Original Round Top Antiques Fair

PAY CASH! I bought some glass from a vendor last show. "Square" wouldn't go through so I paid cash. Just got my credit card statement and Square DID eventually go through. Contacted the vendor about the double charge and...surprise surprise surprise...crickets on his end. Lost about $118, won't break my bank but I will NEVER shop this show again. Round Top really needs Starlink

Charges you $10 to get in just to see how overpriced everything is. New furniture marked up and that's the show. Disappointed to say the least. Asian place to get food was legit though

The drive there was lovely but your expectations here need to be on the low side. I have been too many antique stores and shows in my life since I was a child...this one is marked up by 70% higher pricing even for an antique store which I would pay if truly unique and quality piece with story & history behind it. However I was not impressed with the selection of vendor inventory saw alot of the same items. The food trucks were not a variety either and we paid $50 for a BBQ sandwich and loaded fries. Saw the whole place in about 4 hours. I could not find a quality lapel pin or brooch for under $500 it was ridiculous. I'm going back to the city but not this venue, I will be visiting all the other antique stores in the area. This place was all hype and no substance. Organizers need to do better next year.

Great place to spend the day with family & friends. So much to choose from.

So disappointed. We traveled from Australia to what we thought was 12 miles of antique and collectibles. What a joke. 12 miles of clothing and new furniture. The only descent place was Coles. To pay $40 each to get into Marberg was bull. It was new furniture and clothes as was Red Barn at $25 per person. I would not recommend this venue to anyone If you want to dress up in your texas cowgirl outfit this could be a goer for you. What a waste of a long trip. Go to Brimfield . Way better.

I've visited this venue a couple of years ago. I was very disappointed at how expensive everything was. There were some decent things, but the vast majority of the vendors were priced at retail or higher. The food was great and the people were real nice.

The Compound in Roundtop is great place to shop!

Open for 3 antique shows per year. Heated and air conditioned with ceiling fans, it is comfortable for Spring, Fall & Winter shows. Minimal but adequate restrooms. Plenty of parking. Dealers from all over the USA with some from Europe. This has grown into a huge event...to big to see it all...all along hiway 237. The Big Red Barn is the best of all if one likes & seeks good, quality American antiques. The adjacent Continental Tents offer excellent antiques from Europe, too. One of the best & largest shows in the USA.

These reviews are very confusing so after having attended this year, I'm going to try and clarify. The Round Top Antique Fair takes place in spring and fall. There are large main venues like the Red Barn and Blue Hills. Then there are multiple smaller venues located alongside several miles of TX-237. Many of the negative reviews on here complain about the $10 entrance fee. That's just the Red Barn. All the other venues are free. Blue Hills is another big venue so both will get crowded and you may get stuck looking for parking, exiting, etc. Their website is pretty useful and has a downloadable guide with a map, etc. It's still so tough to know where to start because there are so many venues, with a variety of antiques (at different price points). The guide provides a decision chart which was only mildly helpful. It just separated home decor from clothing and that sort of thing. We were interested in a specific type of home decor which took a while to track down. I left a separate review for Blue Hills (we didn't go to the Red Barn at all because it wasn't open on the dates we visited) but I'll repeat here. We came early (GOOD MOVE) and were able to quickly get a parking spot. In just an hour, the place was full of cars trying to find parking. Luckily, we were in and out. So if you're interested in coming here (or Red Barn), go early. We were only in Round Top for one day so I'd have been really upset to spend most of it at this venue. Personally, I found Blue Hills disappointing. This is based strictly on what I prefer in terms of my antiquing experience. I like the more traditional antique store experience -- a variety of art, decor, trinkets, etc. all at different price points. I like finding weird dolls and clowns (that I won't necessarily buy) and finding little treasures that won't cost a fortune. I didn't see many vendors like that here (I had better luck at The Venue and Zapp Hall for that sort of experience). I saw a lot of larger items -- furniture (some of it very expensive) and expensive European art and rugs, etc. Some yard decorations. The best vendor was probably the one selling antique maps. Ultimately, Blue Hills didn't have what I was looking for. This festival is so big that if you can stay in town for a couple days, it's better. It's just so hard to know where to go to find your type of antiques and you're really relying on trial and error mostly. Ultimately, it's a really cool experience that I've never found anywhere else. So many vendors, so many antiques.

