Happy *Thursday*, Round Rock! 👋 Tonight the Express open their last four home games of the year, and the guy on the mound was just named the Rangers' minor-league pitcher of the year. Sunday at 1:05 is the season finale.
Plus: a downtown coffee shop with a gated kids' loft upstairs, three country headliners at the Amp in eight days, Round Rock lands at No. 8 in the country for renters, a saltwater pool in Round Rock West — and the name downtown nearly ended up with in 1876. Let's dig in.
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⚾ Last Call at Dell Diamond
The Express close out 2026 with four home games against Tacoma, Thursday through Sunday, and every night has its own reason to go. Here's the plan:
Thursday: Dalton Pence's final start · Thursday, Sep 17, 6:45pm · Dell Diamond, 3400 E Palm Valley Blvd
On Monday the Rangers named the Express lefty their Nolan Ryan Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He went 4-1 with a 1.82 ERA in seven starts for Round Rock after climbing three levels this summer, and Thursday is slated to be his last outing of the season. Get there for first pitch.
Friday: Chupacabras night, fireworks, and a five-year party · Friday, Sep 18, 7:05pm · Dell Diamond
The Express play as the Chupacabras de Round Rock, with fireworks after the game. It's also Latinos in Round Rock's fifth-anniversary night: a plática and mixer at the United Heritage Center at 5:30pm, then the game, $60 covering food, drinks, and your ticket. Hispanic Heritage Month started Tuesday, so the timing works.
Saturday and Sunday: cowboy hats, then the finale · Saturday, Sep 19, 7:05pm; Sunday, Sep 20, 1:05pm · Dell Diamond
Saturday the first 2,000 fans through the gates get a cowboy hat. Sunday is Kids Day and the last game of the season: free inflatables and train rides, and the kids run the bases after the final out. The team isn't playing past Sunday, so this is it until spring.
☕ Business Spotlight: Waterloo Coffee Company
If you've ever wished you could finish a cup of coffee while your kids stayed busy, we found your spot. Amy and Mike Bresnan started with a walk-up coffee trailer in Georgetown and opened their first storefront this February at 503 E Main St, next door to Soul Strong Yoga. The name is a Texas nod: Waterloo was Austin's original name.
It's espresso only, pulled on the 1836 blend from Texas Grounds Coffee in Helotes, with a menu that turns over monthly; the pecan pie latte and toasted honey have earned fans this year. Pastries come from Liberty Hill Bakery, Georgetown Pie Co., and Evie & Me Cookies.
The draw for parents is upstairs: a gated loft with a pretend-play café, wooden toys, and a changing table, built for the under-five set, while grown-ups take the porch swings and rocking chairs out front.
Open Mon–Fri 7am–4pm, Sat 8am–5pm, Sun noon–5pm, per their Instagram.
📍 503 E Main St, Ste 200
Follow along →
💸 Round Rock on a Budget: Locals-Only Edition
The waterpark goes on sale for residents, and three cheap nights out keep the tab under $10:
Kalahari Resorts
Lokal Leisure Days: waterpark passes from $37.99 for Round Rock residents — Sep 20–25 — $37.99 Mon–Thu, $44.99 Friday, $57.99 Sunday, with a valid Round Rock ID. Buy at the waterpark front desk only, limited quantities, no combining with other offers.
📍 3001 Kalahari Blvd · See the offer →
The Ruby Hotel & Bar
Everything $10 or less at happy hour — Mon–Fri 4–6pm, Sun 2–6pm — $5 wine by the glass and St. Elmo kolsch, $10 featured cocktails, $3 pulled-pork street tacos, and $5 or $10 bites from deviled eggs to a slider trio
📍 400 Fannin Ave · See the menu →
Round Rock Tavern
$3 wells and domestic cans — Mon–Fri, noon–6pm — plus $5 Jack Daniel's, Fireball, and Deep Eddy. Karaoke Monday through Wednesday, live bands Thursday through Sunday.
📍 113 W Main St · See the specials →
Fizz Fuzion
Free music trivia every Thursday, 6:30–9pm — the dirty-soda shop from Bill and Rosie Rhoades hosts a free trivia night; sodas run $5.25 for a 24oz and $6 for a 32oz
📍 2000 Sam Bass Rd, Ste 101 · Read more →
🗓 Events This Week & Just Ahead
Two country nights at the Amp, a free rock show at the resort, sunrise yoga on the plaza, and a car show to close it out.
Billy Currington at the Round Rock Amp
🗓 Friday, Sep 18, 6pm
📍 Round Rock Amp, 3701 N I-35
The voice behind "Good Directions" and "People Are Crazy," with Caroline Grace opening. Tickets on the event page; no chairs or outside food at the Amp.
North of Luck at Kalahari's Amatuli Outdoor Stage
🗓 Friday, Sep 18, 7–10pm
📍 Kalahari Resorts, 3001 Kalahari Blvd
An Austin four-piece that plays decades of rock hits and party favorites on the resort's outdoor stage. No cover, all ages, free parking, and you don't need to be a guest.
Yoga on the Plaza with Zelinda
🗓 Saturday, Sep 19, 8–9am
📍 Prete Plaza, 200 E Main St
Round Rock Yoga's 14th season of free, beginner-friendly classes downtown, in partnership with the city. It ends right as National Dance Day starts on the same plaza.
National Dance Day
🗓 Saturday, Sep 19, 9am–noon
📍 Prete Main Street Plaza, 221 E Main St
Free learn-along sessions in Zumba, belly dance, Bharatanatyam, Polynesian, line dancing, and hip-hop, plus aerialist performances.
