I was so calm about my wedding until today. They canceled our reservation a month into our wedding…read more Do not book here. Now we're stressed looking for some place else

My husband and I booked the Desert Door for our New Year's Eve wedding and we are so glad that we…read moredid. Jessica, the event coordinator, was amazing to work with and she was extremely helpful throughout the whole process. The space has an amazing chic desert vibe plus the drinks are delicious. The staff the night of our party went above and beyond to make sure everyone enjoyed their night. We are so thankful we decided to book this space and we HIGHLY recommend them to anyone looking for an unforgettable experience.

Let my start by saying not all of the photos for Thurman's mansion are truly this event space…read more This is the building with the large front lawn and large columns. It has a semi large ballroom that would easily house 125. The floors are a nice terra-cotta tile and this space has large windows. On the right hand side there are a few windows with stained glass. Check the photo I posted they are very lovely. At the very end of the room is a distinctive wooden bar. The wood is stained dark and it has an aged look to it. There are double doors that lead to the 1st floor patio. This area is a very nice space for cocktails, I would date say you could get 50 to 75 people out there. Beyond the patio are red brick stairs that lead to the large lawn. The large lawn is where you can play lawn games and or hold a ceremony. I will be honest you can hear some of the traffic on the main road. I am sure that would be less noticeable if soft music was playing.the next thing I noticed about this place is that the upstairs are dedicated to the wedding party. There is a suite for the bride and the groom both with their own bathroom. There is also an elevator and a sitting area outside of the suites where a quick meal might be had. All and all I think this is a cute venue. It's an attractive property and all the chartering is handled by Salt Lick.

Hand me a parasol, lace up my corset and find me a Mr. Darcy--this place was from another time!!…read more *contented sigh, I was fortunate enough to be invited to a wedding held out at Thurman's Mansion this past weekend. What a beautiful venue!! I had never even heard of it until I got the invitation. Thurman's Mansion is part of the Salt Lick Family--located just East of the Salt Lick on 1826. Gorgeous iron gates pique the curiousity of drivers and beckon guests in. The venue is a large mansion overlooking well manicured grounds and vineyards. The view of the mansion from the back is just breathtaking. A huge porch covers the back of the building--dramatic pillars hold up a second story balcony. Wide steps lead up from the grounds to the back doors of the reception hallf/main room. I saw the mansion on two different days in two very different ways--Friday afternoon for the rehearsal, I saw it set up for an outdoor wedding. The sun shining down, bride practicing her walk from the sweeping steps of the mansion down to the corner of the lawn where the trellace waited, people lining the stone walls around the perimeter of the lawn watching the practice. I felt like I stepped into a Jane Austen movie--my friend had planned a glorious outdoor wedding on the grounds. Much to her dismay, God and the torrential downpours decided that it would be better to have the ceremony indoors. Rather than ceremony outside and reception inside, both ceremony and reception were inside. The staff had set up about 40 chairs where the dance floor would have been. Double doors were open at the back of the small seating area allowing the pitter-pattering of the rain outside as the background music while they exchanged vows. The reception was a seated dinner for about 150 guests. Salt lick does catering--very fun to have the family style dinner Texas Style w/ cobbler as dessert. A nice alternative to the traditional wedding scene. The porch was a great place for conversation and mingling--they had the bar and some hors d'eouvres set up out there while the guests waited for pictures to be taken. The rain let up for exactly an hour--enough time for outdoor pictures! I honestly think that my friend got the best of both worlds...a unique, beautiful, romantic and intimate indoor wedding ceremony complete with rain and tears. Then outdoor pictures overlooking the vineyards with the mist hovering over the land. I swear I could hear Mr. Darcy beckoning to me while I watched from the porch... My hat goes off to you, Thurman's Mansion. You successfully transported me to another time. Bravo.

Picturesque! Cheers from Tuscany !…read more Bravo! This restaurant was well worth the drive. Trattoria felt like an escape to Tuscany. The outside and inside is a knod to Tuscany. I enjoyed my time here. Don't forget to get some gelato on your way out. The service was spectacular and the waiter was so knowledgeable about the menu . Now, let's get into what I ate. Appetizers: Bread- I'm not sure what the proper name for the bread is, but it was so good. The bread was like a warm hug. It had a welcoming taste. I can't even explain it fully. The texture was phenomenal. It was like a cornbread and a roll put together. Artichoke fritters- This dish surprised me. I didn't expect to like it so much. It was fried to perfection and flavorful. I honestly didn't need the sauce . Meatballs- The meatballs were the best I've had in my life. They were covered in a well prepared sauce. Entrée: Snapper with pesto pasta- My snapper was very flavorful. The only downfall of the snapper was the size. For the price, I expected a whole snapper. The pasta was good, but I'm not a huge fan of pasta. I also ordered brussel sprouts. The brussel sprouts were cooked very well. Dessert: Biscoff and almond gelato - This was a perfect ending to to a wonderful meal. The gelato flavors change often. I will definitely go again!

