This Midwest State's Festive Annual Junk Jaunt Offers Nearly 500 Miles Of Vintage Treasures And Antique Finds

Antiquing and checking out garage sales is always a fun way to spend a weekend, but staying in one city can limit your choices and leave you seeing the same objects over and over again. Going to more popular antique sales can be intimidating, too, especially when you come across professional antiquers. Thankfully, there is an event in September in Nebraska that provides an extremely fun multi-town garage sale; perfect for casual explorers and professionals alike, it's known as the Junk Jaunt. 

This isn't your standard garage sale. The Junk Jaunt includes 350 miles of treasures to explore. Over 33 different towns and hundreds of vendors get involved every year. The event lasts for three days, giving you plenty of time to drive around and explore. Of course, you won't be able to visit every stop, but you can see as much as you can find before it closes up at the end of the weekend. Most vendors are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., so you have plenty of time to explore. 

Despite the name, the items aren't necessarily junk. While there are plenty of yard sales by the average homeowner, many businesses get involved too, including antique stores, so there's a good chance to come across some very valuable, unique, and rare items. If you want to make sure you don't miss any amazing finds, you can purchase the Junk Jaunt Shopper Guide, which features ads for all the locations involved, the main kinds of items each location sells, places to eat, hotels available, and more.

As for what to bring, it's a good idea to come prepared for the outdoors. Nebraska's weather is pretty variable around the time of the Junk Jaunt. It can be rainy, hot, cold, or anywhere in between. The roads and walkways are also pretty uneven and rocky. Plan to bring a few different outfits for all sorts of weather conditions. You may also want to take along bug spray, sunscreen since you will be outdoors most of the weekend, and sturdy shoes that you don't mind getting a little muddy. The hosts of the Junk Jaunt also suggest bringing lots of cash. While some of the vendors and garage sale participants will take credit cards or payment through apps like Venmo, a majority of places along the trip run a cash-only business.

Try not to let the excitement of a good deal stop you from seeing other amazing sites during your trip. The Junk Jaunt goes through many small towns you wouldn't otherwise see under normal conditions. It's a good chance to explore these locations and the surrounding scenery they offer visitors. The route will take you across the Loup River as well as Sandhills Journey, a secret sandy windswept Nebraska Road that is considered one of the most beautiful in America. Some of the towns you'll pass through include Cairo, Dannebrog, Sargent, and Grand Island, Central Nebraska's hidden gem city offering incredible entertainment and miles of shopping even outside of the Junk Jaunt. There are many other sights to enjoy and explore as well, including a chalk mine, a frontier fort, museums, and wagon rides.

The Junk Jaunt has been going on for over 20 years, and generally runs during the last weekend in September. It's a huge event that brings in antique hunters from all over the country in search of some expensive treasures. The event is in the northern part of the state, made up of a series of small towns — for reference, the closest town to Lincoln, where you can find Nebraska's most beloved free-to-visit attraction, is Alda, and is an hour and a half away from the closest parts of the Junk Jaunt. 

However, don't worry that you're going to miss everything but the real junk. With so many stops and groups involved, you'll be sure to find some amazing items. The motto for this event is: "You are limited only by your imagination and the law," and they aren't exaggerating.

Because of the popularity of this event, you will find that there are many hotels and other choices to spend an evening, no matter where on the route you are. It does get busy, though, so it's a good idea to plan out your trip and reserve spots. There is a shopper guide provided by the company for a small fee that features around 130 pages detailing all of the sales and other events, so you can best plan out your adventure. Additionally, sometimes these places host additional events to entice those coming for the Junk Jaunt. Kamp Kaleo is one good example; located in Burwell, Nebraska, they host what they call the Junk Jaunt Jamboree, a bluegrass music festival.