Love a bargain? Searching for that special something that can only be found by foraging through a bin marked "everything $1"? Then have we got the shopping experience for you. For purchases big and small, old and new, antique and junk, look no further than the World's Longest Yard Sale on route 127. This annual pilgrimage of bargain hunters, vendors and southern folk cleaning out their garages is the mecca of yard sales and draws tens of thousands of avid shoppers each summer.
With this giant sale, the yard is actually the side of the highway. The 19th annual Highway 127 Corridor Sale (tel. 800/327-3945; www.127sale.com), as it is officially known, will take place in August. Stretching along the infamous route 127 from Kentucky, through Alabama to Tennessee, it originally covered 350 miles and meandered through the southern heartland, providing a rich cultural, culinary and retail experience. Not satisfied with the 350-mile route, a few years ago, the sale extended off route 127 to include route 58 (Lookout Mountain Parkway), considered one of the most scenic drives in the US. This extension runs from Chattanooga to Gadsden, ending at Noccalula Falls Park, adding an extra 100 miles (a total of 450 miles) and including another state (Georgia).
You can choose to start at the official beginning of the sale in Covington, Kentucky, at the other end in Chattanooga, Tennessee, or anywhere in between. The sale's website boasts that apart from the sale itself, with its 5,000 plus vendors, there are over 300 other attractions along 127, guaranteeing enjoyment for the entire family. The Fentress County Chamber of Commerce, who run the event out of Jamestown, Tennessee, provide quite an amusing description of the event including tips on accommodation, traffic, parking and road rules (where you can and cannot park your trailer, for example). They recommend that you book accommodation early as the local hotels, bed and breakfasts, and inns fill up early with treasure seekers from across the country.
Can't wait until August to satisfy your hunger to browse and haggle? No problem. Antique Alley (tel. 877-US11-FUN; www.us11antiquealley.com) challenges Route 127's moniker of being the World's Longest Yard Sale and brings you an extra 52 miles of fun. Their 502 miles of bargains runs along US route 11 in May. This roadside sale begins in Meridian, Mississippi and goes through Birmingham, Alabama, several towns in Dade County, Georgia, then Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee, and on to Bristol, Virginia. Each town along the route puts on its own events and festivals to coincide with the sale, so expect to see carnivals, food vendors, flea markets and small individual yard sales alongside the antique sales. The website provides information on individual events, restaurants and accommodation options in each town along the route.
