The antiques draw 100,000 people. But this town of 90 has a world-class concert hall, legendary pie, and year-round charm worth the drive.
Most people know Round Top, Texas for one thing: the antiques show. Twice a year (three times, if you count the smaller winter edition), this one-square-mile town between Austin and Houston transforms into a 100,000-person shopping event that stretches 11 miles along Highway 237.
But what happens the other 48 weeks of the year?
That's the question two out of 19 YouTube videos I recently watched about Round Top actually answered — and what they found was more surprising than any vintage find in a cow pasture.
Round Top has a world-class concert hall. A 30-year-old cafe with pies people drive hours for. An HGTV celebrity headquarters. Wineries, a meadery, a nanobrewery, historic dance halls, and enough small-town character to fill a long weekend without ever touching an antique.
Here's your guide to Round Top when the crowds go home.
Festival Hill: A Concert Hall That Shouldn't Exist Here (But Does)
If you only do one thing in Round Top outside of the antiques show, make it Festival Hill.
The Round Top Festival Institute was founded in 1971 by James Dick, a concert pianist from Kansas who came to Texas to study and never quite left. What started as a handful of piano students practicing in locals' living rooms has become one of the top summer music institutes in America — mentioned in the same breath as Tanglewood and Aspen.
The centerpiece is a 1,000-seat concert hall that took 25 years to build. Not because of funding delays or construction problems — because it was handcrafted. Every surface is real wood, not veneer. The interior features 10,000 individually hand-turned wooden diamonds, each requiring 32 turns on a lathe. The trim, the columns, the detail work in the octagonal stars — all done by hand, on site. The chandeliers were cast in aluminum from pieces in the institute's own museum collection, then finished to look like bronze and gilt.
A Texas travel show host called his visit "one of the most magical moments on The Daytripper." A small-town vlogger compared the building to Hogwarts and couldn't believe something this grand existed in a town of 90 people.
During the summer festival (six weeks in June and July), 90 student musicians from around the world are in residence. Concerts happen every Saturday: chamber music at 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM, full orchestra at 7:30 PM. All students attend on full scholarship.
But here's what most people don't realize: the concert series runs nearly year-round. From August through April, Festival Hill hosts monthly concerts featuring everything from brass bands to mariachi music to solo piano recitals by James Dick himself. The patriotic concert is their biggest annual seller.
Tickets are available at festivalhill.org or by phone. If you time a weekend trip around one of these concerts, you'll experience something truly unlike anything else in rural Texas. You can find Festival Hill and other year-round events on Round Top Finder's Calendar page — we list concerts, special events, and happenings beyond just the antique show.
Royers Round Top Cafe and Pie Haven: The Reason People Drive Hours
If Festival Hill is the cultural reason to visit off-season, Royers is the culinary one.
Bud Royer started the cafe over 30 years ago. It's now run by his son JB and daughter-in-law Jamie Lynn. The menu is what they call "sophisticated comfort food" — this isn't standard small-town diner fare. The beef tenderloin seared on a flat top and covered in onion-mushroom red wine cream sauce, served on mashed potatoes, was described by one TV host as potential last-meal material.
But the pies are the legend. Royers serves them as appetizers — yes, before your meal — and charges extra if you don't get ice cream on top. The signature flavors include Texas Trash (chocolate chips, graham crackers, pretzels, caramel, coconut), Junkberry (apples, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries with sour cream topping), and the classic buttermilk pecan.
One vlogger — a born-and-raised Texan who's been eating pecan pie his entire life — tried Royers' version and declared it the best pecan pie he'd ever had. His review was nearly emotional.
Pie Haven, the sister location on Henkel Square, serves the same pies plus savory options like chicken pot pie and shepherd's pie. It's a smaller, more casual stop — perfect for a midday break when you're walking around town.
Junk Gypsy: The Permanent Attraction
Amy and Jolie Sykes — the Junk Gypsy sisters from HGTV — moved their entire operation to Round Top and never left. Their Gypsyville world headquarters on the highway is open year-round and is part store, part museum, part experience.
The inventory mixes antiques, junk, vintage finds, new merchandise, clothing, and cowgirl boots. There are wooden Indians and taxidermy and frilly cowgirl boots and things you didn't know you wanted until you saw them under one roof. The store gets crowded during show weeks, but visiting off-season means you can actually browse without the chaos.
The Sykes sisters described Round Top's appeal perfectly in one interview: you can slow down in Round Top. That's the off-season draw — porch sitting, coffee drinking, and wandering at your own pace through a town that manages to be both tiny and endlessly interesting.
The Off-Season Shopping Scene
Round Top isn't a ghost town between shows. Several shops and venues keep their doors open year-round, and the vibe is completely different — no traffic, no crowds, no competition for parking.
Market Hill stays open Thursday through Sunday and was praised across multiple videos for having the most diverse vendor selection of any Round Top venue. It has a lunch spot and a bathroom on-site — both of which are surprisingly valuable features in this part of Texas.
Paul Michael Company is a design destination with multiple vendor spaces under one roof, plus a dining component. Several YouTube creators mentioned it as a place where you can spend hours.
Round Top Ranch Antiques bills itself as the largest antique store in Round Top and specializes in imported European furniture and oil paintings.
Henkel Square Market on the town square features a walkable collection of shops with climate control — a rare luxury.
