Lakeside cove living on the outskirts of Austin
Briarcliff is set around a quiet cove on the Colorado River’s Lake Travis, about 30 miles outside of Austin. Born originally as a resort enclave, the community stands today as an overall modest suburb with pockets of luxurious custom homes. “You can find anything from small starter homes to waterfront estates in the multi-millions,” says Bryan Swan, Austin resident and Keller Williams agent with 10 years of experience in the area. "New construction stands beside vintage cabins. It's a very diverse community when it comes to housing and pricing." Families have access to the Lake Travis Independent School District, which earns an overall A-minus from Niche. Nearby Pace Bend Park and lake access add to everyday perks here.
Lakefront estates and ranch-style options
Briarcliff’s housing stock ranges from simple ranch-style homes to showpiece estates. Along the Lake Travis shoreline, custom-built multi-story Contemporary homes sell for between $1.1 million and cap at around $3 million. These homes often include private docks and boat slips. The median sales price settles near $800,000, but ranch-style homes set inland are typically priced between $350,000 and $500,000 depending on age and lot size. A scattering of vacant lots still allow for new construction, and the village’s voluntary homeowners association maintains roads, the marina and shared greenbelts.
Lake Travis schools earn high marks
West Cypress Hills Elementary holds a B-plus on Niche and offers gifted-and-talented tracks, while Lake Travis Middle School and Lake Travis High School earn solid A scores. Lake Travis High offers a Model UN program, where students participate in competitive conferences to learn skills like public speaking and leadership.
Lake coves, limestone cliffs and a Willie Nelson fairway
Pace Bend Park borders the village with nine miles of Lake Travis shoreline, limestone bluffs for sunset views, campsites and trails reserved for hikers, bikers and horseback riders. “The park is one of the biggest area draws,” says Swan. The neighborhood park supplies playgrounds, tennis courts and a short trail down to the marina. Golfers looking for a relaxed round head to Willie Nelson’s Pedernales “Cut-N-Putt,” a casual nine-hole, 3,330-yard course that keeps play loose under its trademark “cowboy-Zen” rules.
Dining on the water and hill country roadhouses
The Lighthouse Restaurant & Lounge sits on the Briarcliff Marina, serving chicken-fried steak, catfish and weekend live music to diners who sometimes boat right up to the dock. On State Highway 71, Poodies Hilltop Roadhouse was once Willie Nelson’s regular stage. Today, the casual roadside spot pairs burgers and longnecks with nightly sets of blues and country. Groceries and big-box errands require a 14-mile drive to Bee Cave, where Hill Country Galleria lines more than 100 shops and restaurants around an outdoor promenade anchored by Whole Foods, Dillard’s and a Cinemark theater. The Hill Country Galleria is where locals go for city council meetings and library visits. In 2017, the Galleria underwent a multimillion-dollar makeover, which changed it into a full retail hub destination with national apparel brands and restaurant chains.
Routes to Austin and Bee Cave
State Highway 71 carries drivers 30 miles east to Austin and roughly 14 miles to Bee Cave’s Hill Country Galleria and medical offices. Routine hospital care is 12 miles away at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center–Lakeway, while longer trips fly through two airports: Austin–Bergstrom International, 33 miles southeast, for national and international routes, and Lake Travis Flight Park in Lago Vista, 10 miles north, for general aviation and charters.
