15 Kid-Friendly Breweries With Playgrounds In Austin

By Kelsey Kennedy | October 30, 2024

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Breweries in Austin are kind of made for families. It’s not like that in most cities! (I was shocked when I was exploring all the breweries in San Antonio and found out that most of them don’t have playgrounds…lol.) The kid-friendly breweries in Austin typically have playgrounds, pizza food trucks, and kids drink options like juice boxes or chocolate milk. It’s so much fun to bring the fam to a local craft brewery, enjoy a pint of a low ABV beer on the patio, and play with your little ones on the outdoor playscape.

Kid-Friendly Breweries With Playgrounds In Austin

1. St Elmo North

Brand-new in Austin, St Elmo Springdale opened in September 2024 as the second location of this popular brewery. (The south location at The YARD is still open, too.)

The space is awesome, with a big interior, lots of picnic tables, a couple food trucks, and a playground outside. Adjacent to the playspace is a shaded patio where parents can bring their beer and sit and relax while they keep an eye on their kids.

St Elmo did a fantastic job designing this space! They tucked the playground into the corner where kids can play and just “be kids” without bothering the rest of the clientele who want to enjoy their beer in a more kid-free environment. Well done, St Elmo!

WEBSITE | 440 E. St. Elmo Rd. & 8110 Springdale Rd.

2. Meanwhile Brewing

Ask any family where they’re going to be hanging out on the weekend, and they’ll probably say “Meanwhile.” It’s a haven for families!

In addition to their incredible beer (seriously - they’ve picked up some of the biggest beer awards in the world since they opened in 2020!), Meanwhile has a huge tree-shaded property, a central playground with a treehouse and a slide, five food trucks, and a soccer field on site.

The only downside to this place is that parking is a little cramped, so plan on parking on the street and walking 5 minutes or so to the brewery. (Bring a stroller if you have really little kids!)

WEBSITE | 3901 Promontory Point Dr Austin, TX 78744

3. Fast Friends Beer Co.

Fast Friends has it all! It’s a big brewery with a playground, excellent beer, and a pizza menu. This Austin brewery has a kitchen, which means you can just place your order for pizza while you’re ordering beer - no need to walk across the property to a food truck and place a separate order.

(It might seem insignificant to be able to order your pizza at the same time as your drinks, I know…until you’re chasing two toddlers in opposite directions and you can’t get the damn pizza ordered and everyone gets hangry!)

The playground at Fast Friends is on the basement floor of their two-story brewery. It’s nice because you feel like you and your kids are a bit removed from all the adults who want to enjoy their beer in peace.

WEBSITE | 7313 N Interstate 35 Frontage Rd NB, Austin, TX 78744

4. Lazarus Brewing

There are two locations of this popular Austin brewery, and the north location on Airport Blvd has a really fun patio with a pirate ship! It’s tucked into the corner of the property, so you and your kids can hang out and enjoy their delicious tacos and chips and queso on a nice day.

Lazarus has become quite the brewery powerhouse in Austin, racking up multiple World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival awards in recent years.

WEBSITE | 4803 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78751, United States

5. Austin Beerworks - Sprinkle Valley

Austin Beerworks opened a new, bigger location in far north Austin, and it has an EPIC outdoor playground! The ABW Sprinkle Valley location has their same popular Austin craft beer, but it’s served in a much bigger space.

Grab your beer in the indoor taproom, grab some popcorn for the kids, and head outside and down the hill toward the disc golf course to find the kids play area. Your kids will squeal with delight at the amazing treehouse. It’s SO much fun!

Note: if you’re not into beer, this family-friendly brewery also has wine, cider, cocktails, and kid-friendly drinks. There’s a food truck parked outside, and plenty of tables everywhere.

WEBSITE | 10300 Springdale Rd, Austin, TX 78754

6. Oddwood Ales

This quirky east Austin brewery is well known for their cozy indoor ambiance and delicious thin crust pizza. But did you know that this brewery also has a playground outside?

Yep! They built it as a place for kids to run and play while adults enjoy that delicious beer. There aren’t many breweries in the middle of Austin that also feature playgrounds, so be sure to add Oddwood to your list.

WEBSITE | 3108 Manor Rd. Austin, TX 78723

7. Austin Beerworks - Original Location

The original Austin Beerworks location has a playground…but it’s not quite as epic of a playground as that new Austin Beerworks - Sprinkle Valley location. However, it’s a fun, shady spot to let the kids play while you enjoy your Fire Eagle!

WEBSITE | 3001 Industrial Terrace, Austin, TX 78758

8. Batch Craft Beer and Kolaches

Batch Craft Beer and Kolaches is a fun all-day spot! Sure, you can stop by in the evening with the family and let the kids play in the big gated backyard, which has a turf-covered hill and a little play spot for kids. But you can also go to Batch Craft Beer as a morning play date spot! Get a coffee and one of those fresh, housemade kolache, and enjoy a little R&R while the kids play nearby in a safe space.

