Due South: This Artful Tiny Town Is an Antique Lover’s Dream

Plus: Roswell, Georgia; Beaufort film festival; eagle-watching spots

Lunch at Merritt Meat Company; Hotel Lulu’s Il Cuculo bar; Red Antler Bungalows.

Don’t let its pint-sized population (just eighty-seven full-time residents) fool you—Round Top, Texas, is a global phenomenon. The thrice-annual Original Round Top Antiques Fair has drawn vintage lovers since 1968, with vendors sprawling across town and visitors flying in from around the world. But these days Round Top is buzzing beyond the legendary fair thanks to year-round shopping destinations, a new film festival, and a multifaceted nightlife scene. Whether you’re heading there for the spring show (March 27–April 1) or planning an off-season visit, these spots will make your stay unforgettable.

Roanoke. Virginia in February is like an undecided college senior—panicking between possibilities. One day it’s a preview of spring with warm breezes; the next, a full-blown winter wonderland. That’s how my family found ourselves biking around Roanoke in 38-degree weather.

Ride or die. Arctic temperatures might not seem like the best conditions for exploring the Roanoke River Greenway, a picturesque 14.2-mile path tracing the river’s edge, but it was exactly what we needed to shake off our cabin fever. The team at Roanoke Mountain Adventures set us up with rentals, and we pedaled past charming covered bridges amid the rhythmic clatter of passing trains.
Pinball and period pieces. After a delicious lunch at Crystal Spring Grocery, curiosity led us to Roanoke’s Pinball Museum, where sixty playable machines made it hard to pull our nine-year-old away. But Eternally New: The Art Nouveau World of Alphonse Mucha (through March 16) at the Taubman Museum of Art called us away. The exhibit immersed us in Mucha’s world with towering projections, scent boxes, and an interactive digital station. Take note, curators—this is how you engage kids in art.
Farm to fable. With our heads still spinning from biking, pinball battles, and a whirlwind of culture, we geared up for dinner at bloom. The hyper-local meal—unctuous tête de cochon, a toasty warm pear salad, and braised carrots so pretty they deserved their own gallery wall—served up just the winter inspo I needed to get back in my own kitchen garden. Not that it’ll do me much good. I made it home just in time to rake out my raised beds, only for the forecast to call for two inches of snow tomorrow. Virginia, you’re unhinged.