Manchaca (/ˈmænʃæk/ MAN-shak)[2] is a census-designated place (CDP) in Travis County, Texas, United States.

Manchaca Springs are a stopping place along a portion of the Old San Antonio Road and later the Chisholm Trail.

One school holds that "Manchaca" is derived from the Choctaw word imashaka, meaning "behind it" or "to the rear."

[4] However, another theory holds that Manchaca Springs was named for Tejano army officer José Antonio Menchaca.

[5] The springs are referred to as "Manshack Springs" in a collection of memoirs written by an early Anglo settler describing life in 1840s Texas, Recollections of Early Texas: Memoirs of John Holland Jenkins.

Early maps and newspaper articles indicate the spelling was "Manchac Springs," orthography corroborated by maps produced by noted Tejano land agent Jacob de Cordova in 1849 currently housed at the Texas General Land Office in Downtown Austin.

Also in 1852, Miller negotiated the sale of the springs to Virginia native Adolphus Weir who ran a stagecoach stop on the property.

[10] The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

FM 1626 connects to Interstate 35 two miles to the east, while it runs west until it reaches Bear Creek, which it winds along and crosses, then heads generally southward until it passes Buda, where it generally curves back eastward until it reaches Interstate 35 once more, just north of Kyle.

Twin Creeks Road crosses Bear and Onion Creeks near their confluence, just east of the road from which its name is derived, then curves to run east until it ends at Old San Antonio Road, a branch of the old Camino Real, which runs from Austin west of Interstate 35 and passes Manchaca Springs, an historic spot after which the community is named, just north of the Hays County line and Buda.

Travis County Emergency Services District 5 provides Manchaca and the surrounding area with fire protection and medical first response out of 1 station.