Round Rock sits just north of Austin and has grown from a small limestone-quarry town into one of Texas's fastest-expanding suburbs. Dell Technologies has its headquarters here, and the tech economy has reshaped the city over the past two decades.
The town takes its name from a large round rock in the middle of Brushy Creek, which once marked a low-water crossing on the Chisholm Trail. You can still see it at Chisholm Trail Crossing Park. The old downtown around Mays Street has antique shops and restaurants worth a wander, and the Dell Diamond is home to the Round Rock Express, the local minor-league baseball team. Round Rock Donuts, operating since 1926, has become famous far beyond the city for its outsized orange-glazed rounds.
Round Rock is not a destination in itself, but it makes a convenient base if Austin hotels are full, and the outlet malls on I-35 draw shoppers from across central Texas.