Have you heard of Round Top antiques week? As an *almost* lifelong Texan, I’ve always considered the Round Top antique show as the Holy Grail of antiquing and flea markets. After moving to Austin after college, my husband and I started to take short trips around central Texas. After a few trips to Fredericksburg, we decided to brave the Round Top antique show. Located about halfway between Austin and Houston, just South of Brenham, TX (home of Bluebell Ice Cream!) lies a tiny little town that explodes with pickers a few times a year.
Andrew and I have made the drive to Round Top a few times in the past several years, only as a day trip – leaving Austin in the morning and returning the same evening. But, like my Dad says about New Orleans, you can’t swallow Round Top in one day.
I didn’t realize it until last week, but Andrew and I had only seen the tip of the iceberg on our Round Top trips before multiple kids. Actually, as I was planning my latest trip, I realized the last time I visited Round Top I was 39 weeks pregnant with my second child, but it was my birthday and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me.
So, when my 35th birthday started to approach, I decided to plan a ladies weekend to give Round Top the attention it deserves. The lodging around Round Top fills up fast for antiques week, so make sure to secure that early if you want to stay overnight. There are options on Airbnb and the like, and you can also check out the Round Top Chamber of Commerce site for a list of lodging options. I highly recommend the “request lodging” feature this site has that emails hosts in the area based on your travel dates and accommodation preferences. We actually found a place to stay 3 days before our arrival after our Airbnb had to cancel our reservation due to septic tank problems!
The big misconception about antiques week is the length of the show. While there are a few venues that are only open one week – The big red barn and Marburger being the most popular – most everything else is open 2-3 weeks. The Spring 2021 antiques week was listed as March 29 – April 3, which means most vendors were open starting March 20th, and some were even open for a preview the week of March 14. I prefer to go the weekend before the big red barn opens. This is when you will find the most vendors open for business, and there is still plenty of selection and deals left to be had.
Also, although its called Round Top antiques week, the vendors actually stretch from Warrenton, to the South, all the way to Burton, to the North. So, don’t limit yourself to just the spots you see in Round Top proper!
We were able to shop for four days during our stay and below I’ve chronicled all the stops we made along the way.
Day 1: Warrenton
When researching for my trip to Round Top, I read a few articles that said to start in Warrenton first, and I have to say, I totally agree. It took us nearly all day to comb through the antiques at our two stops in Warrenton.
First, we visited Ex-Cess I & II. Under the large “Old Town Market” sign are acres of furniture, European doors, architectural salvage pieces, and barn finds. Ex-Cess gives me flea market vibes with the mix of antiques, outdoor items, and items that are in need of a little TLC and/or elbow grease. My biggest score from this location was two marble table tops that I snagged for $200 a piece.
The vendor had paired the marble top with a metal pedestal and it just wasn’t my favorite, and really not my style, so I asked if he would sell it without the base. Sure enough, he gave me a deal. For the rest of the trip, I peeked at the prices of similar marble pedestal tables and I saw them priced from $600-$1000. I have plans to build my own set of legs for each table (one is for this living room) so stay tuned for that. I’ve also heard stories of vendors from Round Top finding items in Warrenton, then selling them at higher prices in their own shops!
Our second stop in Warrenton was Bar W. This location was similar to Ex-Cess with a flea market feel, but a few more junktiques. Bar W boasts plenty of metal items, garden items, old sinks, and home decor items such as sugar molds and tobacco baskets. There was also a large selection of fiberglass and metal planters.
Of all the places we visited on this trip, Warrenton had the best prices and best selection of the items they carried. Everyone in our group found something they couldn’t live without at these two sites. There were a few more fields within walking distance of Ex-cess/Bar W that we didn’t even make it to because of time restraints, but Warrenton will definitely be a permanent stop on any future trips.
Day 2: Round Top
The second day of our trip was our first full day to explore and we wasted no time after breakfast getting on our way. We stopped at The Compound first. This is a neat site that also doubles as a wedding venue so it was very easy on the eyes.
Filled with French country antiques, jewelry, and antique guns, this spot turned out to be more window shopping for my group than anything else. One of their barns was filled with higher-end, large furniture pieces (none of which would even fit in my house, even if I could afford them) that we all swooned over. Even though we left empty handed, this place was still fun to walk through and do a little day dreaming.
The infamous Junk Gypsy store was our next stop. Filled with funky gifts, clothes, shoes, bags, and even paint, this is definitely more touristy and less antique-y. I did manage to find a couple jars of margarita and bloody mary mix to try, as well as a new cosmetics bag. Not really anyone’s idea of antiques, but it was a fun experience and the staff were super friendly and helpful.
After Lunch, we meandered through The Arbors. This stop was filled with an abundance of textiles, furniture, clothes, tons of wall art, jewelry, rugs, and pillows galore. The Arbors has the feel of mini boutiques, most of which have a BOHO or shabby chic vibe. It also reminds me of the Round Top version of Home Goods – you can find just about any home decor item you are looking for here. I wouldn’t say most of the items here are real antiques, more curated and handmade – like if Etsy had a pop-up shop.
