Planning Your Trip to the Warrensburg Garage Sale: An Insider’s Guide
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Save the Date for September 29 - October 1, 2023
Combine the beauty of fall in the Adirondacks with a bustling, festive environment, street food vendors and food trucks, and hundreds of sellers with thousands of buyers, and you have the World’s Largest Garage Sale in Warrensburg, NY. Also known as the Warrensburg Garage Sale, this one-of-a-kind shopping event has something for everyone, with hidden treasures to discover at yard sales and vendors all throughout the community.
Whether you’ve never been or want some help planning a return trip, we have you covered with our insider’s guide to the 2023 Warrensburg Garage Sale.
What Is the Warrensburg Garage Sale?
The Warrensburg Garage Sale is a massive town-wide garage sale that’s held in Warrensburg, which is approximately 10 minutes north of Lake George Village, 30 minutes north of Saratoga Springs, and 1 hour north of Albany. This three-day event is a garage sale lover’s dream, with over 500 vendors lining the streets. You can even expect to find garage sales stretching for miles from south of Lake George to north of Warrensburg.
During the event, Main Street in Warrensburg features the most vendors from around the nation, typically selling antiques and clearing out their inventory. If you take a walk along the side streets, you’ll encounter tons of individual garage sales with even more items to check out, ranging from unique collectibles to toys, clothing, tools, and more.
When you’re looking to take a break from all the shopping, there are plenty of fantastic food options too. Street food vendors and artisanal food vendors are located everywhere selling chicken wings, BBQ ribs, gourmet chicken pitas, mac and cheese, and other delicious options. Enjoy a tasty meal right in town, and then continue your shopping experience.
When Is This Year’s Event Happening?
The 2023 Warrensburg Garage Sale is scheduled for Friday, September 29 - Sunday, October 1, 2023. Sales begin at sun up and continue until sun down. The event is also held rain or shine.
What Are the Best Times to Shop?
Are you ready to shop till you drop? Be sure to arrive in Warrensburg on Thursday night or early Friday morning. Although the garage sale “officially” starts at 5:00pm on Friday, some individual garage sale sellers and vendors, especially on the town’s side streets, open up earlier than that. The true treasure hunter will want to take advantage of these early selling periods.
On early Saturday morning (we’re talking 7:00am), we strongly suggest heading to Warrensburg super early so you’ll be there when the vendors and individual sellers begin to open up. You’ll be able to enjoy a fun morning of browsing and shopping, grab a bite to eat, and then head out well before noon when most people are still trying to get in.
If you do arrive later on Saturday, use care when getting close to Exit 23 on the Adirondack Northway, especially if you are driving from the south. Traffic tends to back up onto the highway, and the right-hand lane will be at a complete standstill.
Our final recommendation is to stop by late Sunday afternoon when the vendors are wrapping up their sales and packing away unsold wares that they then have to unpack again at their next stop. Individual garage sale sellers are faced with toting all their unsold treasures back into their garages and basements. This is when those who love to negotiate can often use their bargaining skills to score some last-minute deals.
What Should I Bring With Me?
Preparation is key if you want to have a successful trip to the Warrensburg Garage Sale. Backpacks, canvas shopping totes, and - if you are lucky - folding metal shopping carts - are a must to carry merchandise with you. The majority of vendors and individual sellers will not have bags available.
In addition, you’ll want to wear comfortable walking shoes and have plenty of cash on hand for all of your exciting garage sale finds.
Where Can I Park During the Event?
Parking at the Warrensburg Garage Sale is extremely limited due to the large crowds and parking restrictions in place. To help you plan accordingly, we’ve rounded up some of the best parking options available:
- If you arrive very early (6:30am or 7:00am), you can usually find parking on some of the residential side streets, or even the Main Street. Watch for the NO PARKING signs. There are streets designated for emergency vehicles, and those will be heavily marked with No Parking signs. Don’t tempt fate - your vehicle will be towed for the safety of everyone.
- Follow the signs at Exit 23 and Exit 25 to park just outside of town and use the free shuttle service. Shuttles only operate on Saturday and Sunday from 8:30am-4:30pm.
- Paid parking is also available at certain locations in town. Check back for the updated list of paid parking places in 2023.
- Or, check out the limited free parking at the Warren County Fairgrounds and Warrensburg Jr./Sr. High School.
What Are the Best Ways to Handle Traffic?
Navigating traffic is tricky, but we have a couple tips for you to follow as you plan your visit.
Our first suggestion is to use the FREE parking and shuttle service mentioned above:
- If arriving from the north, the best route is to take Exit 24 off the Northway down through Bolton Landing and Diamond Point, and then turn left onto Diamond Point Road and follow the signs for the free parking and shuttle service.
- If arriving from the south, take a right off Exit 23 instead of a left and follow the signs to the free parking and shuttle service. Note that Exit 23 can get very congested and long lines tend to form on the Northway, so while this might seem like the most direct route, it’s usually better to go north and follow the signs from Exit 24 or 25 instead.
Our second traffic tip is to get off the Northway at Exit 25 in Chestertown instead, and then come into town from the north:
- Starting from Exit 25, head west on NY-8 past the Stewart’s Shops and Dynamite Hill Recreation Area.
- At the intersection of NY-8 and Route 9, turn left onto Route 9.
- Drive south along Route 9 for approximately 11 miles until you arrive in Warrensburg.
For our third recommendation, shoppers arriving from the south can consider taking Exit 22 off the Northway, and then drive north along Route 9 into Warrensburg. This also gets very congested - but not as bad as the Northway. Be prepared to BRAKE quickly as individual garage sales might be set up along this route too.
Get Ready to Shop at the World’s Largest Garage Sale
Now that you’re informed about what to expect at this year’s Warrensburg Garage Sale, it’s time to finalize your trip! Mark your calendar for September 29 - October 1, 2023, and look forward to exploring this shopper’s paradise.