I'm awarding 5 stars for our two recent visits. But, there's a point I'd like to make. Yes, this is…read morea dining destination and prices are commensurate with the experience. For most pasta dishes, I'd hit Mandola's in Austin. Save about $10 an entree and some gas money. A few weeks ago I didn't want to venture too far off the ranch. Wife and I ended up at Lisina on Saturday. Calamari to start was crisp and not chewy. Caesar salad followed and was a nice example of the dish. Lisina is also a little skimpy on offering bread refills. We finished with drinks and the panna cotta. Just over $100 for this experience. WELL, the next day I needed to take mom out for her anniversary. Dad has long passed but I always try to do something special. Sunday highlights forthcoming. This time with mom and Rooster along we started with the carpaccio. The presentation really wowed because it looks like red plate until you realize all that color is shaved tenderloin. White plate underneath! The greens, parmesan, and aioli was one of the best I've had. Mom went for the gnocchi; Rooster goes for the Mezzaluna ravioli. This is now Rooster's fave restaurant. I went back to the appetizers section and selected the crab cake. Zero complaints on these dishes. Don't forget mom's wine. Gelato and cake to finish the meal. I think I've dined here once since my 2009 review. Yup, steak pics still accounted for on Yelp. Trattoria Lisina is still going strong in Driftwood. Expect $$$$, this meal was almost $300. Good food ain't cheap folks.

My daughter's wedding was there this summer and the staff was very professional and accommodating…read moreand they truly led us through the day with no hitches. In the months leading up to the wedding, they were very responsive to questions and knowledgeable about the area and had great suggestions for caterers and other services. It's a beautiful venue, and the dining room/dance floor is the central highlight of the venue - spacious and easy to maneuver and still able to accommodate a wedding party of 150+ people. Great venue, but what truly makes it special was the kind and professional staff who helped everyone have one of the most memorable days of our lives.

I fell in love with this venue online, and our first time at the venue I fell in love even more!!…read moreThis venue is so unique and stunning. It's not your typical looking venue at all and that's what caught my eye and that's what I loved the most. This venue is beautiful in every single way, we had our ceremony outdoor and the reception inside. Everyone was blown away!! The venue needs minimal decorations because of the interior design throughout the whole venue. The reception area is stunning with the most beautiful chandeliers and the most amazing natural light shining through. We were obsessed with the big tables and how they really didn't need any table cloths. We absolutely loved our big day and got so many compliments for the beautiful venue we chose. We will forever recommend this venue!!

Vista is one of my favorite local-ish breweries. Day tripping to Dripping Springs for good…read morebreweries and wineries is such a fun thing to do. So, if there's a place I like, I'm gonna go again and again. Vista is one of those places. I like their approach to beer making. They are vigilantly local when it comes to ingredients and offerings. The brewery/restaurant sits on over 20 acres in hill country. Large, clean, and modern interior with large outdoor seating areas and patio setups. Picnic tables, fire pits, etc. The food is good, gang. Love the grilled sausage board and the cheese board (all local cheese). Soft pretzel & cheese also super good. Lots of other items in the menu that look incredible. Sunday brunch too. Farm to table. The pours...oh, the pours. Excellent beers! I love the black pilsner (Dark Skies), the chocolate notes come through in such an aromatic and roasty manner. The pale ale (Driftwood Pale Ale) is the perfect summer pour. It's light, crisp, and refreshing. In addition to the regular pours, they've got a lot of seasonal offerings too. They also serve wine/wine cocktails and n/an options. Spending a day in hill country? Vista makes for a nice stop!

