The original plan from October 23, 2026. Times, forecasts, prices and opening hours below are historical planning information. Read what actually happened in the journal.
| 4:00 | Pumpkin class starts |
| 3:45 | Glassworks wants you there (closed-toe shoes) |
| 3:15 | Your target: in Salado with a 30-minute cushion |
| 1:25 | Leave Herk's at the latest: back roads from Lexington take about 97 min, about 112 padded |
| 12:15 | Arrive Herk's if you leave La Bahia at 11:30 (about 41 min, 47 padded) |
Working backward from 3:15 with every leg padded about 15 percent: leave your last Round Top stop by 11:30 (sit-down lunch at Herk's, back roads, arrive about 2:25 to 2:40). 11:50 is the latest that still works with Herk's and the back roads (from La Bahia it stretches to about noon). After that, switch to the fast route (US 290 to Elgin, SH 130 toll, I-35) with food to go from Southside Market's drive-thru in Elgin; 12:20 is the hard stop for that. Drive times are routing estimates, not live traffic.
All three start at 8:30 and finish at Market Hill or on the way out. Here is what is actually different.
| 9:05 | The Horseshoe (south of Round Top, across from Marburger). Covered shops and outdoor areas, about 50 dealers. |
| 9:50 | Drive north through Round Top (5 to 8 min). Optional 5-minute look at the square. |
| 10:00 | Market Hill, both buildings. Indoor, AC, real restrooms. |
| 11:05 | La Bahia, right where SH 237 meets US 290. Friday is its opening day, so the stock is fresh. |
| 11:30 | Leave for Herk's |
Why: it has the most variety matching your list: cowboy and rodeo memorabilia and taxidermy (oddities), toys and leather goods, estate jewelry for Brandy, an automotive memorabilia dealer, and vintage workwear (the only clothing at the show that might fit Billy). You drive one direction the whole time and never backtrack.
Catch: the Horseshoe's 9 AM opening is listed, not confirmed by the venue. If it's sleepy at 9:05, browse the outdoor area first.
| 9:10 | Renck Hall and Field: the original 1981 Warrenton show. Its indoor hall only opened Thursday. The 9 AM opening is verified. |
| 9:50 | Little House Field, 2 minutes away |
| 10:45 | Market Hill, Building 1 (Zap Props) |
| 11:25 | Leave for Herk's |
Why: Renck is old-school: general old smalls, tools, scales, odd books in boxes, the kind of thing you dig for. Talkative long-time dealers. Little House has the only knife dealer named anywhere at the show (A Touch of the Past: vintage knives and coins, heavy things for the hand).
Catch: your phone's location log shows you were parked at Renck's address (4123 SH 237) from 4:37 to 6:47 PM Thursday, so much of this is ground you already covered. The toy dealer there leans Matchbox and action figures, which isn't really you. And it gives Market Hill only about 40 minutes.
| 9:05 | The Horseshoe, a quick 40 minutes |
| 9:50 | Optional peek at the Round Top square (Opa's, if open) |
| 10:00 | Market Hill at opening: a full 70 minutes in both buildings, with real time to talk to the Zap Props and Black Swan dealers |
| 11:10 | Leave, passing La Bahia (skip or a 10-minute peek) |
Why: the strongest stuff for your tastes is at Market Hill, and you love dealer stories. Catch: fewer total booths seen, less chance of a random surprise.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New ground vs Thursday | All new | Mostly repeat (you parked at Renck Thursday) | All new |
| Time at Market Hill | 55 min | 40 min | 70 min |
| Oddities and memorabilia | Strong | Some | Strongest |
| Knives and coins | Coins (La Bahia) | Yes | No |
| Jewelry for Brandy | Yes | Some | Yes |
| Random dig-through junk | Medium | Most | Least |
| Opening time confirmed | Listed | Verified | Listed |
Also considered and graded lower: Bar W (C+ now; mostly big outdoor signs, which you don't want); Excess (C+; mostly European furniture and rugs); The Compound (B; nice books and jewelry, but rare books aren't your thing, and the Porsche art lead is out); Junk Gypsy, Arbors, Halles, Marketplace Warrenton (D to C; boutique-heavy); Zapp Hall (done Thursday). Not open Friday morning: Carmine Hall (5 PM preview only), Big Red Barn (opens Oct 25), Marburger (opens Oct 27).
Zap Props and Artifacts, Market Hill Bldg 1 BEST BET
William Rawski's Chicago prop house: coin-op contraptions, vintage slot machines and gambling devices, restored neon, hand-painted instruments, oddball Americana. He posted Oct 22 that he's set up through Oct 31. Started in jukeboxes. Ask him: "What's the strangest thing on the truck?"
Black Swan Antiques, Market Hill Bldg 2 BEST BET
Scientific and optical instruments and decorative metalware. This is where the "very cool scientific stuff" lives.
Paul Michael Co., Market Hill Bldg 1
Geodes, fossils and petrified wood. Small polished pieces turn up: a perfect heavy thing to hold.
Susan Wheeler, Market Hill Bldg 1
Quirky vintage jewelry (Brandy).
The West Place, Horseshoe
Cowboy and rodeo memorabilia from the 1920s to 70s, taxidermy and silver.
Matthew Ready, Horseshoe
Victorian to mid-century estate jewelry, plus early fishing rods and brass reels. Ask about vintage watches.
Downtown Boyscout, Horseshoe
Scouting memorabilia, leather goods, toys and branded vintage.
Rhode and Sons, Horseshoe
Vintage workwear and chore coats: boxy cuts, the only vintage clothing likely to fit 5XLT.