I ended up buying a pillow, a John Hart weekender, and a Round Top t-shirt while perusing the Arbors.
Directly across Highway 237 was our next stop – Market Hill. Home to Paul Michael, Market Hill is a permanent structure and open year round. We found it filled with large indoor and outdoor furniture, for the higher-end buyer, with a traditional and french country aesthetic. There were also many refined architectural pieces and architectural salvage (re: beautiful old doors towering over you). We found plenty of accessories to peruse while we coveted the large scale architectural vintage finds.
Day 3: Carmine
On our third day antiquing, we ventured out early as we had VIP tickets to The Big Red Barn, the premier event at the Round Top antiques show. The Big Red Barn is one of the only sites in Round Top that charges admission (no fee to park though, as is with all of the places we visited).
This was my first experience attending the red barn and the best way to describe it is: ‘your mama’s antique mall.’ This is where the real antiques are. I have to admit, I felt a little out of place when we entered the barn because there were many antique dealers swooping up pieces rather quickly, either for themselves or clients they had on the phone. If you aren’t looking for something in particular, I would skip the VIP tickets and early shopping and wander in after lunch.
Just a few hundred yards from the big red barn is Blue Hills, where we spent the majority of our day. Blue Hills was filled with tons of home decor, furniture of many different styles, and some great lighting options. With very fair prices, this was one of our favorite stops on the whole trip. This was another location where everyone found something perfect for their home – one member of our group found the largest rolling pin I’ve ever seen for a steal of $5!
Day 4: Burton
For our last day of antiquing, we headed North to the La Bahia Antiques Show. Filled with smaller items such as glassware, silver/pewter, and a wide array of other household items and home decor, this place is a picker’s paradise. You might have to comb through a few tents, but there are some gems here.
While La Bahia did have some furniture options, I would say it had the least amount of furniture of all the stops we made. La Bahia is part permanent structure and part pop-up tents, reminiscent of a flea market, in which we found plenty of treasures. Our group walked away with an old wooden level, antique crock, galvanized watering can, gold furniture legs, and an antique fire extinguisher (an item we had been searching for the entire trip!)
Next we visited Y station, County Line, and Chelsea’s Meadow. If you are in the market for some junk-tiques, this is the place to be. All three were filled with rusty goodness, kitchen salvage, old road signs, and garden art. County Line also had a large selection of glass jugs, and galvanized and enameled garden tubs.
To finish out our trip we visited The Venue. The Venue boasts over 60,000 square feet of tons of ornate antique furniture, and also some new, modern furniture. There was a large selection of quilts, Bohemian style pillows and throws, and a huge selection of multicolored glassware. I even scored a pair a handmade clay polymer earrings, so it just goes to show, you never know what you are going to find.
I came home with an assortment of treasures, as did the other ladies on my trip. After reminiscing about the trip, we came to the consensus that our top stops, ones we would visit again and again on future trips (in no particular order), were: Ex-Cess I & II, The Arbors, Blue Hills, and La Bahia. These four places had a great selection, a mix of styles, and fair prices. If you have to conquer Round Top in a day, I would highly recommend adding these venues to your itinerary.
Food
Almost all of the venues have some sort of food option, whether it be food trucks or brick and mortar establishments. But here’s a few of the places we ate and recommend:
- Royer’s cafe – Come hungry and don’t miss the pie! For dinner, make sure to make a reservation, for lunch, use their call ahead seating option. Sundays are for fried chicken and you can’t go wrong with the shrimp BLT. The pie was heavenly – don’t skimp on the Bluebell.
- Round Top Coffee – Head here early and fuel up for a long day of antiquing.
- Ellis Motel – Delicious and refreshing cocktails served in the cutest mason jars. There is a brick and mortar location in the Round Top square and we also found a pop up location at The Arbors.
- Neon Moon Coffee – This fairly new establishment located in Burton has a limited menu but the coffee is some of the best.
What’s your favorite spot for antiquing? And let me know your favorite spots in Round Top too! Comment below or connect with me on instagram @elleandjaydesign. You can also find me on Pinterest now!
Venues We Visited
- Round Top Antiques Show Information
- Excess I & II ($ – $$$) – S. Texas Highway 237 and 145 Rohde
- Bar W ($) – 4001 S. Texas Highway 237
- The Compound ($$$) – 2550 S. Texas Highway 237
- Junk Gypsy ($ – $$) – 125 S. Washington
- The Arbors ($$ – $$$) – 1503 N. Texas Highway 237
- Market Hill ($$$ – $$$$) – 1542 N. Texas Highway 237
- The Big Red Barn ($$$ – $$$$) – 475 N. Texas Highway 237
- Blue Hills ($$ – $$$) – 1701 N. Texas Highway 237
- La Bahia Antiques Show ($ – $$) – 550 N. Texas Highway 237
- Y Station ($ – $$) – 212 N. Texas Highway 237
- County Line ($ – $$) – 1903 Spur 458
- Chelsea’s Meadow ($) – 4858 Hills Road
- The Venue ($$ – $$$$) – 2000 N. Texas Highway 237
