1. Dripping Springs restaurant Rolling in Thyme and Dough announced Aug. 15 that it is preparing to open a new drive-thru location on the corner of RR 12 and Fitzhugh Road, north of the city, later this fall. The restaurant’s original location, which sells homemade breads and serves breakfast dishes, sandwiches, soups and desserts, is located at 333 W. Hwy. 290, Dripping Springs, and will continue to be open. Jerome Bollom, who runs Rolling in Thyme and Dough, said he hopes to open the new location Oct. 15. 512-894-0001. www.thymeanddough.com
2. The new Aloft hotel being built at 6731 Legado Lane, Austin, in the Garza Ranch development will be opening in the first half of 2021. Coordinated by Pathfinder Development, the project will feature 140 hotel units and outdoor amenities, including a pool, a patio and a poolside bar. An indoor Aloft WXYZ bar and restaurant will also be built in the hotel’s lobby, and the hotel will be within 2 acres of green space at the Garza Ranch site. Garza Ranch, a mixed-use development that also includes office space, apartments, trails and future retail, opened its first phase of apartments in September 2019, while offices opened last winter. The Aloft hotel is one of the project’s final phases. www.aloft-hotels.marriott.com
3. Sagebrush, a new South Austin music venue that held a grand opening in June before closing due to COVID-19 restrictions, reopened Sept. 1 with a lineup of live music each night. A food truck, Baton Creole, is also open on-site; it is located at 5500 S. Congress Ave., Austin. 512-867-5309. www.facebook.com/sagebrushtexas
4. Austin Barbell, a local Olympic weightlifting gym, relocated to a new space at 714 Shelby Lane, Ste. G, Austin, on Sept. 10. Originally located at 275 Lotus Circle, Austin, and founded by former Olympic weightlifter Robert Ronan in 2018, the gym offers personalized, Olympic-style weightlifting training. Austin Barbell has also hired former Olympian Ma Jianping as the gym’s new head coach of athlete development. 512-522-7287. www.austinbarbell.com
5. Crepe Crazy, a Dripping Springs-based restaurant, is planning to expand outside of Texas. The business, which is deaf-owned and -operated, announced Aug. 27 that it will be opening its third location in Baltimore, Maryland, later this year. The original Crepe Crazy is located at 660 W. Hwy. 290, Ste. B, Dripping Springs, and a second restaurant has operated at 3103 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin, since 2015. 512-524-3198. www.crepecrazy.com
