Where: Round Top, Texas
When: year-round
If you like: arts and culture
Why you should go: On fair days, the fields across Round Top gleam with gilded mirrors, glazed olive jars, and large woven textiles laid out like magic carpets in the sun. With just eighty-seven full-time residents, the town may seem an unlikely home for an international antiquing bonanza, yet since 1968, its thrice-annual Antiques Fair has attracted scores of discerning creatives, collectors, and designers. So popular is this treasure-hunting haven located midway between Austin and Houston that it’s now drawing visitors between fairs for its year-round shops, burgeoning roster of new accommodations, and poetry and film festivals (held in April and November, respectively).
If you’re planning to attend the spring show (March 27 through April 1), start the day at the twenty-six-acre complex of Blue Hills, where must-stops include Old World Antieks and Lolo French Antiques, the latter of which stocks collectors’ pieces dating to the seventeenth century. Down the road, one of Round Top’s newest year-round venues, the 225,000-square-foot Market Hill, stocks eclectic goods like European lighting and mirrors from Susan Horne Antiques and industrial furniture from North Carolina–based Nomadic Trading Company. Meanwhile, the Compound might be the prettiest place to shop in town, with its expanse of barns and fields connected by gurgling fountains and flowering gardens. For many, though, a visit to Texas’s antique capital isn’t just about the shopping but about the relationships made. “What’s so cool about Round Top is not only the pieces you buy but the people you chat with,” says Kate Towill, creative director of Basic Projects hospitality group in Charleston, South Carolina. “It’s this unbelievable network from around the globe that comes for the shows every year.”
G&G tip: Though Round Top’s lodging offerings continue to expand, Hotel Lulu remains a crowd favorite; its luxe, antique-filled rooms book up months in advance. This spring, the property’s pocket-size sister hotel opens next door and is sure to be the hottest reservation in town. Of course, the most serious shoppers make reservations months ahead at the Red Antler Bungalows. Every morning during fair days, the staff packs guests’ lunches so they can refuel on the go; expect fresh salads, sandwiches, cookies, and a split of champagne for good measure.