I wish I would have read the reviews before hand. I rarely give an establishment 2 stars. But this one was earned. If you're not familiar with the "famous" Round Top Antique Fair you may be under the impression like I was that a ticket is needed for the entire experience. But such is not the case. This is one of the first stops as you enter the teeny tiny town of Round Top and if you want to come into the barn and another building not far away you can buy a ticket either online or at the door. Cash or card accepted. Sadly, the ladies at the door are not the most welcoming or friendly. Despite my lack of welcome I was not going to let the sour pusses ruin my adventure. I had been waiting eight years to get here and I can't believe it took me this long! Oh, and don't forget to wear your best Aspen, Santa Fe style boho cowgirl outfit so you'll fit right in. Go down the street to the newly open Kimo Sabe to get your branded feathered hat. The Barn is only an hour and 40 minutes from The Woodlands the drive was not bad and there's a Bucee's on the way for a rest. I had no idea Round Top was this close! Perfect day tripping! Anyway, after walking in you'll see an array of booths displaying all kinds of antiques and jewelry and lots of furniture. The welcome from these establishments was underwhelming. Lots of grumpy buzzards. And most of the stuff could be found at Goodwill or local antique stores for much less. Warning! Only porta-potty bathrooms here! The sticker shock on the items was ...shocking too. I did buy a little trinket from the one and only sweet vendor with reasonable prices but I have to say, the best thing about the Barn? Was leaving! We drove down the road and found lots of friendly vendors and needed no ticket it was free!! We found more shopping and a great restaurant at the town square too. Bottom line...I'll be back to Round Top just not here and BtW I had a better time at Bucees!

This is one of the biggest antique fairs/shows in the United States. This is my first time attending the show and I'm having so much fun! It's like you're time traveling in museums under the tents. The only reason I'm not giving a 5 stars is bc most of the antiques I found here are overpriced. Their show ticket us good for 6 days so I'll be back again over the weekend:)

Like the others, the $10 entrance fee is irritating however they only take cash. Come on people you can't get with the times and do Venmo, etc.....? I have been here a couple of times before, and will agree that it's really overpriced and it leans more towards granny type stuff

One of the only places that charges. The $10 fee is not worth it. It's full of junk and overpriced, underwhelming antiques. There's so many better places to go that don't charge. This is a waste of time and money. Time is better spent somewhere else.

Not worth the $7 entry fee. Everything here is way overpriced. Keep driving and there are at least a dozen "free" antique shops with better selections and prices.

So many antiques in one place! For two summers I participated in the classical music program at Festival Hill and would drive by the Big Red Barn on my way to and from the campus in Round Top. Being the lover I am of hunting for antique gems, I decided this year to finally check it out. First of all, you should know that the antiques festival is not just the Big Red Barn. There are many antiques outposts that set up all along the highway into town. Some are more artisanal antique-looking items, more so than actual antiques. The Big Red Barn charges an admission fee ($10 when I was there) for an entry bracelet. There are multiple tents with vendors. The biggest one is at the entrance, with rows and rows of booths. It's everything you'd expect: China, dishes, knickknacks, linens. People know what they have so expect to pay market rate. I ended up buying a set of antique China dishes from England (marked for $750, but I got the set for $100) and my friend bought some antique flora prints. We had fun and I'm glad I can say I went, although I don't feel the need to go back again.

DO NOT waste your time, or your $10 here!!!! We purchased our tickets online and drove from Houston. We thought you needed tickets for the entire Round Top experience which isn't the case. This place is extremely overpriced and small, we were done in about 20 min. Hop in your car and head a little up the road and you will find everything you are looking for!!!

Go further into town for free antique shops. This place will charge $10 per person and the antiques are very expensive. If that is what you are looking for then this is your place. We were looking for good deals and good furniture pieces for a new house which you can't find here. We arrived before they opened and left about 30 minutes after regretting our $10.

first and last time for us..., could not find any antiques of worth, vendors must buy at antique prices and expect to profit in a flea market environment. That's the wrong way around folks.... We found free parking at peripheral markets but in Round Top itself we were insulted, berated and intimidated upon exiting after not wishing to pay $5 for parking.

Complete waste of money! They charge $10 just to enter and everything is way overpriced. Drive the few extra minutes up the road to all of the FREE places to shop.