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Texas
Romantic Getaway: Round Top
This is Round Top,
population 81. A favorite getaway for Houstonians, this village
is a marriage of country charm and city culture, a place where
you can bicycle on quiet backroads and enjoy a concert by a
world-class pianist performed in a grand hall reminiscent of
a European cathedral all in the same day. That talent has
made Round Top a shopping hotspot for Texans who are looking
for quality antiques and a country getaway. They park their
cars downtown and enjoy walking from shop to shop; almost every
store is located on the square or just one block away. One of
the longest running shops on the Square is the Round Top General
Store (979-249-3600). Since 1848, this two-story structure has
met the needs of Round Top area residents by serving as a hardware
store, grocery store, barber shop, funeral home, and even a
hotel. Today it’s a shop once again, but one specializing
in antiques and collectibles. Round Top is best
known as the home of Festival Hill (TX 237, 5 blocks north of
Henkel Square, 979-249-3129), the brainchild of pianist James
Dick. Started about 25 years ago, this center serves as a training
ground every summer for serious music students from around the
world, selected to live and study here under the direction of
a world-class faculty. Their work has brought universal recognition
including a 13-hour series recorded and distributed through
National Public Radio. The focal point
of Festival Hill is the concert hall, a 1,000-seat limestone
structure whose interior, when not hosting a concert, is still
a construction zone. In its grandiose scale and its dedication
to craftsmanship, the concert hall rises from its rural surroundings
like a grand cathedral looming above a European town. Work on
the concert hall and the rest of Festival Hill is on a “pay
as you go” basis. Carpenters recreate Old World craftsmanship
slowly, with projects such as a ceiling filled with compass
stars, each composed of over 700 pieces of beaded board. "This woodwork
and the creation of it is something that can still be done today,”
explains James Dick. “You can still aspire to do something
with your hands. That’s what Festival Hill is--doing something
with your hands and doing something that blooms out of that
endeavor.” Even if you don’t
have the opportunity to attend a concert, call to schedule a
tour of the building. Your look at Festival Hill can include
the David Guion Museum Room, housing a collection of belongings
and music of this Texas composer, and the Oxehufwud Room, a
collection of Swedish decorative arts which recalls the life
of a Swedish noble family whose final member retired in La Grange. But when there’s
no concert, the most romantic activity at Festival Hill is picnicking.
Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the 100-acre grounds, planted
with thousands of trees and crossed by walking trails and a
recently completed stonework bridge, constructed to resemble
a Roman footbridge. Tucked beneath tall oaks, the grounds are
quiet and you’ll usually dine without disturbance. Another well-known
area stop is the Winedale Historic Center (4 miles north of
Round Top on FM 1457, north on FM 2714, 979-278-3530). Operated
by the University of Texas, this site hosts annual Shakespeare
productions. A cast of students from assorted disciplines have
come to Winedale every summer for the past two decades to perform
the works of the Bard in an old hay barn. For 15 to 18 hours
a day, the students make costumes, prepare lighting, and practice,
practice, practice. Public performances are held Thursday through
Sunday evenings in late July and early August. Although Shakespeare
at Winedale is only a summer-only activity, the historic center
is a year-round attraction. Winedale is the creation of the
late philanthropist Miss Ima Hogg, daughter of former Governor
James Hogg. The project began in 1964 and was donated to the
University of Texas three years later. Today the 215-acre complex
houses a collection of historic structures, a research center,
a nature trail, and a picnic area. Weekend tours take visitors
through homes furnished with period antiques and boasting features
such as stenciled ceilings that recall the German culture of
the area. You can also get
a glimpse into the lifestyle of the area’s earlier residents
at Henkel Square, a collection of historic homes and businesses
dating from 1824 to 1915. The 40 buildings of Henkel Square
were assembled from around Fayette County and include an apothecary
shop that now serves as a visitors center, a schoolhouse-church,
and a log house whose walls are tinted with wash bluing. The
preservation of the buildings and the thousands of artifacts
with which they are filled is due to the early residents of
Round Top. From Shakespeare
to shopping, Beethoven to bed-and-breakfasts, Round Top offers
big city culture with small town simplicity. Short
and Sweet Getting there:
Festivals: This show began
as a way for 22 antiques dealers to add to their collections.
For nearly three decades the show has continued to grow and
word of its uniqueness has spread. Every dealer is required
to bring fresh merchandise to his booth--items not shown in
previous shows. Booths offer everything from teddy bears to
Windsor chairs, quilts to majolica, tole to tinware. Other exhibitors
offer American Indian rugs, rods, reels, creels, lodge furniture,
country wicker, and baskets. In recent years
the fair has added displays in an air-conditioned dance hall,
so now the show includes booths featuring decorative arts, more
formal furniture, Tiffany silver, Staffordshire, antique oriental
rugs, Flow Blue, and other fineries. The Round Top Antiques
Fair combines with the Round Top Folk Art Fair as the overflow
of antiques dealers sets up with folk artisans on Highway 237.
The Folk Art Fair is a real bonanza for collectors of folk dolls,
vintage buttons, woodcarvings, needlework, and more. All the
fair participants are selected because they work in colonial
and traditional styles, so their work is not at all like what
you would see in a typical arts-and-crafts show. They have been
chosen because their work compliments the country antiques look
featured in the show. Love Nests: Bed-and-breakfast
lovers looking for a slightly different atmosphere appreciate
Heart of My Heart Ranch (CR 217, 800-327-1242; www.heartofmyheartranch.com),
located about two miles from town. Heart of My Heart has nine
rooms, all containing antique furnishings. Guests can enjoy
a taste of country life, fish in the stocked lake, bicycle country
backroads, or just sit out on the grounds and listen to the
sounds of the ranch’s cattle herd. For More Information:
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Lovetripper.com Romantic Travel Guide
Imagine
starting your day in a two-story cabin. You and your loved one
are snuggled beneath a down comforter in an attic room lit with
windows that have seen a century of Texas sunrises. After a
country breakfast, you sit on the porch and watch as Texas’s
smallest town slowly wakes up. Later that day, you shop for
antiques, tour a historic village, then dine on shrimp marinara
or grilled red snapper. Finally, the day draws to an end with
a production of Shakespeare, performed in a barn deep in the
Texas countryside.