My family and I went to Vista Brewing for dinner. We drove there, parked, and walked in. There are…read moreplenty of places to park. It's a very spacious indoor and outdoor restaurant with lots of seating and places to explore. As we walked in I noticed that it's very bright with a lot of windows. You order at the counter. When we walked up to the counter the menu was on the bar top. We looked at the menu and placed our order with the man working behind the counter. He was really cool and answered our questions. After ordering he gave us a number and told us to seat ourselves. After figuring out where we wanted to sit we went to the water station and grabbed some water. We looked around inside at the decor and talked while we waited for our order. We started with two sharables and each ordered the burgers of our choice. Unfortunately when they started bringing out our food they made an error in how it was made. We told them, the took the wrong order back, and after awhile they brought us everything and apologized for the error. Our sharables were the Grilled Chimichurri Avacado which comes with a half avocado, corn, and tortilla chips, and the Hummus Board which comes with hummus, veggies, and pitas. Both of these sharables were tasty in different ways. The Grilled Chimichurri Avacado was delicious. You could taste all of the delicious flavors and the tortilla chips were strong enough to hold a mix of the ingredients. The Hummus Board was also very tasty. The Hummus was garlic flavored and the veggies were fresh and crisp. The pitas were warm and soft. For my main dish I ordered the Driftwood Cheeseburger. It comes with a beef patty, bacon jam, onions, pickles, sauce, and cheese. I opted for no cheese. The burger meat was really good. You could taste the Smokey flavor from the grill on the meat. The bacon jam was sweet but not overly sweet and gave the burger a sweet and savory flavor. The pickles added texture to the burger. It was a really good burger. I ordered my burger with a side of kettle chips which were nice and crispy. Overall it was a great place to visit. The service was good, the atmosphere was spacious, nice and bright, and the food was fresh and delicious.

This is such a beautiful, intimate venue. The GPS is a little off on the address, but just keep…read moredriving on the left dirt road to the end. There is lots of parking but wear good walking shoes because the lot is gravel. Once you're in the venue it's dirt, and the dance floor has flooring. There are beautiful trees everywhere and it's lit up really nicely for the evening.

Came to tour this venue and they have two great options for your wedding. It is fully outdoor with…read morelots of trees and barns that can be a fun area for dancing. There is plenty of parking area for guests, but the drive in is a bit rocky. My favorite part is that they are not restricted to vendors so you have the options to bring in your fave people or even have the option for DIY.

We (two couples) were traveling through from California to Florida and stayed here for several…read moredays. The place is absolutely beautiful and very roomy and private. We met the owners and they were very gracious. The private lake and canoes and the tennis court were lots of fun and the location is close enough to Austin for visiting downtown yet far enough out to enjoy quiet star gazing. We found the beds to be to soft...we tried to different rooms sine we had the whole house, and they are very soft. Other than that we loved the place and the location. R. Bama

We stayed here recently and had a great time. Check in was a bit confusing we (12 of us) were all…read moreupset but the property manager fixed the problem which was actually the previous guests left over problem and then we had the most wonderful time ever. Nonostante is a like being a private little wooded valley resort yet being close to everything. We were attending a wedding in Driftwood and thought this place was to expensive but once we looked at what was near there (nothing) and the price of the econo-lodge it turns out not be expensive at all. The private lake was great for swimming, kayaking, fishing etc. The tennis court and the basket ball hoop kept the young at heart busy and rest of us lounged in the spacious, roomy, cozy home. The three living areas are great and we never felt crowded. The home is like something from Southern Living. It is so relaxing. The owner left us some of his home made moonshine and a bunch of cigars for the men for outside use.

Wild Bunches provided beautiful floral arrangements for my wedding day. They were very professional…read moreand easy to communicate with when creating my floral proposal, and they were fantastic on the day of my wedding. I can't recommend them enough for weddings or any other event.

We chose Wild Bunches as our wedding florist and are so happy we did! It was especially easy to…read morework with them because we got married at Memory Lane Event Center, and they are onsite. They helped us make our vision a reality while staying in our budget. The Wild Bunches team created gorgeous arrangements that looked beautiful even the next day. We got a ton of compliments from guests and the flowers turned out better than I could have imagined. Even if you don't know a lot about flowers, they can help you make selections based on your colors and wedding vibe. You can definitely trust this team to create the perfect florals for your event. I would highly recommend them to anyone!

In two months and 10 days my daughter will be marrying her beloved. Carrie and John have been so…read moreaccommodating for all of our questions, and more questions in preparation of the wedding. They make you feel like you're at home on the ranch. It's a beautiful open area with a gorgeous iron pavilion, beautiful bridal trailer and warm groomsmen quarters. Can't wait for the upcoming 2mos and 10 days!

From the owner: Ranch + garden wedding venue west of Austin, TXread more