Round Top Unlocked is a new travel and tourism-focused program offering curated group experiences any time of year.
While Round Top, arguably the coolest little town in Texas, may be on the lips of global travelers, home design and fashion aficionados, and in the know influentials for its big city swagger, it remains a hidden gem whose abundant charms and beguiling inner workings are just waiting to be unlocked.
And that’s a job for someone who literally helps to hold the keys to the city.
Round Top Unlocked is a new travel and tourism-focused program that organizes private group experiences that show off the picturesque “one square mile” town (population 99) and surrounding area to its best advantage.
Created by Jim Kastleman (president of Round Top Publishers, who are behind the thrice annual Round Top Antiques & Design Show Guide and roundtop.com, and owner of The Halles design and antiques marketplace), Round Top Unlocked offers curated, customizable happenings informed by a network of locals and experts with a vested interest in promoting the community and advancing its status as a year-round and seven-day-a-week tourist destination.
Girlfriend weekends, bachelor and bachelorette parties, weddings, corporate retreats, family reunions, luxury day-tripping and more can be built around activities such as shopping and dining and include private tours, art and history appreciation, live music, cooking classes and wine or beer tastings.
Think of it as a VIP, all-access pass to the bounty Round Top has to offer and a perfect complement to the town’s myriad unique small lodgings that span from Red Antler Bungalows and The Round Top Motel to Wander Inn by Junk Gypsy and Hotel Lulu.
While Round Top is on the global map for antiques connoisseurs thanks to its thrice-yearly market weeks that can swell the town’s population from just under 100 to more than 100,000, its year-round offerings remain largely underused. As the town’s reputation for upscale retail and hostelry increases (bolstered by an annual music festival and new international film festival), there is tremendous, untapped potential to enjoy the everyday allure of the historic Texas community.
Kemo Sabe, Round Top. (Photo by Alex Montonya)
Kemo Sabe, Round Top. (Photo by Alex Montoya)
“As more people become acquainted with Round Top – its beauty, its people, its sense of place – there is still a great opportunity for discovery,” said Kastleman. “People who want to get to know the town may not know how to go about it, especially when many of its businesses operate on a Thursday through Sunday schedule. That’s where we come in. We have the capacity to open doors nearly 24/7 to the places and people that make Round Top unique; we’re the direct access to the flavors, the personality and the vibe that make it so special.”
Kastleman has created the framework for local businesses – retailers, restaurateurs, innkeepers, craftspeople, artisans, creatives and entrepreneurs – to avail themselves to bespoke visitor experiences steeped in Round Top hospitality. Those could include dining excursions, mixology classes, spa retreats and pool parties, brewery and winery classes, private gym workouts, movie screenings, chuckwagon dinners, horse saddling and calf roping.
Cisco Village, Round Top (Photo by Alex Montoya)
Cisco Village, Round Top (Photo by Alex Montoya)
Cisco Village, Round Top (Photo by Alex Montoya)
Cisco Village, Round Top. (Photo by Alex Montoya)
For event planners, it’s a dream tool for creating distinctive, personalized offerings for leisure and corporate clients. But it’s just as handy for individuals looking to create a memorable visit for a handful of friends and family.
Round Top Unlocked offers in-the-know access with true insider credibility. Kastleman and his associates have their fingers on the pulse of Round Top because they are a key part of the pulse. Kastleman’s The Halles isn’t just a major player in the antiques marketplace, it is also the headquarters for the media group behind the Round Top Antiques & Design Show Guide – entities that help distinguish and define the Round Top vibe.
As interest in Round Top has grown, so has its fascination. The town’s quirky distinctions – where generational townies mix with new, moneyed homesteaders, where jet-set knowingness plays out against bucolic country life, where Mayberry charms mingle with big city sophistication – are no longer a well-kept secret. Round Top is being found; Round Top Unlocked is its new roadmap.
Shopping Henkel Square, Round Top. (Photo by Alex Montoya)
Pickleball court at The Frenchie Boutique Hotel.
Dinner experience at The Halles, Round Top. (Photo courtesy of Round Top Unlocked)
Shopping Henkel Square, Round Top. (Photo by Alex Montoya)
Round Top Unlocked curated group experiences. (Photo by Alex Montoya)
“As residents and businesspeople, we all ‘get’ what Round Top is. Our goal is to share it,” Kastleman said. “Round Top Unlocked puts the best the town has to offer at your fingertips. In terms of experiencing Round Top, we’ve just scratched the surface. We’re here to help show you what makes this little town so special.”
Watch the Fox News interview with Jim Kastlman, here. To book your curated Round Top experience with Round Top Unlocked any day of the year, visit here.
