This post is sponsored by Quest Nutrition. Chevrolet provided a complimentary vehicle loan for the trip. #QuestPartner
I have officially completed another trip to the World’s Longest Yard Sale and brought home lots of treasures — and intel — for all of you.
This trip was the best World’s Longest Yard Sale I have ever undertaken for a couple of reasons. For one, I wanted high-protein snacks that were filling, portable and easy to eat between stops. Quest Nutrition partnered with me on the trip, and I packed Quest Protein Bars and Quest Protein Chips, which became my go-to options throughout the four-day trip. This made so much sense, as grab-and-go snacks and high-protein options are a necessary part of the yard sale. In some cases, you will find yourself in very rural parts of the country with few food options aside from people literally grilling hot dogs in their front yards.
What are your favorite high-protein road trip snacks? I am a salty over sweet girl, and being able to eat a Quest protein bar before hitting the road or grab a bag of Quest protein chips between sales made all the difference (I happen to love the dill pickle flavor and they are excellent on a turkey sandwich, too). My travel companion, Blair, and I found that we did a lot more shopping and hit a lot more sales this year, and I think it is due in part to having nutritious, filling options always handy (we quite literally fueled our bodies to tackle all the shopping).
Another thing that made this trip special was meeting new friends along the way! I was stopped by people who follow me on Instagram or subscribe to this newsletter in every single state, and it made me so excited that others are as thrilled about secondhand shopping as I am. I also noticed a lot more people going to the sale and sharing their finds on Instagram, and I like to think I may have influenced them to do so ;)
Okay, let’s get to the finds and the intel.
Here’s the main thing to know: The sale is organized chaos.
Dior cuff links; Van Teal chandelier; an outfit I wore (top is here, shorts are here, necklace was purchased at the yard sale for $10); a shell heart box that doubles as a pendant
There are major vendor stops with 25 or more vendors selling wares at fields, but there are also literal yard sales on Highway 127 or on side roads in residential neighborhoods. I often find the best stuff at the smaller sales. Plan as much as you can, but be open to stopping anywhere and everywhere. The larger vendor stops are often more high-priced than the little one-off garage sales.
Also: if you decide to undertake this sale, you should stop at antique malls you pass, too! Many are offering 25-50% off their booths to coincide with the sale and some have vendors set up in their parking lots. I found some of the best (and most affordable!) stuff at the antique malls this year.
Here are my main takeaways:
The smallest residential sales produce some of the best finds (and prices)
Large vendor fields have more inventory but higher prices and less wiggle room to negotiate (they are also more picked over)
The best objects are not necessarily in the most advertised stops (go to antique malls and vintage shops along the route, not just the big sales)
Cash and small bills help! If someone is selling something for $15 and you have a $10 bill, tell them you only have $10. They will probably accept it. Also: a lot of vendors did not accept Venmo so cash may be your only option.
Trying to cover too much mileage will cost you shopping time. Better to cover roughly 150 miles max during the day and hit as many stops as you can.
Below, I’ve plotted out all the stops we made this year on a Google Map (from where we shopped, to where we ate and stayed, and other stops we made). I also rounded up all my off-the-yard-sale-path faves: the antique malls and smaller vintage shops that, in some cases, were even more rife with treasure than the main attraction!
But first, here’s everything I bought.
Belt buckle: “I may not be perfect … but parts of me are excellent,” $10
Vintage Florida ashtray, $10
Rodeo lunchbox, $20
Windchime bells, $40 for both
Malachite heart necklace, $10
Wool coat with mink details and built-in scarf, $20
“You’ve Come a long way, baby” keychain, $10
Pair of copper hand bowls, $20 (plus 20% off — these were at an antique gallery participating in the sale)
Malachite lion, $7
Flower pin, $3
Handmade giraffe stool, $5
Belt buckles, $10 each
Jewelry, various prices (nothing over $10), this was all purchased at a church basement in Gadsden, Alabama
More jewelry, ranging from $1 to $40 (for the shell necklace)
Clothing purchased at a coffee shop in Chattanooga (Chattanooga is on the route of the yard sale so this wasn’t technically a yard sale vendor, but I would not have come across any of it were it not for the yard sale so it still counts!), $40-$60 (the tie-dye cashmere dress is Prabal Gurung and it was $60! The wide-leg pants are vintage Caché and were I think $20, and the sparkly lace set was $40) The bags were $10.
The best find, in terms of value, were the windchimes for $40! I mean…..
Everywhere We Stopped (With a Google Map)
If you are doing the sale from the bottom up (i.e., starting in Alabama), here’s the route I take:
Wednesday (night before the sale): stay in Atlanta
Thursday: drive to Gadsden, Alabama and work your way up to Chattanooga. Stop in Mentone, Alabama for lunch and sightseeing. Stay the night in Chattanooga, where there are wonderful dining and hotel options
Friday: leave from Chattanooga and head to Crossville, stay the night there
Saturday: leave Crossville and drive a bit further north before turning back to stay in Chattanooga
Sunday: shop in Chattanooga, head back home or to Atlanta to stay the night
Did you go to the World’s Longest Yard Sale? If so, what did you find?!
And what are your go-to high-protein snacks for a road trip?
Your bells are Soleri bells, hand made in Paradise Valley, AZ. They are pricey!!!!
Yessssss I recognized those bells immediately — my sister lived at Arcosanti for several years and made a LOT of those bells. Well spotted!