Trailside Market
🗓 Saturday, Sep 19, 9am–noon
📍 Memorial Park, 600 N Lee St
Handmade goods, baked goods, and specialty foods along the creek trail. Free. The Round Rock Farmers Market runs 10am–2pm the same morning at Rock Creek Plaza, 2111 N I-35, behind IKEA.
Gavin Adcock: The Day I Hang It Up Tour
🗓 Saturday, Sep 19, 6pm
📍 Round Rock Amp, 3701 N I-35
Night two of country at the Amp, with The Creekers opening. $47.54–$385.41 through Eventbrite; the link is on the event page.
Round Rock Car Show
🗓 Sunday, Sep 20, 9am–noon
📍 Centennial Plaza, 301 W Bagdad Ave
Classics, custom builds, and high-performance machines on the plaza. Free, and it wraps in time for the 1:05 Express finale.
Just ahead: the Amp's country run ends with Braxton Keith on Friday, Sep 25, at 6pm ($42–$248). Saturday, Sep 26, starts early with Live at Lakeview: Fit Fest, 8–11am at the Lakeview Pavilion in Old Settlers Park, free classes plus an attempt at a Texas planking record, then Mainly Art opens its fall series on the Downtown Paseo at 216 E Main St, 10am–3pm, 15 artists selling original work, free parking in the City Hall and library garages.
📰 Community News & Headlines
Good things happening around town this week:
Round Rock volleyball is No. 1 in Central Texas — the Dragons took over the top spot in the Statesman's Austin-area power poll this week, up from No. 3, after opening District 25-6A play with a four-set win over Westlake on Sep 8 and a sweep of Lake Travis. Coach Christi Dreier's team is 23-9. Read more…
Round Rock is the No. 8 city in America for renters — RentCafe's 2026 ranking of 150 cities across 20 metrics put Round Rock eighth nationally and Austin third. The report credits affordable rents, apartments that average 925 square feet, a cost of living 7.1% below the national average, 3.8% unemployment, and schools among the most highly rated in the state. Read more…
The city has a new map for where the trails go next — City Council adopted an updated trails master plan on Sep 10 that connects parks, schools, neighborhoods, and downtown, and flags the northwest side, Dry Creek, and Chandler Creek as the next corridors to build. First up is Heritage Trail East, a $6.53 million stretch from Mays Street to Georgetown Street funded by 2023 bond money and TxDOT grants, with about 18 months of construction ahead; Heritage Trail West opened in 2024. Read more…
A trading-card shop opens on the I-35 frontage road — Kyla Cline cut the ribbon on The Hobby Exchange at 1001 N I-35 Frontage Rd on Sep 10. It stocks Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece, Dragon Ball, and Yu-Gi-Oh cards plus video games and collectibles, with tournaments and trade nights planned. Open 11:30am–8pm, seven days a week. Read more…
Texas plays Houston at Dell Diamond on Oct 3 — the Express announced a nine-inning fall exhibition between the Longhorns and the Cougars on Saturday, Oct 3, gates at 11am and first pitch at noon. Texas is coming off its 39th College World Series trip, the most of any program. Tickets through the Express. Read more…
🏡 Real Estate Corner
Thinking about buying, selling, or simply curious what homes are selling for around town? Our Real Estate Corner highlights notable local listings, market insights, and trends shaping the Round Rock housing market.
1007 Bluff Dr, Round Rock 78681
$625,000 · 3 bed · 2.5 bath · 2,348 sqft
Listed last Thursday in Round Rock West, the tree-canopy neighborhood between I-35 and Brushy Creek, and the backyard is the whole pitch: an in-ground saltwater pool on a 0.29-acre corner lot, a fully turfed yard, and a separate air-conditioned office-slash-studio-slash-pool-house that could just as easily be a gym or a guest room. The 1976 two-story has been updated inside, with a granite-and-island kitchen, skylights, vaulted ceilings, and a remodeled primary bath, and the primary suite has its own balcony looking down on the pool. Deep Wood Elementary is a five-minute walk, the neighborhood duck pond and tennis courts are close by, downtown is about eight minutes, and there are no HOA dues. It last sold in 2022 and drew 22 favorites in its first five days on Redfin.
Market note: Round Rock's median sale price was $384K over the three months ending in August, down 4.1% from a year ago, and homes are going pending in about 55 days versus 63 last year.
See the listing →
🪨 Poll of the Week
In 1876, when the railroad arrived and nearly every Round Rock business packed up and moved a mile to "New Town," what did landowner Washington Anderson hope the new town would be named?
That's a wrap for this week. If you're at Dell Diamond on Sunday for the last game, hit reply and tell us your favorite moment of the 2026 season; we'll share the best ones next week. See you next Wednesday! 👋
-Doing Round Rock Team
🪨 Trivia answer: Andersonville! On May 6, 1876, Washington Anderson, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, sold 150 acres to the International & Great Northern Railroad for $3,000. The railroad kept 25 acres for its right-of-way and handed the rest to its land company, which carved it into 46 blocks; the very first lot sold, at what's now 100 S Mays St, went for $325. Merchants abandoned the original settlement on Brushy Creek so fast that the first buildings in "New Town" were tents pitched beside the tracks, and for years maps showed two towns, Old Round Rock and New Round Rock. Anderson hoped the new one would carry his name. It didn't, but the downtown you walk today is his tent city. Read more →
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