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Region: Middle Tennessee
See video from Channel 2 (WKRN-TV) in Nashville filmed 5/18/2007!
Where is it? The map above shows the route of the yard sale as a red line. The sale starts at Orlinda, Tennessee, crosses I-65 at exit 117, and goes east for a total of almost 95 miles. The sale passes through four counties: Robertson County, Sumner County, Macon County and Clay County. It stops at the Clay/Overton County line just east of Celina, Tennessee. The sale route will pass though Orlinda, Portland, Westmoreland, Lafayette, Red Boiling Springs, and Celina, Tennessee.
When is it? The next yard sale will be in May 16 and 17, 2008. Hours are up to the seller. (On Friday, we noticed sales starting early and going until dark. On Saturday, we were noticing that a lot of vendors started packing up around 3 p.m.)
How do I get a detailed map
so I know
What will be for sale? Discover bargains a-plenty along Highway 52 from Orlinda to
Celina. Vendors are free to sell whatever they like as long as
it's legal (of course!): Drive a little ... enjoy the scenery ... save a lot!
Who may be a vendor? Anyone with property (commercial or residential) along Highway 52 is welcome to bring their own items and sell them along the road. (Now's the time to clean out your attic!) You are also free to invite your friends, neighbors, church groups, civic groups or anybody else you want to join you on your property.
If I own property on Hwy.
52, You may rent space or let vendors use your property for free. It's your property, and it's totally up to you.
Is there a registration fee to be a vendor? No.
Are any permits required? Yard sales within the city limits of Portland require that the sale be registered. There is no charge. Please contact the Planning Department at Portland City Hall, (615) 325-6776, for information on obtaining a permit.
Are non-profit groups allowed to sell stuff? Absolutely! We encourage churches, schools, fraternal organizations, etc. to find a spot on Hwy. 52 and start selling items. If you get your members to donate items to you, this can be a great way to raise money.
Can political parties sell stuff? Sure. It's not uncommon to find sales being run by Republicans and Democrats alike!
Can I just park my truck beside the road and sell stuff? Please obtain permission from the property owner before you just park on his or her property and start selling. You may find someone who will let you set up and sell for free, or you two may agree on a fee. If you want to know who owns a particular piece of property, all you have to do is check with the Registrar of Deeds in Robertson County (in Springfield), Sumner County (in Gallatin), Macon County (in Lafayette) or Clay County (in Celina).
Are there restaurants along the way? Yes! Please visit our Restaurants page for more information. You will also find a lot of food vendors lining TN 52 along a one-mile stretch just west of Lafayette.
What sections of TN 52 have the most yard sales? We drove from I-65 exit 117 to Celina on Saturday, May 19, 2007 and counted all the yard sales. We left I-65 at 9:30 a.m. and arrived at the Clay/Overton County line (east of Celina) at noon. (Our goal that day was to count yard sales, not to shop, so we went non-stop.) Here is a tally of what we counted:
(In case you are interested, the total number of yard sales counted on the same route at the same time in 2006 was 395.)
How is the traffic? It's fun to drive along TN 52 during the yard sale! We've noticed that the yard sales tend to group together; several neighbors get together and each has a sale going in their yard. As you drive, you may go for a mile or two at 55 m.p.h. and really be able to enjoy the scenery. Then you'll spot the cars parked on the shoulder up ahead, and you know what that means: more yard sales! The traffic definitely keeps moving along the highway. (Obviously, you need to slow down a lot when you see cars parked on the side of the road, as there are people moving about.) If you were traveling non-stop along the route of the yard sale, you'd probably average 30 m.p.h. There are only three areas where you may hit "traffic jams:" 1. Just west of Lafayette, there in a one-mile stretch of road where the traffic creeps along, stop-and-go, all day Friday and Saturday. A ton of vendors show up here with all their stuff in pick-up trucks and trailers, and they line up side-by-side on both sides of the road. So do the buyers! There are a lot of food vendors along this stretch of the road too. 2. If the TN 52 Yard Sale happens to coincide with the Portland Strawberry Festival, you may find TN 52 closed for traffic just west of Portland for a few minutes on Saturday morning after 8 a.m. This is a very brief delay as runners from the Strawberry Stride 5K race enter the road. 3. If the TN 52 Yard Sale happens to coincide with the Portland Strawberry Festival, you may find TN 52 closed at TN 109 in Portland while the Strawberry Festival parade goes south on TN 109. The parade starts at 3 p.m. on Saturday, so the road will probably be closed from around 3:30 to 4:00.
Are there any rules of the road?
Are there public restrooms available? It's pretty easy to find restrooms along the way. Most restaurants (and especially fast-food restaurants) are glad for people to come in an use the restroom. (The reason they are glad is that about 70% of the people who use the restroom usually buy something!) Here is a list of restrooms we know about: Portland There are always porta-potties set up for the Strawberry
Festival (which is sometimes the same Saturday as the TN 52 yard sale). These are
usually located on Main Street near the railroad track.
Westmoreland Westmoreland Public Library, 2305 Epperson Springs Road
(Closed Sunday and Thursday).
Lafayette McDonald's on TN 52.
Red Boiling Springs There are public restrooms on TN 56. From TN 52, turn north on TN 56. You will go down a very steep hill into Red Boiling Springs. At the bottom of the hill, there is a flashing yellow light. Go straight through the light. A few yards ahead, TN 56 makes a 90-degree turn to the left. Stay on TN 56. In about two blocks, you will cross over a bridge. The public restrooms will be on your left in a little park beside the road.
What is the history of the Highway 52 yard sale? The yard sale has been promoted by the Macon County Chamber of Commerce since 2000 as a way to draw visitors to the area. In the initial years, the sale was held along Hwy. 52 in Macon County only. Starting in 2004, the Portland Chamber of Commerce and the Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce joined the Macon County Chamber of Commerce in promoting the sale. Starting in 2005, Clay County joined the sale. In 2008, Orlinda joined the yard sale. This makes the route of the TN 52 Yard Sale almost 95 miles long!
How do I get more information? For more information, please call:
The Chambers of Commerce are promoting the yard sale to bring tourists and visitors to the area to enjoy our beautiful cities, towns and counties. The Chambers are not official sponsors of the yard sale and therefore have no control over anything that might happen during the sale. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Please drive with caution and be alert to others around you on
and beside the road.
