Canton 411, Food & Lodging

First Monday Trade Days, no doubt it's very near and dear to my heart!  My goal is to make it near and dear to yours!  If you've never been, this post is just for you!  It's not as big as Round Top, but it is where a lot of Round Top vendors hunt and it takes place every month on the weekend before the First Monday of the month.

It began in 1850 and is touted as one of the largest flea markets in the country!  Did you know that?  Canton is a small quiet town situated between Tyler and Dallas with an estimated population of 3,500, except during First Monday weekend when as many as 250,000 people can converge on the small town!  I tell people that during Spring and Fall, you have to see it to believe it!

I get so many emails with questions about First Monday, where to stay, where to eat, so I thought I'd share some information that might be helpful.

Places to stay:

Canton has several Hotels from which to choose, but they typically book up early during peak months. You can find some of them listed here.

If you prefer to stay in a Bed & Breakfast in Canton, check here.  More B&Bs can be found in a section of Canton called "The Mountain".  This area used to be filled with vendors, but it has quickly become a haven for more Bed & Breakfasts, you can see a list of those here.
 
There are also tons of RV Parks if that's more your cup of tea.  Click here for a list of those.  I will share that Mill Creek is among the nicest, but the rates are higher.

One note when viewing the lists, be sure to check the city where the lodging is located, some are located in other towns such as Terrell, Forney, Wills Point, Sulpher Springs.  Not a thing in the world wrong with these towns except that some are as far as 45 minutes away.  It's nice to have accomodations near when you're shopping a place this large!

Places to eat during the day, gosh, where do I begin.  While you're shopping on the grounds, you will find some wonderful places to eat.  There's a great food court in the Arbors that offers a little bit of everything, burgers, crepes, salads, BBQ, just about anything!  But, there are endless other places to eat it just depends on what area your shopping when the hunger hits.  One of my favorites, although it's quite a walk from our booth, is Texas Best.  It's near the Civic Center and has some of the best burgers I've ever tasted, the mushroom swiss burger is to die for!

Places to eat at night, they are endless and you can find restaurants at almost every turn.  You can find a list here, but the list is not inclusive of all the restaurants, in fact one of our favorites is not even on it.  But, it's still a great resource.  A few of our very favorites are:

Val's Italian Restaurant is located at 116 S. Capitol Street (right on the town square) (903) 567-3388
Easley Cattle Co located 610 Hwy 243, (903) 567-0320 (just 1/2 mile out of town, you will love it!)
Chen's Chinese Buffet located at 400 E. Highway 243, Suite 15, (903) 567-6888

Note:  Canton is a dry city but Papadale's Grill & Cantina does serve beer and margarita's.

Food and lodging are an important part of your trip, but let's face it, the most important part is the shopping! 

So beginning this show, I will feature some of the Canton vendors every month so you can better see all that's available here!!  We have some fantastic talent, check back later this week to see!

The saying here is, "If you can't find it at First Monday in Canton, it doesn't exist!"