Most Round Top antique show venues offer free parking, but lots fill up fast on opening days and weekends. Marburger Farm, Blue Hills, and Big Red Barn have large dedicated lots. Warrenton field venues often park on grassy fields that turn muddy after rain — wear shoes you don’t mind getting dirty and note your GPS location. Overflow parking can put you a quarter mile from the entrance. Arrive before 9 AM for the best spots. Some venues offer golf cart shuttles from distant lots.

Round Top Parking Guide — Where to Park at Every Major Venue

Nobody talks about parking at Round Top until you're stuck in a muddy field watching a tow truck pull out the car in front of you. Here's what you need to know.

The Basics

Most parking at Round Top is on grass or gravel fields adjacent to venues. The majority is free. A few spots along the Warrenton corridor charge $5. There are no parking garages, no paved lots (mostly), and no valet — this is rural Texas.

Free Parking Venues

These major venues offer free parking:

The Arbors — Large gravel/grass lot, free
Blue Hills — Gravel and grass, free
The Compound — Grass/gravel, free
Excess I — Gravel, free
Excess 2 — Gravel, free
The Horseshoe — Gravel, free
Bader Ranch — Grass field, free
Big Red Barn — Free (admission charged separately)
Marburger Farm — Free (admission charged separately)
Tree Park — Grass field, free
Bull Market — Gravel, free
Henkel Square — Gravel, free
La Bahia — Grass, free
The Venue — Gravel/grass, free
Chelsea's Meadow — Grass field, free
The Hive — Gravel, free

Paid Parking ($5)

Several locations along the Warrenton stretch charge $5:

St. Johns Lutheran Church — Grass field
Robinson's Field — Grass field
Little House on the Hill — Grass field
Campbell Building — Grass field
Granny McCormick — Grass field
Warrenton Grocery Store — Grass field
Marketplace — Gravel

The Rain Problem

This is the thing every first-timer learns the hard way: when it rains, grass parking becomes a mud pit. One show manager acknowledged it directly: "There's fire ants, there's mud, there's gravel, uneven surfaces — so high heels and flip-flops are not recommended."

Tips for rainy days:

Park on higher ground — Water flows downhill. Don't park in the lowest spot of a field.
Look for gravel areas — Gravel lots drain much better than pure grass.
Avoid soft spots — If the ground feels spongy when you step out, move your car.
Carry traction aids — Floor mats or a piece of cardboard can help if you get stuck.
Don't panic — If you get stuck, there are usually helpful locals with trucks nearby.

Strategic Parking: Think Before You Park

Experienced Round Top shoppers treat parking as part of their strategy. Where you park determines which venues you'll shop first, and since the corridor stretches 11 miles, you may need to move your car several times during the day.

The Walk-and-Shop Approach

Several venue clusters are close enough together that you can park once and walk between them:

Warrenton cluster: Park at one of the Warrenton field locations and walk between multiple tent vendors, food trucks, and smaller shows. This area is where experienced shoppers recommend going for the best deals — as one designer noted, "The less curated the better your prices are going to be."
Round Top town center: Park at Henkel Square and walk to restaurants, coffee shops, and the permanent stores in the heart of town. As one show manager pointed out, "Round Top proper is very walkable — there are several lovely boutique hotels and lots of restaurants, and you can walk to lots of establishments."
The Compound / Blue Hills area: These popular venues are near each other. Park at one and walk to the other to avoid re-parking.
Market Hill / Arbors / The Halles / Cisco Village: This grouping of curated venues sits close together. One show manager recommends this cluster as a single stop: "You can kind of ping-pong around to that grouping."

The Drive-Between Approach

For venues that are spread out — like jumping from the Warrenton fields to Marburger Farm to Blue Hills — you'll need to drive between stops. Plan your route to minimize backtracking along the corridor.

Opening Day Parking

Opening days at the major venues are a different beast entirely. Marburger Farm's opening day draws thousands of shoppers, many of whom arrive well before gates open. One designer described arriving at Blue Hills at 6:30 AM — more than two hours before the 9:00 AM opening — just to be first in line.

For opening weekends:

Arrive 30-60 minutes before gates open at venues like Marburger Farm and Blue Hills
The Arbors fills fastest on opening weekend — get there early
Follow parking attendants' directions — most major venues have staff directing traffic on busy days
Consider coming on a weekday instead of opening weekend for dramatically easier parking

Pro Tips

Arrive before 9 AM for the best spots at popular venues
Use the Round Top Finder Map to see parking locations at every venue before you go
Save your parking spot in the Round Top Finder app so you can find your car later — after walking through multiple tents and fields, you'll be glad you did
Wear shoes you don't mind getting dirty — you'll be walking through grass, gravel, and possibly mud between your car and the venues
Bring a vehicle with clearance if rain is in the forecast — low-riding sedans can struggle in muddy grass fields

Save Your Parking Spot

The Round Top Finder mobile app has a "Save Parking Spot" feature. Tap it when you park, and GPS marks your car's location. After a full day of walking through multiple venues and fields, you'll know exactly where your car is — no wandering through a cow pasture at sunset trying to remember where you left it.

Browse all parking locations on the interactive map, or browse all venues to plan your parking strategy.

Browse all venues on the interactive map or download the Round Top Finder app to plan your trip.