WEBSITE | 3220 Manor Road Austin, Texas 78723

9. Vista Brewing

Visit Brewing is always in my top 3 of breweries with playgrounds in Austin. Why? Their beer is so good, the food is so good, and the playground is so fun! They have swings, a slide, and a big tree house area. Kids love it!

The owners of Vista are parents to three young kids, so they understand the importance of having a play space at a brewery. But they’re also beer drinkers who understand that certain people want to enjoy their beer in peace. That’s why they put the brewery a few hundred yards from the tap room where the shrieks of children won’t bother the folks who want a little bit more peace. It’s the perfect family-friendly brewery in Austin!

WEBSITE | 13551 Ranch to Market Rd 150, Driftwood, TX 78619

10. Fitzhugh Brewing

Fitzhugh Brewing is a very popular kid-friendly brewery in Dripping Springs. The playground is always crowded on the weekends, which is a testament to how amazing it is! There’s a lot of parking, a lot of indoor space in the tap room, and tons of shaded outdoor space to run around.

The food menu at Fitzhugh Brewing includes pizza, waffle fries, corn dogs, and mac n cheese…basically all the kid-friendly stuff. They even have a specific kids menu available if you want smaller sizes of something.

WEBSITE | 15435 Fitzhugh Rd, Dripping Springs, TX 78620

11. Jester King Brewing

If you’re going for quality beer, you truly can’t beat Jester King! For more than a decade they’ve been named one of the best breweries in the United States for their spontaneously fermented farmhouse ales. Recently, they’ve started making more mainstream beers too, so you can get a classic IPA (or even wine and cider!) to enjoy the property.

Jester King is very family-friendly! The sprawling property has a playground, a big empty field for kicking a soccer ball, and even a goat farm where little ones can pet the goats!

WEBSITE | 13187 Fitzhugh Rd. Austin, TX 78736

12. Suds Monkey

Suds Monkey is a brewery located right between Austin and Dripping Springs. They have a wide variety of beer on tap, pizza on the food menu, and a great little backyard play area. The beer isn’t up to the same quality as some of the heavy hitters in Austin (Jester King, Austin Beerworks, Meanwhile), but the pizza and the playground put this on our list of best kid-friendly breweries in Austin!

WEBSITE | 12024 US-290 (Cross Street Nutty Brown Drive) AUSTIN Texas 78737

13. 12 Fox Brewing

12 Fox Brewing is a veteran-owned brewery way out in Dripping Springs. It’s quite a drive from Austin, but if you live in Dripping, it’s an awesome option to have on hand.

I always like to let people know, though, that the brewery is best suited for older kids (about 6+). It’s a DIY type of playground, so it’s a little tricky for younger toddlers.

WEBSITE | 4700 W Fitzhugh Rd Dripping Springs, TX 78620

14. Roughhouse Brewing

It’s called “Roughhouse” but this brewery in San Marcos is farmhouse chic and sophisticated! It’s a gorgeous building and property, with lots of outdoor shady seating and a cute little playground for kids.

Roughhouse often features live music on the weekends, special seasonal movie night events, and a menu of pressed sandwiches, warm pretzels, and chips & queso. They even have a special kids menu for little ones.

WEBSITE | 680 Oakwood Loop, San Marcos, Texas 78666

15. Ghost Note Brewing

Although it’s in Dripping Springs, on a map Ghost Note appears closer to Driftwood, south of Austin. Either way, it’s a fun family-friendly brewery with decent beer, a food truck, and a really fun slide that kids love.

WEBSITE | 23663 Ranch Road 12, Ghost Note Ln, Dripping Springs, TX 78620

Bonus: Live Oak - No Playground, But Kid-Friendly

Live Oak is located near the Austin airport, and it’s well -known for its old world style beer, Pilsners, and disc golf course. But it’s also an AWESOME kid-friendly brewery! We’ve brought our kids here more times than I can count.
We’ll show up on a pretty afternoon in Austin, bring a few toys like a soccer ball and some trucks, order food from the German food truck, and enjoy a few pints in the beer garden while the kids play nearby.

Why Do All The Austin Breweries Have Playgrounds?

First, there are plenty of breweries in Austin that don’t have playgrounds. So if you want an adult vibe instead of a bunch of toddlers running around, check out this guide to the top 10 breweries to visit in Austin.

And I’m pretty sure that Austin craft breweries became so family-centric as a result of all of the Dripping Springs breweries with playgrounds. Dripping Springs is a nearby city on the gateway to the Texas Hill Country, and it’s packed with epic breweries (including nationally-renowned Jester King Brewery.)

Since Dripping Springs has so much wide open space, most of these breweries just added an outdoor playground for the kids. (Why not? There’s space for it!)

My assumption is that, as those breweries started getting ALL the brewery traffic every weekend, local Austin breweries decided to follow suit.

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