Brimfield, Massachusetts

Visiting The Brimfield Antique Show / Flea Market

Living in Los Angeles I spent so many hours browsing the local flea markets all year long and was really craving that when I moved back east, however here it feels like finding a good antique market is far and few between. This year I drove four hours each way to check out Brimfield Antique Market in Brimfield, Massachusetts. This market takes place three times a year and is filled with so many different types of goods and treasures. It is pretty big – spreading across different fields – and completely walkable which is nice! The weather can be a bit unpredictable though, so being prepared is key – especially if you plan on walking around all day. I found it much easier to get back to my car whenever I needed than all of the other blogs I had read about it said though, so even just keeping options for weather changes in the car would work well enough. Everyone recommended I bring a collapsible cart with me to carry goods easier and I was glad I did because I also ended up carrying my sweatshirt and other things in my cart. There were a ton of food options as well! I couldn’t resist Lobster Rolls and fresh squeezed lemonade from a booth across the way. Delicious!

I arrived early on a Tuesday and got to browsing. There are so many fields to wander and each booth seems entirely different from the others around it so there’s always more to explore. Though a lot of the items have an old “New England” appeal to them (obviously, as we are in New England) that style isn’t the vibe of my home. I think if you were someone who grew up in the New England area (especially in the 50’s – 80’s), walking around you would find many things that would remind you of a fond childhood memory. This is where I would prefer the markets in Los Angeles to Brimfield, as the items are a bit more my style and I tend to end up bringing more home. My “treasures” I ended up bringing home from Brimfield included a jade bracelet, some antique Japanese beads, a stunning Nigerian beaded crown, and a handcarved wooden milking pot from Afghanistan that is over 100 years old! If I had the space I would have brought home some of the gorgeous artwork from ___ too. There were a bunch of funky items throughout the fields – like the big McDonald’s M of Golden Arches and Bigfoot sculptures. There were also a lot of items that were reminders of our ugly history in America. I was caught off-guard by this as I wasn’t expecting to see some of these items listed for sale alongside other goods.

I stayed the night at the Publick House in Sturbridge. It was about a 15 minute drive to the fields and was the perfect way to get away and have a little mini vacation from the crowds. It was perfect to escape to when the rain started pouring down and a cozy little room to watch a movie in during the evening thunder storm. There was a quiet pool close to my hotel room and breakfast was included the next morning, making it easy to get up and go for another day of treasure-hunting.

Overall, though I didn’t end up with a car full of goods as people had told me I would, I had an enjoyable time. The fields go on and on and each day they seem to open up varying fields, so you can spend days and always have something new to look at. It was not stressful at all finding parking, and was very easy to get back to my car whenever I needed, and food and drink options, as well as portapotties were abundant. If you’re looking for a fun activity in the Massachusetts/Connecticut area, add a visit to Brimfield to your list!

Have you been to Brimfield? Are you planning on going? I’d love to hear your thoughts as well as any of your favorite treasures you’ve found!