The Roundtopolis
Roundtop.com’s family of magazines Round Top Magazine and Round Top Antiques and Design Show Guide, chronicles life within the Roundtopolis™, a realm that encompasses Fayette, Lee, Bastrop, Austin, Colorado and Washington counties. Collectively this is the remaining rural stronghold between the sprawling metros of Houston, Austin and San Antonio. Here, where traditions meet transitions, Round Top, home to the nation’s largest antiques and vintage show, is the self-proclaimed capital.
Although this region is the birthplace of Texas, you won’t find it referred to as the Roundtopolis™ in any history or geography books because we coined the moniker. Frankly, we got tired of typing the names of all the counties we chronicle and needed a single descriptor, so we played with words. What struck our fancy? The oxymoronic idea of a rural “metropolis” where the capital’s population is 90.
And, yes our tongues were firmly in our cheeks.
If county lines don’t resonate with you, that’s okay because the Roundtopolis™ is filled with towns you’ll recognize. Of course, Round Top, but then there’s Brenham, La Grange, Shiner and Bastrop. Then, there are plenty more worth exploring if they’re not top of mind to you like they are to us: Carmine, Chappell Hill, Burton, Independence, Washington, Fayetteville, Columbus, Sealy, Schulenburg, Bellville, Giddings and a lot more.
What will find you here? Elbow room punctuated with the natural beauty of rolling hills, majestic oaks, grazing cattle and a profusion of spring wildflowers. This magical realm has long existed at the intersection of country and city, so don’t be surprised by the unpretentious sophistication that comes with being home to Festival Hill, an internationally renowned concert hall in Round Top, Shakespeare at Winedale or the vibrant selection of art galleries and museums. Culture, the kind tied to age-old ethnic traditions, is rich with community feasts, festivals, dances in historic halls and the famed Painted Churches of Texas. History lives at places like Washington on the Brazos, where Texas became a republic. Food from the state’s best barbecue to nuanced offerings from top chefs doesn’t disappoint. And thanks to the presence of the Round Top Antiques Show which provides unlimited inspiration, the designer inspired lodging can be a cut above.
We collect stories. The richness of Roundtopolis™ ensures we’ll never run out of material.