Round Top counted 87 residents in the 2020 census, and most weeks it feels exactly that size: a painted square, a few shops, and quiet roads through the hills between Houston and Austin. Then the antiques shows arrive. Every spring, fall and winter, shoppers from around the country descend on the fields, barns and tents along TX-237, and the whole area turns into one of the largest antiques markets in the country. The Original Round Top Antiques Fair, founded by Emma Lee Turney in 1968, started it all. Off-season, the town has its own rewards. Festival Hill, home of the Round Top Festival Institute founded by pianist James Dick in 1971, offers concerts, grounds tours and gardens. German immigrants settled here in the 1840s, and their Bethlehem Lutheran Church is the oldest Lutheran sanctuary in Texas. End at Royers Round Top Cafe on Main Street.
What to expect
- At the Original fair's barns, parking is free and the buildings are air-conditioned.
- Bring cash; plenty of dealers take cards, but not all of them do.
- No wagons, big carts or large strollers, and no strollers at all on opening day.
- Porters load heavy pieces, and on-site shippers handle bulky finds.
- A dining tent with several food vendors and plenty of seating serves the fair.
What to do
- Hunt the fields, barns and tents during a show week
- Tour the grounds and gardens at Festival Hill
- Save room for pie at Royers Round Top Cafe
- 87 at the 2020 censusPopulation
- Founded by Emma Lee Turney in 1968Original Round Top Antiques Fair
- Founded by James Dick in 1971 at Festival HillRound Top Festival Institute
- 105 Main Street, Round TopRoyers Round Top Cafe