ROUND TOP
Round Top, Texas, is a small town about 90 miles outside of Houston. Anyone who drives 290 from Houston to Austin will pass right by it before hitting Giddings. I have done so many times and had no idea what Round Top was all about until we decided to visit right before Gigi was born. It is a picturesque patch of Texas with green hills and wildflowers and all the small-town charm you can eat, baked in a delicious strawberry rhubarb pie, of course. When spring hits, Round Top turns in to an antiquing paradise. The entire town becomes one giant flea market with vendors visiting from around the globe to haggle their junk collections. This year, we made a few trips in search of antique furniture, vintage silver rings, prints and art. By the end of our journey, we became seasoned antiquing pros. We haggled, we shopped, we found beautiful treasures and ate way too much pie. We even found a vintage penny gum ball machine that now sits in Nicholas’ office. When the kids do something good, they get a penny for a gum ball. It’s called PARENTING, people! We had so much fun discovering the full reach of the Round Top antiquing experience…and let me tell you, it is a REACH! As rookies, we thought the antiquing was contained to a strip of shows and areas right before town square. But on day 2, we kept driving and discovered the commerce just keeps going. There are literal miles of old dishes, rugs and pottery. Miles of costume jewelry, worn boots and repurposed wood. We highly encourage Round Top during the antique show season or just as a quick getaway. As a bonus, we compiled a few tips to take you from a rookie to a pro in no time:
Bring cash!
Haggle (the vendors invite and even expect this)
Eat local, but not too much - Royers pies are to die! (While multiple venues have food and the town’s restaurants are all great, the prices can add up and you’ll want to spend your money on antiques. So, take a cooler of sammiches and grab some pie)
Explore
Don’t expect to see everything in one day
Bring water and comfy shoes
Drive past the town and don’t miss the pop up fleas
If you see something you like, buy it; don’t hesitate
