Driftwood is a census-designated place in Hays County, Texas, set in the rolling Hill Country about 24 miles southwest of downtown Austin. The 2020 census counted just 106 residents, making it a genuinely small rural community whose regional fame far outweighs its population. Driftwood lies along Ranch to Market Road 150, roughly fifteen miles northwest of Kyle and 25 miles from San Marcos, the county seat, placing it within the Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos metropolitan area even as it retains a distinctly rural feel.
The community's reputation rests on food and drink. The Salt Lick BBQ, one of Texas's best-known barbecue restaurants, has drawn visitors to Driftwood for decades, and the neighboring Salt Lick Cellars pours wine made from vines on the property. Around these anchors, a cluster of wineries, breweries, and distilleries has grown along the Hill Country's wine trail, making Driftwood a destination for day-trippers from Austin and tourists exploring the region. This commercial identity exists alongside a lightly developed rural landscape of ranches, acreage, and oak-covered hills.
The contrast between Driftwood's tiny official population and its busy destination status is the defining feature of the place. On weekends, the parking lots of the barbecue and wine establishments fill with visitors, while the surrounding countryside remains quiet and sparsely settled. That balance of rural seclusion and steady visitors gives the area a character distinct from both the suburbs to the east and the larger Hill Country towns nearby.
Education is provided by the Dripping Springs Independent School District, which serves Driftwood along with Dripping Springs and the surrounding northern Hays County area. Daily life for residents is quiet and spread out, with services in Dripping Springs, Kyle, and Wimberley, and Austin within commuting distance. Driftwood suits those who want Hill Country acreage and privacy while remaining close to the metro, and who appreciate having a landmark barbecue restaurant and a wine scene in their own community.
