"Briggs Distilling was born from family and built for families," Vice President of Marketing Bailey Briggs said in a news release when the distillery announced its opening, as Community Impact reported. That family focus matters more than usual this year. Briggs opened at 121 Brownson Lane on October 17, and it has events planned for the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. Vista Brewing on RM 150 has family events of its own that Saturday and Sunday.
Taken together, November 27 through 29 is the busiest three-day stretch on Driftwood's 2026 holiday calendar. The Texas Hill Country Wineries passport is also running that weekend. Here's what's on the schedule and when you'll have to pick one thing over another.
Briggs makes three whiskeys on site: Straight Rye Whiskey, Heritage Reserve Bourbon and Wheated Bourbon. Community Impact described the rye as spicy and herbal, the Heritage Reserve as medium-bodied with caramel and leather notes, and the wheated bourbon as the sweeter, fruitier one. Master distiller Colton Weinstein leads production. The bar also serves cocktails, mocktails and coffee. According to MySA's opening coverage, whiskey flights start at $15.
Briggs has a large outdoor kids' play area and nonalcoholic drinks for children. Food comes from A.T. Eatz Burger Joint, a permanent food truck on site. Its kids' "Little Meals" menu lists burger sliders with a side for $13, a corn dog with a side for $10 and a grilled cheese with a side for $9.
The hours are worth knowing before you plan anything. Per the distillery's FAQ page, Briggs is open:
Thanksgiving weekend falls on the days with the longest hours. The Briggs events on Friday and Saturday each fill the 11-to-10 window, and Sunday's earlier close fits around a daytime event at Vista.
Here's the long weekend in one place, drawn from the Briggs events page and Vista Brewing's event listings at 13551 Ranch to Market Road 150.
| Day | Venue | Event | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Briggs Distilling Co. | UT vs. A&M Game Day, live music from Gigi Worth and Reece Wade | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. | See Briggs listing |
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Briggs Distilling Co. | Small Business Saturday, Microbus Band from 5 to 8 p.m., Wimberley Shaved Ice on site | Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. | $2 off first cocktail with a same-day local receipt |
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Vista Brewing | Movie Under the Stars: Elf | 5 p.m. dinner, 6 p.m. trivia, 6:30 p.m. film | Free with RSVP |
| Sunday, Nov. 29 | Vista Brewing | Santa and mini goats with Goat Shenanigans | See Vista listing | Ticketed through Goat Shenanigans |
Briggs calls Friday an alternative to Black Friday crowds. Gigi Worth plays from 1 to 4 p.m., Reece Wade follows from 4 to 6:30 p.m., and then the UT vs. A&M game goes up on the outdoor stage. Friday is a Briggs-only day on this calendar, and it suits people who want to watch the game somewhere other than their living room.
Saturday has the most going on, and it's the one day the two venues overlap in the evening.
The Briggs Small Business Saturday deal links the distillery to the rest of the local economy. Bring a receipt from any local business you shopped at that Saturday and you get $2 off your first cocktail. That gives you a reason to shop in Wimberley, Dripping Springs or along FM 150 in the morning and end up on Brownson Lane in the afternoon. Wimberley Shaved Ice will be at Briggs selling snow cones, which helps if you have kids along.
The conflict comes at 5 p.m. That's when the Microbus Band starts its 5-to-8 set at Briggs, and it's also when Vista opens dinner, s'mores and hot chocolate before its free outdoor showing of Elf. Elf trivia starts at 6 p.m., and the movie plays on the Beer Garden stage at 6:30. Vista says popcorn, s'mores and hot chocolate are available from 5 p.m. until they run out, so arriving early pays off. Entry is free, but Vista asks for an RSVP through Eventbrite on its event page. The screening also depends on the weather.
If you want to fit both into one Saturday, here's one way to order it:
Both events are listed as family-friendly. Vista also says its screening is dog-friendly and good for groups.
On Sunday, November 29, Vista hosts Santa and mini goats with Goat Shenanigans. Tickets go through Goat Shenanigans, and Vista's food and drinks are bought separately. Briggs is open until 7 p.m. on Sundays, so a morning at Vista and an afternoon flight on Brownson Lane can fit into the same day.
The Christmas Wine Affair from Texas Hill Country Wineries runs November 23 through December 18, which covers the whole holiday weekend. A passport costs $65 per person or $100 per couple. It includes tastings and 10% off purchases of three or more bottles. Driftwood Estate Winery and Bell Springs Winery are among the participating wineries. If you're hosting family that weekend, the couple's passport can also cover visitors who'd rather taste wine than watch football.
Driftwood's holiday season starts before Thanksgiving. Vista's Driftwood Fall Festival ran October 1 through November 1, with weekend entry at $15. On Thursday, November 19, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., the brewery hosts a Fall Pairing Dinner featuring Rebecca Caroline sparkling wine. It's a multi-course beer pairing that opens with a welcome glass of Texas sparkling wine, and tickets are sold through Vista's event page.
After the holiday weekend, Vista brings Santa and the goats back on Sunday, December 13, and the wine passport runs until December 18.
Two more projects could add to this list. The old Driftwood Store site at 14999 FM 150 is being rebuilt as an $8.5 million restaurant and bar. According to its Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing, the scope includes a 1,550-square-foot bar, an 850-square-foot staff and storage building, and a 4,400-square-foot restaurant addition to the original store. The filing listed a projected completion date of October 15, 2026. That date has passed. In mid-October, LocalEats.news reported the site was still under construction, with no opening date set.
Pop's Place is the other one, at 8801 FM 3237 next to Hays City Store at the FM 150 and FM 3237 corner. LocalEats.news described the plan as an indoor-outdoor bar and hangout with three permanent food truck pads, picnic tables, TVs, a dog park, a kids' play area, disc golf and live music. Its state filing describes an 1,800-square-foot renovation with a May 15, 2026 target. According to a mid-October LocalEats.news update, that target slipped, the renovation was still underway, and no firm reopening date had been set.
The Pop's Place plan has a lot in common with what Briggs just opened: a kids' play area, live music and food from a truck. If both projects open, families in Driftwood will have more weekend options than they did when this year started.
If the new spots along FM 150 have you thinking about what Driftwood's growth means for the property you own or the one you're looking at, Courtney Unangst and her team follow these changes as closely as the market numbers. Schedule a Strategy Session, and we'll go over what this corridor's next year could mean for your plans.
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