Sometimes You Just Need to Crash at the FlopHouze

by Michael Satterfield  -  05/11/2021

About halfway between Austin and Houston is a special little town, it really is little, in fact, it is the smallest municipality in Texas, Round Top. It is likely that if you have heard of Round Top it is for the sprawling antique sales made famous by the Junk Gypsy Company or perhaps their annual music festivals. But even when the massive antique swapmeet is shuttered and the music halls are quite the rustic charm, great food, and brilliant back roads make Round Top a destination for automotive and motorcycle enthusiasts. If you are going to roundtop for a few days, you might want to bring an SUV to bring home all the treasures you will find. While the backroads are more conducive to a sports car, at least we can enjoy them something kind of sporty, like the Chevy Trailblazer RS. 

From Houston, Austin, San Antonio, or College Station simply set your GPS and turn off the highway option to enjoy a beautiful drive to the small hilltop town. When there isn't a festival in town the sleepy village has a population of about 90, but the surrounding communities of Warrenton, Walhalla, and Fayetteville have all become part of the Round Top area. Along the way there are plenty of interesting places to stop, our route from Collge Station takes us through Independence, which was once one of the most important cities in Texas and the previous home of Sam Houston and Baylor University. No matter where you are headed in this part of Texas there are plenty of roadside attractions. 

Our destination for a few nights is the FlopHouze hotel, my wife Jennifer had arranged it, a boutique hotel built out of recycled shipping containers on a working ranch/architectural salvage facility. Each container is different and filled with unique touches from the salvage finds that Round Top is known for. Old bowling alley lanes make countertops on recycled lab cabinets from a 1960s high school, a door from an airplane frames a bathroom mirror, and bright fabrics bring pops of color to cigar-like space. 

Outside each container is decorated with murals by local artists, large fire pits, chairs, and hammocks are spread positioned overlooking a pasture full of Angus. Behind the containers are acres of salvaged building materials, aircraft parts, and other oddities that designers travel from across the country to sift through, looking for that perfect pair of brackets or perhaps the front clip of a flying boat to integrate into their design projects. 

The Flophouze is just a few miles outside of Round Top but feels like you are in the middle of nowhere, the tranquility is only broken by the sound of neighboring guests enjoying wine by the firepit or a random moo from one of the cows. As the sun sets we decide to find dinner, a task that can be tricky in small towns like Round Top where most of the local eateries close by 7 pm, heading northwest towards the slightly larger town of Giddings we find Los Patrones Mexican Grill and are seated under a taxidermied trophy buck. Thankfully they are open until 9 pm during the week and 10 pm on weekends. The food is good, the people watching is better, and the Margaritas are strong.

The next day we head up to shop for architectural pieces for our building project in Groesbeck, hunting for doors, windows, and hoping to find some interesting wood carvings or other details to add to the front of the building. A few things were promising, but with projects like this, you have to find the right pieces if you are going to capture that historic look. From here we head over to the world's smallest active service Catholic Church, which is an interesting stop and one of those perfect roadside attractions you hope to find on a road trip. 

Heading into town we decide to get lunch at Popi Burger, home to perhaps the best burger and fries I have ever had, and for sure one of the best chocolate shakes in Texas. If you are coming to Round Top for a day trip or a weekend, make sure to stop in a Popi for lunch. The same family also owns Lulu's Italian and Mandato's Tex-Mex, you can't go wrong with any of their restaurants.

Heading back to Flophouze, it is time to take in the pool, which is also a shipping container, and with its glass front wall, it is perfect for Instagram and is by far one of their most popular spots to snap photos. Also on the property is also a large barn which is filled with all manner of antiques and salvaged items, from a taxidermied giraffe to vintage Toyota Land Cruisers there is a lot to take in, and pretty much all of it is for sale, making it a dangerous place for those of us who have eclectic taste. 

Sadly the giraffe won't fit in the car, Jennifer also points out it wouldn't fit in any room of our house, and that is the real reason she is vetoing my bid to bring home a 10-foot tall giraffe head. This means just one of two things, I need to buy a bigger house or just abandon my 1900s safari theme room plans, I don't like these options, but for now, the giraffe stays in Round Top. Leaving the barn, I head back to the room and grab my laptop and notepad. The remoteness of the ranch means that Flophouze is great for a working retreat and I set off to get some writing done out on the covered patio while enjoying a bottle of Mexican coke. It is about as perfect an afternoon of remote work that anyone could ask for. 

For dinner, we head northwest of town to Busted Oak Cellars a winery that hosts taco nights, live music, and of course offers wine tastings. The family-owned winery was inspired by a blend of their Texas roots and world travels, the family has been cultivating the property since 2003 and launched their first wines in 2020. We enjoyed a lovely evening on the patio, some generously sized tacos, and even ended up liking the wine so much that we bought a few bottles to bring home. 

Checking out of the Flophouze, we head back home, finding another route that snakes its way through small towns and beautiful countryside. For most of Texas, Round Top can be a day trip, but if you have the time, take a few days, explore the backroads, enjoy the local food and wine, and if you have space buy the giraffe.

You can check out Flophouze.com to book your own stay.