The small town of Round Top, in Texas, is the largest antiques show of its kind in the country, stretching along both sides of Highway 237 for more than 11 miles. During the show from March 23-28, the town, population 90, will explode to a few hundred thousand people.

Started in 1968 by Emma Lee Turney, the Round Top antiques show has grown to nearly 100 venues set up in barns, tents and hayfields. Known as “The Show” to Round Top veterans, visitors are treated to a vast and varied array of antiques, art, decor and more.

The 30,000-square-foot Big Red Barn and the Continental Tent offer a mind-boggling array of antiques, ranging from early American country to fine Continental furniture and accessories.

Almost anything you can imagine can be found at Round Top if you have the time to look — and look and look. It is impossible to cover the entire array, but it is incredible fun to search for that special piece.

This unbelievable celebration of “antiquing” now takes place twice each year. Besides the spring show later this month, a fall show is planned Oct. 26-31. And winter 2027 shopping is scheduled Jan. 21-23 at the Big Red Barn.

Round Top is located about two hours from Houston in beautiful Texas Hill Country. The most scenic time to attend is when the wildflowers are in bloom in the spring. Nearby in Brenham, I once saw five black cows grazing in a field covered in canary yellow wildflowers. It looked as though the Brenham Chamber of Commerce had arranged the scene for the many visitors who stop on the side of the road to take photos.

A veteran of the show

While I have been to Round Top several times, Lisa Ward Condrey, co-owner of the Southern Hotel in Covington, is a distinguished veteran who describes Round Top as “the most comprehensive antiquing experience that I’ve experienced in the United States. The breadth of what’s there at every price point is unimaginable.” 

Condrey admits that at one time she had 19 storage units filled with treasures carefully gathered for both her home and for the hotel, then under renovation. One of her most prized finds was a large, cast-iron console that found its home as the centerpiece of the “library” next to the hotel entrance.

Composed of cast-iron architectural detail salvaged from a demolished building, it arrived in pieces with no instructions. Lisa and I gradually managed to assemble this puzzle.

The biggest change at Round Top over the years has been an expansion from a focus on regional goods to displays from dealers from coast to coast.

You’ll find a tent filled with incredible French art deco furnishings next to another filled with vintage garden furniture, fountains and statuary. On one visit with friends, their near-5-year-old twin grandsons made a game of spotting anatomically correct putti, the charming winged cherubs. One boy would point and the other would giggle whenever they spotted a bare backside.

There are restaurants and food trucks where you are certain to find something appealing. My favorite remains good old Texas barbecue, because if you go to the source, you cannot go wrong.

Tex-Mex also appears in great abundance, and there are small cafes featuring salads for those so inclined.

Among the thousands who march from one location to the next are tastemakers and stylists from national retailers (think Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware) looking to spot whatever attracts the most interest from shoppers. In a way, Round Top is a pulse point of what is trending in the way of home furnishings.

If you go…

Round Top is a huge show. Keep in mind that although you will move your vehicle a number of times, you will still be walking a lot. Comfortable, sensible shoes are a must, along with sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat (maybe a cowboy hat), a large canvas tote and a notebook. Taking notes of things of interest and their locations can be invaluable because after a while, it can all become a blur.

Services offered include porters to help load your treasures into your vehicle, packers to box or crate purchases and, of course, shippers who can arrange delivery of pieces too large to fit into that SUV.

It’s best to plan ahead and arrange accommodations in advance, as any place near Round Top is at a premium.

Is the spring show coming up too soon? Not to fear, fall is not far away. You have ample time to plan an excursion in October, and there is the added benefit that it just might be a little cooler then.

The biggest takeaway: Go with an open mind. Yes, you may be looking for something specific, but remain open to finding something you had never imagined.

I once spotted a piece I had never seen before, and I had no idea what it might be. It was an open, shallow box-like piece about 20 inches square, and inside were rows of wooden pegs shaped like small bowling pins and spattered with either chalky pink or blue color.

We were told that they were balloon forms. After a bit of negotiation, we left with four of them. Installed tightly spaced in a geometric formation, they now serve as a colorful piece of art, adding both texture and interest in a guest bedroom.

You can find most anything at Round Top. Just be open and use your imagination.

Louis J. Aubert is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers and an avid preservationist. Some of his most visible New Orleans projects include making interior color selections for Gallier Hall, Trinity Episcopal Church and the Louisiana Supreme Court Royal Street Courthouse, and both interior and exterior selections for St. Stephen’s Basilica. Contact him at mrcolour@aol.com.Â