Our Summer Texas Hill Country Road Trip

One place we frequent often and always enjoy is the Texas Hill Country. Greg’s parents live in Dripping Springs, and it is a fun place to take the kids. Not only do we get to have fun family time, but there is so much to do.

Dripping Springs is a little over 3 hours from Houston, so it’s a quick road trip! This time we invited some of our closest friends to meet us out there for a fun weekend, and it was a blast! If you’ve never been out to Dripping Springs before, it’s a must. There’s plenty for the kids to do, and there’s an abundance of wineries, distilleries, and breweries for the adults!

Prepping for our Texas Hill Country Road Trip

My family loves snacks, so we always make sure to stock up before the trip and get enough to last us there and back. We want to avoid stopping as much as we can on our trip, so we hit up Kroger before we leave. It also is more affordable than stopping at gas stations!

I love to grab salty snacks, sweet snacks, and fruit as I also don’t need to worry about bringing a cooler along with us. Kroger has a fantastic selection of snacks and organic options at affordable prices.

Of course, you need to gas up, too! We also filled up the gas tank at Kroger, because they have some really great savings (you can get double fuel points on weekends)! Download the digital coupon just one time, then earn double fuel points when you shop on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through July 29th! Some exclusions apply. See website for fuel program terms. and conditions.

Bellies and gas tank full? Check!

Road Trip Snack Ideas for Kids

When I’m packing up the snacks for the kids, I like to divide them out into preportioned “bento boxes,” if you will. This is good for not only your sanity, but it helps them not overeat. I tell them that this is what they get for the trip, and not to finish it too fast. Works pretty well!

 

Some of my favorite road trip snack ideas for kids (from Kroger, of course!) are:

• Applesauce pouches
• Simple Truth Organic Cheese Squares
• Simple Truth Organic Animal Crackers
• Clementines
• Blueberries

I use some cupcake liners to divide out the fruit and place everything into a to-go container with preportioned sections. Don’t forget to pick up a pack of baby or wet wipes. They’re super handy for in the car.

Happy campers!

Things to do in the Texas Hill Country around Dripping Springs

I love that there’s always so much to do when we visit Greg’s parents. Here are are some of our favorite things to do when we’re around Dripping Springs.

Salt Lick BBQ

The Salt Lick is an iconic BBQ restaurant in Driftwood, only 15 minutes away from my in-laws’ house. We always request to go there because it’s some of our favorite BBQ ever.

It’s BYOB, and super family-friendly. They usually have live music outside, and there’s even a playground for the kids. Definitely worth checking out!

Blue Hole Regional Park in Wimberley, TX

Blue Hole Regional Park in Wimberley has an awesome swimming hole that everyone can enjoy. It’s spring-fed, so the temperature is very cool and the water is crystal clear. There are plenty of shallow parts for the little ones, but there are also deeper places to swim… and fun swings out into the water!

You have to make a reservation to be able to swim, so it’s never overly crowded. We got there around 9:15 in the morning and it was perfect. There’s also plenty of shade (even over the swimming area) so no need to worry about being in direct sunlight in the dead heat of summer. Highly recommend for all ages! The little kids, teenagers, and adults we saw seemed to really enjoy it.

Driftwood Estate Winery

Dripping Springs has an abundance of wineries, but my favorite grounds and views are at Driftwood Estate Winery. You definitely feel like you’re somewhere special, almost like you’re in Napa. There’s rolling hills and vineyards up and down the hill.

Our other favorite wineries are Hawk’s Shadow (by appointment only), and Duchman Family Winery. I’d say that Duchman has our favorite wine, and Driftwood Estates has the best views and grounds.

Family Business Beer Company

Family Business Beer Company is a brand new brewery owned by one of the actors on Supernatural, Jensen Ackles. My friend Katie requested we go here, and it did not disappoint at all! It has a really cool vibe, lots of places to sit under trees, and even a play ground for the kids.

Jep from Duck Dynasty has a food truck there called Jep’s Southern Roots. Jep himself was in the truck making food! It was awesome.

Deep Eddy Vodka Distillery Tasting Room

The Deep Eddy Vodka Distillery Tasting Room is a great place to grab a cocktail. You can do a flight of vodkas, but the cocktail menu is super impressive and everyone will enjoy.

I’m a huge Moscow Mule fan, and ordered the Ruby Mule. It’s essentially the same, except they make it with grapefruit vodka. I loved it!

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Our weekend getaway was so fun for everyone. I’m so glad we got to spend time with our family and friends and do so many fun things!