Everything You Need to Know About the Round Top Winter Show: Your Guide to the Laid-Back Fun

The Round Top Winter Antiques + Design Show has been steadily gathering steam, with more venues and vendors participating each season. This January’s event will be the biggest Winter Show in Round Top history, with 25 venues already signed on.

Scheduled for January 18 through January 21, there will be more than enough shopping to fill the long weekend. Still, the Winter Show’s smaller size and laid-back vibe feels more like the Round Top antique shows of yore. The Winter Antiques + Design Show is perfect for those who may be intimidated by the vastness of the spring and fall shows, or simply don’t enjoy the increased traffic and larger crowds that come with those seasons.

If you’ve never attended a Round Top Antiques + Design Show, the Winter Show can serve as a great introduction. Think of it as Round Top on training wheels.

What’s Open?

This is the most frequently asked question about Round Top any time of year. Below is a list of venues that will be open for the Winter Antiques + Design Show, both in and around Round Top. These are places to shop that are generally open seasonally only. Bear in mind that not every vendor at every venue listed will be participating, but each venue listed will at a minimum have a select group of vendors on hand.

Your Round Top Winter Show Vendors:

The Halles will be open for the Winter Show, January 18 – 21

The Original Round Top Antiques Fair (aka Big Red Barn)

Bader Ranch

Cisco Village

Antique Round Top

The Horseshoe. (Photo by Candice Cowin)

McLaren’s Antiques & Interiors

Pieces from former occupant Big Daddy’s Antiques will be on offer during the inaugural auction

Bayberry’s Antiques

The Compound

Burton

Bayberry’s Antiques

Bill Moore Antiques Warehouse

Carmine

The Original Round Top Antiques Fair (aka Big Red Barn)

Round Top

*Garden & Gun Magazine will return to Blue Hills this winter with a speakeasy style pop-up lounge designed by Holloway Events. The G&G Club Pop-Up presented by Explore Charleston runs January 18 – 21 and will feature drinks by High Wire Distilling and Rose Gold Wine, and Lowcountry style snacks. Sip while you shop products from Charleston-based brands Brackish, Croghan’s Jewel Box, and Madison Mathews.

**Garden & Gun will also present a special dinner event at Los Olivos Farm on Friday, January 19. A multi-course seated dinner prepared by chef Leonard Botello IV of Truth BBQ and Round Top’s own Merritt Meat Co. will follow a festive cocktail hour featuring live music, drinks by High Wire Distilling and Rose Gold Wine, and oysters from Lowcountry Oyster Co. Get tickets, here.

The Bull Market

Cisco Village

Gasoline Hill & Antiques

Maison Sud

McLaren’s Antiques & Interiors

The Chicken Ranch

Ex-Cess II

Campbell Building

Bar W Field

Bill Moore Antiques Warehouse

Gasoline Hill & Antiques

Warrenton

Granny McCormick’s Yard

The Stone Meadow

W Venue (formerly Hillcrest Inn)

Tree Park

What Else is Open? Year-Round Stores, Bars & Restaurants

All the year-round stores, bars and restaurants will be open simultaneously for the Round Top Winter Show, so there will be plenty of shopping, dining and drinking to do in and around town. All the restaurants, bars and stores at The 550 Market, Henkel Square, Round Top Village, The 303, Market Hill, Rolland Square and Minden Square will be open for business as usual throughout the Winter Show.

Visit The Guide for the full list of year-round businesses.

Round Top Winter Show Tips

Many of the same tips apply to the Round Top Winter Show as any other season. The smaller size of this event makes it less complicated and more manageable, still I’d recommend the following:

By all means check the forecast before heading out, but be prepared for the weather to change on a dime. Winter weather in Round Top can range from unseasonably warm to freezing temperatures, and from bright sunshine to rain or frozen precipitation all in the same day. High, gusty winds are also common in the Round Top countryside. Your hairdo likely will not survive it.
Wear sunscreen and/or a hat, and dress in layers that can easily be removed (and put back on). Choose comfortable shoes that are mud and gravel proof for shopping. Don’t be a hero. Save your fancy kicks for aprés antiques dinner and cocktails.
There will be plenty of opportunities to wet your whistle at both the venues and local restaurants and bars, but carry a bottle of water to stay hydrated.
If you are hydrating properly, chances are you’ll need to use the bathroom at a few stops. Most of the venues that are open this winter have permanent bathrooms with proper hand washing stations, but the Warrenton area is a bit more rustic. You may find yourself in a porto-potty situation, so it never hurts to bring hand sanitizer.
There are plenty of places to find food, both at the venues and the year-round squares (550 Market, Henkel Square, Rolland Square, Minden Square). Unless you have your heart set on eating at popular restaurants like Royers or Mandito’s, stop and eat where you are when you are hungry. Don’t overthink it. The food at the venues is great.
Bring a shopping list with measurements of your home and a tape measure, but be prepared to go off script. Round Top has a way of introducing us to things we never knew we wanted.
Most parking is free and ample during the Round Top Winter Show. The Original Round Top Antiques Fair (aka Big Red Barn) is the only venue that will be charging for entry this winter. Yes, it’s worth it.
Parking surfaces vary. Many are pastures paved with gravel, uneven grass, or dirt. If it rains, be careful where you park or you might get stuck. If you do get stuck, don’t worry too much. This is Texas and there is always a friendly person with a big truck and tow cables nearby who has been waiting for this moment.
See something you like, but want to shop around? Take a photo of the item and get the vendor’s contact information. Then cross your fingers and hope it will still be there when you return. Chances are it won’t.
Want to buy a large item, but don’t have room in your ride? Now you know why everyone brings a truck or full-size SUV to the show, but it’s OK if you didn’t. Ask the venue if they offer shipping services. Many of them do, or can provide you with a delivery contact.
If you overspent and are carrying so many bags that you need to leave a purchase with a vendor to pick up later, take a picture of the merchandise and keep the receipt to show the dealer when you return. They meet a lot of people during the shows and you may not be as memorable as you think.
Consider bringing a foldable rolling cart or wagon if you’re in acquisition mode. That way you can carry more items and avoid leaving things behind, or having to backtrack.

Bottom line: The Round Top Winter Antiques + Design Show is good fun and definitely worth attending. It’s well worth the drive as there will be plenty to eat, drink and buy. I’d recommend staying for the full weekend if you can, but book any lodging ASAP. Local rooms are selling out fast.

For a full list of local lodging options, visit The Guide.