ATX-SWA: Impact 10/13/2025

Here are six business updates for the Dripping Springs area.

Now open
1. Texacello Craft Spirits
The Texacello Craft Spirits tasting room and bottle shop is now offering tastings and bottle sales of Paula's Liqueurs, Republic Whiskey, 1876 Vodka and Martine Honeysuckle Liqueur. The business is a sister distillery of Dripping Springs Distilling, owned by local brothers Gary and Kevin Kelleher.

• Opened July 14
• 171 Springs Lane, Ste. 200, Dripping Springs

• Opened Aug. 14
• 13341 W. Hwy. 290, Bldg. 2, Austin

• Opened Oct. 7
• 13341 W. US Hwy. 290, Austin

A future South Austin park will be renamed to honor Austin's musical legacy and its former property owner, guitarist Van Wilks, who previously operated the site as a musicians' teaching studio.

The details: The city bought land for what's now called Shadywood Neighborhood Park early last year, but the space hasn't officially opened to the public yet. After recent community advocacy, City Council signed off on designating the property as Guitarland in recognition of Wilks and the city's music scene as a whole.

Austin Parks and Recreation anticipates opening the park, which will also expand the South Boggy Creek Greenbelt, in the future depending on available funding. The city will also collect public input about the park to develop a plan for improvements there, which could include some musical-themed features to match its new name.

A pro bono clinic in Southwest Austin is teaching children and youth with neuromotor disabilities how to walk and regain movement while training the next generation of physical therapists.

Since 2016, the Pro Bono Neuroplasticity Clinic at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences' Austin campus has provided free physical therapy to under- or uninsured families of children with cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, and other central nervous system conditions.

The pediatric clinic provides hands-on experience for physical therapy students while offering high-demand care for a growing number of families in the Austin area, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences staff said.

The overview: A handful of children and teenage patients visit the clinic multiple times a week to receive physical therapy services provided by students and faculty. The clinic helps patients foster independence by learning how to walk and improving their motor skills, said Sheila Brose, a physical therapy faculty lab instructor.

The impact: The clinic is an important resource for families who couldn’t otherwise afford physical therapy services, Brose said.

Travis County commissioners approved an additional $21 million in contracts Oct. 7 to expand child care under the newly rebranded Raising Travis County initiative, bringing total funding to $55 million less than a year after voters approved a countywide tax increase for affordable child care.

The big picture: The program aims to increase early childhood, after-school, and nontraditional-hours child care, while covering gaps in state subsidy programs, supporting thousands of local children. The funding is distributed through Workforce Solutions Capital Area, which will manage child care scholarships for families and gap funding for providers. These partnerships are intended to expand capacity quickly and reduce long wait times.

Of note: The initiative represents one of the fastest child care expansions in the nation, according to county staff. Funding is expected to roll out this fall for providers and early next year for families, increasing access to affordable child care across Travis County.

The funding will supports around 4,099 children in various programs across the county.

Check out the top trending Community Impact stories in the Austin metro from Oct. 6-10.

1. Hwy. 290 extension could improve travel between Travis and Bastrop counties

2. Bridge placed over Lake Creek to connect Round Rock West with downtown area

3. Austin ISD unveils plans to close 13 schools in 2026-27 school year

4. Cedar Park’s Firefly launches $855 million bid for defense tech company

5. Bastrop Automotive to be built on FM 969

6. Samsung employees to move into office building on Taylor campus this November