Since 1989, Watertown has been the home to the massive bargain hunt known as the Mile-Long Yard Sale. This year it will take place on April 9, 2022 rain or shine. With hundreds of booths and more than 15,000 shoppers, it is an adventure for all who attend.
The event snakes through Watertown’s downtown square and through the surrounding historic district. Some who have gone in the past say that it is more like 14 miles of booths as many people on the drive there set up yard sales on the way to the main event.
While it is called a yard sale, shoppers will find a vast array of items from antique furniture to tools, collectibles to food, crafts to flea market items, and lots of other people’s junk that is sure to be someone else’s treasure. You never know exactly what will turn up around the next corner.
People are known to attend every year and make it a family outing. It can be fun and educational, as booths may carry items that today’s kids have never seen or heard of like rotary dial phones, typewriters, film cameras, roller skates with keys, finger bowls and ice boxes. Out of all the miles of goods for sale, there is always the chance of a rare find or a truly unique piece that just can’t be lived without. Then, there is the love of searching for the big bargain – like a classic Mickey Mouse watch that has never been worn and is still in the box. This year some of these may be there, or not at all, but something completely different! The joy is in the search.
Besides the mile-long sale, there will also be many local shops and restaurants open to visit, like Jim’s Antiques, Artizan and the Filling Station Restaurant. Food treats can include fried pickles, fried Oreos, ice cream, hot dogs and much more from vendors located in food trucks off West Main near The Farmhouse Coffee Shop, which ironically serves health-conscious treats like gluten-free baked goods.
The town itself is quaint. A number of videos and movies have been filmed there. Videos include Little Big Town’s “Down in the Boondocks”, Justin Bieber’s “One Less Lonely Girl”, and Kelllie Pickler’s “Red High Heels”. Movies filmed there include “Pure Country II”, “Charlie’s War” and “Dark Harvest II”.
Make sure to schedule lots of time to get there and to shop around. The journey can take a bit of time due to all of the traffic and all of the yard sales along the way. One way to avoid this is to take the Tennessee Central Excursion Train. It departs at 9:00 am (boarding at 8:30 am) from Nashville and arrives in Watertown about 20 minutes later. Then it arrives back in Nashville at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are going fast, so order quickly. They can be purchased here, or by calling (615) 244-9001. It is a 90-mile round trip.
Around for more than 30 years, for 25 of those years the sale has been coordinated by Jim Amero of Jim’s Antiques. He is still listed on many sites as the coordinator, but this year the lead is Chelsea Robertini. She has been working under Jim since June of 2021 to learn the ins and outs of the event, and she helped with the coordination of the Annual Fall Mile-Long Yard Sale in October 2021.
Set-up begins at 3:30 a.m. the morning of the sale when booth spaces are marked off and tables put out. Vendors must set up between 5:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. when it is open to the public. The event ends at 5:00 p.m. It is sponsored by Watertown/East Wilson County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about the event and instructions on how to get there, click here.
