families is coming up soon. Here are the next family dates on the local calendar:
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 30, 3–5 p.m. | Trunk or Treat | Dripping Springs Community Library, outside rear parking lot | All ages; Spider-Man storytime at 3:30 p.m., Moana storytime at 4:15 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | 'Tis the Season Holiday Market | 12919 Nutty Brown Road | Listed by Destination Dripping Springs |
You can find full details for the trunk-or-treat on the library's event page and for the market on Destination Dripping Springs.
Planning One Weekend Around All of It
These places are spread far enough apart that it helps to plan by area. Oakwood, on Beverly Drive, opens earliest; its coffee shop starts at 8 a.m. on weekends, and the arcade opens at 10. The Fitzhugh Road courts and Beerburg are on one route. Briggs is the furthest drive, out in Driftwood, and its Sunday hours end at 7 p.m. That makes it a good choice for an early dinner with the kids while it's still light out.
Taken together, a family could spend a Saturday this fall at a reopened market with an arcade, an indoor court built partly for birthday parties, and a distillery with a play area. Those three options didn't exist in this combination a year ago.
If your weekends keep taking you out Fitzhugh Road or down to Driftwood and you've started thinking about which part of Dripping Springs would put you closest to the places your family uses most, Brian & Marianne Schaffer would be glad to talk it through, starting with how your family actually spends its weekends. Contact Us when you're ready.
