700 Miles of Junk and Joy: My Guide to the World’s Longest Yard Sale
My tips on traveling the 127 Yard Sale
Last year, I road-tripped through rural Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia in search of all the treasure hiding at the World’s Longest Yard Sale. And I’m doing it again this year, in even more style — and thanks to Chevy, who is supplying me with their electric Silverado truck for the trip. Last year’s trip taught me a lot, and I think I’m much better prepared to take on the sale this week (it starts tomorrow!).
If you’ve ever wanted to take a road trip purely for the purpose of treasure-hunting, you’ll probably love this sale. But you’ll need to know how to do it right.
Read on for:
The exact route I’ll be taking over the four-day sale
What I’m packing and wearing over the course of the trip
The snacks I’m bringing along and the playlist I’m blasting
The coolest stuff I saw last year
Last year’s finds:
What is the World’s Longest Yard Sale?
The 127 Yard Sale takes place each August, from the first Thursday through Sunday of the month. There are literally tens of thousands of sales along the 690-mile route, which stretches along Highway 127, from Gadsden, Alabama to Addison, Michigan.
Along the route, you’ll find major vendor stops (which have a minimum of 25 vendors each) and smaller sales taking place in people’s yards or in church basements. There are so many places to stop that it could take you hours to get down a 20-mile stretch of road, so it’s important to plan ahead and be open-minded. There will be some sales that are just pure junk, and others where you might actually find some incredible vintage! You really don’t know until you go and experience it.
What to Pack
Here’s what I’m bringing this year, based on what I wore the most last year:
Drawstring skirt: This skirt is comfortable, has an incredibly chic and artful shape, and does not wrinkle. This brand makes clothes specifically designed for travel so this is high on my list of must-packs. I can wear this with gladiator sandals to grab dinner at night and with Adidas Sambas during the day.
Nylon shorts: These are comfortable, cute, and wick away sweat.
Baseball hat: The best way to protect your skin and hide a bad hair day? A great hat.
Sneakers: I just got these Nikes in Atlanta and they are incredibly comfortable. I wear them mostly for workouts but walking in the hot sun and lugging art and such around equals a workout.
SPF: I wear this $22 tinted moisturizer with SPF in it every day and this trip will be no exception. But I’m also packing these SPF-infused drops, which I can keep in my bag and reapply to places like my shoulders, ears, eyelids, etc. throughout the day. Both products are mineral, not chemical. (And the drops are packed with antioxidants and other anti-aging ingredients.)
SPF lip balm: Naturium sent me every single shade in their new collection of SPF lip balms and I love them all. These are moisturizing and protect your lips from the elements.
Snack Ideas & A Playlist
Wilde salt + vinegar chips (these are made from chicken which sounds so gross but they actually do scratch the itch for something crunchy and salty)
The best roadtrip playlist has a song for every vibe — the thrill of being a woman (“Good Girl,” Renee Rapp), the beauty of rural America (“Country Roads,” John Denver), and the comedown after trauma dumping in the car for two hours (“All Too Well, 10-Minute Version,” Taylor Swift). And of course, you need some classics you can sing along to.