The experience of shopping these venues off-season is fundamentally different. No pressure, no time crunch, no elbowing through crowds. The vendors have time to talk. You have time to think. And prices don't carry the show-week premium.
Not sure what's open when you're planning to visit? Round Top Finder's vendor and venue listings include hours and seasonal availability — check the "Open Now" filter or look at individual venue profiles to confirm they'll be open before you make the drive. During show weeks, the directory covers 200+ vendors and dozens of venues. Off-season, it helps you find the permanent shops, year-round restaurants, and services that keep the town alive between shows.
Food Beyond Royers
Round Top's dining scene has quietly expanded beyond its most famous cafe.
Lulu's is an Italian restaurant inside Hotel Lulu that multiple designers called a must. The cacio e pepe pasta was specifically recommended by one design team who said their whole crew orders it and shares.
Boon and Company was described as the "greatest, latest, coolest space in Round Top" — a combination of gourmet foods, wine, food retail, and dining. They don't take reservations; you put your name on the list and shop or sip wine on the porch while you wait. There's a new bar upstairs called Bar 17.
Round Top Coffee Shop does breakfast tacos, strong coffee, and a weekend breakfast buffet in a cozy setting with local art on the walls.
The Round Top Mercantile is the town's general store — hardware, groceries, feed, and a deli counter that makes excellent sandwiches. One TV host called his club sandwich "totally worth it" and the dining room has a charming, old-school cafeteria vibe.
For dinners during off-season, check hours carefully. Several restaurants have limited schedules (some close by 2 PM, some are closed Monday and Tuesday, some have shortened Sunday hours). Calling ahead isn't just recommended — it's essential. Round Top Finder's Dining directory lets you filter by cuisine type, meal service (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and features like outdoor seating or a full bar — and each listing includes hours so you're not showing up to a locked door.
History and Culture
Round Top dates to the 1830s. It was part of Stephen F. Austin's colony, named for a house with a round cupola that served as the post office. The town claims the oldest continuous Fourth of July celebration west of the Mississippi, held annually since 1851.
Walking the town, you'll find historical markers at nearly every turn. The Bethlehem Lutheran Church (1866) is the oldest Lutheran sanctuary in Texas. The Henkel Square historical complex offers tours on the second Saturday of each month. The Sage House was home to a local cigar factory owner and justice of the peace. Original settler cabins from the 1830s–1850s still stand.
For a self-guided history tour, the Round Top Area Historical Society has mapped out the significant sites. It takes maybe an hour on foot — and you'll pass through a town where the buildings themselves are antiques.
Nearby Excursions
Round Top sits roughly equidistant between Austin and Houston (about 90 minutes each way), making it a natural day trip or weekend getaway. But the surrounding area has its own attractions.
Burton Cotton Gin Museum (20 minutes away) — The country's oldest operating cotton gin, with daily guided tours of the 1914 facility. Open Tuesday through Saturday.
Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham — Self-guided tours, an ice cream parlor, and a country store. A classic Texas family stop.
Saddlehorn Winery in Burton — Wine tasting on a 390-acre ranch with beautiful views.
Rohan Meadery — Mead, wine, and ciders made with local ingredients. Tasting room open Thursday through Sunday.
Lake Fayette — A 2,000-acre lake voted one of the best bass fishing spots in Texas.
Winedale — A 225-acre University of Texas historical complex with 19th-century wooden structures, including homes, a schoolhouse, a barn, and log cabins. National Register of Historic Places.
Where to Stay
Off-season lodging is dramatically easier (and often cheaper) than during show weeks, when you need to book a year in advance. Options include:
The Vintage Round Top — A lodging property that also publishes detailed Round Top guides.
Round Top Inn — In-town accommodations.
Hotel Lulu — Home to Lulu's restaurant, a more upscale option.
The Frenchie Boutique Hotel — Boutique style in the Round Top area.
Airbnb — Numerous options ranging from designer-renovated cottages with vintage-inspired appliances to rural properties with acreage. Several YouTube visitors stayed at rural Airbnbs 15–20 minutes from town and were happy with the tradeoff of quiet and space for a short drive.
Off-season tip: many lodging properties run discounts for weeknight stays between shows. Round Top Finder's Lodging directory lets you browse hotels, B&Bs, vacation rentals, glamping options, and RV parks — filtered by bedrooms, amenities, pet-friendliness, and more. During show weeks, our Cancellation Alerts notify you instantly when a room opens up at the last minute. Off-season, you'll have your pick.
Planning Your Off-Season Trip
Best for: Couples getaways, girlfriend weekends, mother-daughter trips, or anyone who wants small-town Texas charm without the show-week chaos.
How long: One full day is enough to hit the highlights. A weekend lets you settle in and actually relax.
Getting there: About 90 minutes from Austin or Houston. Rent a car — there's no rideshare to speak of in Round Top.
What to bring: Comfortable walking shoes (the town is walkable but surfaces are uneven), layers (Texas weather is unpredictable), and an appetite.
What to expect: Quiet. Friendly people. Good food. Unexpected beauty. A town that feels like it shouldn't exist but absolutely does — and is worth every mile of the drive.
Whether you're scouting for your next show trip or just looking for a weekend escape, Round Top Finder helps you plan the whole visit — dining, lodging, shops, and events — all in one place. Download the app, browse from home, and show up knowing exactly what's open and where to go.
Round Top Finder — Your guide to Round Top year-round. Vendors, dining, lodging, events, and more. Available on web, iOS, and Android.