Roadhouse Supply Co., Horseshoe
Automotive memorabilia. A long shot for Porsche smalls.
Gild Gather, La Bahia, in front of the concession
Greg Gray, "The Great Bearded Picker," a talker. Comics, toys, coins, antique books, postcards. Your best shot at odd old books.
A Touch of the Past, Little House (Plan B)
Vintage knives and coins.
Opa's Vintage Gal, store at 303 N Washington on the Round Top square
Her grandfather's untouched 1952 wholesale warehouse: new-old-stock calculators, 1950s Japanese lighters, novelty gadgets. A great story. Store hours this week are unknown; if it's open when you pass the square, go in.
| Horseshoe | Free on-site lot (listed). Marburger across the road isn't open yet, so no traffic jam. |
| Market Hill | Free, "plentiful" (verified). Park between Building 1 and Building 2. |
| La Bahia | Free grass field (verified free). Park toward the concession end; Gild Gather is right there. |
| Renck | Free, right rear of the hall (verified). |
| Little House | $5 (listed). |
| Zapp | $5 Old Gin lot behind the Warrenton grocery (verified). |
No rain Oct 20 to 22 and none forecast, so dry grass is fine for the Porsche 981S. No venue publishes its lot surface. Pick a level spot near the exit lane so you're not trapped.
No 5XLT is confirmed anywhere at the show or on the route. The best look-only bet is Rhode and Sons' boxy vintage chore coats at the Horseshoe. Off-show: Men's Wearhouse in Temple advertises big and tall (254-773-8389). DXL Round Rock stocks up to 8X tall, but you said skip it.
Recommended: the back roads (about +15 min). From Round Top: US 290 west to Giddings, US 77 north to Lexington (Herk's), on to Rockdale, FM 487 through Davilla to Bartlett, SH 95 to Holland, then FM 2268 into Salado. No I-35, no toll roads, all paved state roads.
How good is it? Honestly, pleasant, not spectacular. It's farm country and old small-town downtowns. FM 487 between Davilla and Bartlett is the highlight, with sweeping curves through farmland and woods (a riders' route guide). This is not Hill Country, and no truly hilly route fits within your 30 extra minutes. But it skips I-35 entirely, and it's well inside your budget.
Fast version (only if you leave late): US 290 west past Giddings to Elgin, SH 45/SH 130 toll road north, then about 17 miles of I-35 to Salado. About 15 minutes quicker than the back roads, but it skips Herk's and Lexington; eat at Southside Market in Elgin (drive-thru, open 9 to 9). Toll by mail is fine. Note: finishing via Jarrell on I-35 is actually slower than the Holland back-road finish.
No closure on I-35 or the back roads was verified tonight (the state traffic site wouldn't load for us). Check Apple Maps before you leave Round Top.
Herk's Store and Grill, 8603 N US 77, Lexington. Burgers and sandwiches, right on the route, open Friday 6 AM to 8 PM (verified). Call ahead for to-go if you're late: 979-773-2040. Reviews mention occasional waits; allow 30 minutes.
Backups: City Meat Market in Giddings (old-school counter BBQ, 101 W Austin St, open 7:30 to 4 listed); Southside Market in Elgin (fast-route only). McCain's in Salado serves lunch until 2 if you somehow arrive early and hungry.
Friday: sunny, 0% rain. About 57 F at 8 AM, 80 by noon, 86 by 4 PM. Light wind. Saturday: sunny, 0% rain, gusts 20 to 25 mph. 57 F at 7 AM, 69 at 10, 86 by 4 PM. Hats and sunscreen. (National Weather Service, pulled about midnight.)
| 7:00 | Leave the Red Barn for Round Rock Donuts, 106 W Liberty Ave, Round Rock (drive-thru or walk-up). About 35 to 40 min on I-35. |
| 7:40 | Four boxes of chocolate-covered. Head back north. |
| 8:20 | Back at the Red Barn: freezer or fridge for the donuts if there is one. It'll be 86 F with the chocolate in a convertible. |
| 8:45 | Creek walk: Sirena the mermaid at Sirena Park (380 S Main, just south of the Main St bridge), Pace Park, then the Green Walking Bridge (110 N Main). All within about half a mile. |
| 9:35 | Salado Sculpture Garden, 113 Salado Plaza Dr. About a mile from Sirena; drive it. |
| 10:00 | Pick up pumpkins at the Glassworks. Pieces cool overnight and are ready the next day (verified). Confirm the time at Friday's class (254-947-0339). |
| 10:30 | Pack and check out (checkout is noon, verified on the Red Barn site). |
| 11:00 | Schoepf's BBQ, 702 E Central Ave, Belton. No. 1 on Texas Barbecue Online's 2026 Top 50; opens at 11 (verified). |
| 12:00 | Back roads home: SH 317 through Moody, McGregor and Crawford to Valley Mills, SH 6 through Clifton to Meridian, then SH 174 through Rio Vista to Cleburne and on to Arlington. |
| ~3:30 | Home in Interlochen. About 45 min longer than I-35, and much nicer. |
Every route uses about 7 miles of I-35 between Salado and Belton. If you're spent after lunch, I-35 gets you home around 2:45.
Sources: venue sites (Renck, Zapp, Little House, Excess, Market Hill, Compound, Carmine Hall, Marburger, Round Top Antiques Fair), Round Top Finder venue and dealer pages (961 dealer pages keyword-searched), dealer sites and posts, Herk's, Schoepf's, Salado Glassworks, Red Barn Hideaway, the Village of Salado parks page, Round Rock Donuts, the National Weather Service, and OSRM routing. Full research notes with every link are on file.