Road trip to the Liberty Antiques Festival, one of the country’s biggest and best outdoor markets
If you love to hunt for heirlooms, collectibles, and vintage items, then mark your calendar for the last weekend of September to experience the legendary Liberty Antiques Festival. It’s a fun weekend trip to the heart of North Carolina. The city of Liberty hosts this twice-a-year antiques extravaganza. It’s about 20 minutes northeast of Asheboro, a darling town that I called home for two nights.
This fall, the festival kicks off on Friday, September 29, and continues through Saturday, running 8am to 4pm each day. Parking is plentiful and free with your $10 admission ticket.
Four hundred dealers from 25 states set up in booths, tents, and shared halls. If you’ve ever wondered where decorators and designers shop for their own stores and clients, this is one of the coveted events. I gawked at who was shopping the lot as much as what they were buying, photographing, and haggling over.
There is a ton of Americana at Liberty, including furniture, quilts, pottery, and notable enamel signage. If you’re on the hunt for an armoire, a pie safe, a chest of drawers, or a cupboard, then you will find plenty of worthy options. The sterling dealers are here, too, and there’s porcelain, fine art, a wonderful rug dealer, French antiques, and architectural salvage.
I was excited to see quality mid-mod furniture and accessories, including pairs of lamps. And yes, there are tents and tents of vintage kitchenware. I jumped on replacing some missing parts of my favorite refrigerator glass pattern, Butterprint by Pyrex. There are also cases and cases of jewelry, featuring signed turquoise pieces from the Southwest and vintage Tiffany baubles, including small tabletop items.
Repeat shoppers are apparent, clad in duck boots, layers, and hats with long-handled canvas totes. If it rains at any point, the grass fields get muddy. I brought a backup battery for my phone but emptied my reusable water bottle almost immediately to lighten my load.
Nearly every seller accepts Venmo, but there’s a row of secure ATMs next to the admission booth. When you need a snack, Rock Creek United Methodist Church runs an old-fashioned bake sale. There is barbecue, too, and burgers and ice cream churned on-site.
Will you want to go back to the festival the second day? I did. My advice is to take pictures on Friday of pricier items that catch your eye and their exact location. It’s a sizable show and worth seeing the whole thing. A second lap on Saturday, with fresh eyes, will cement your buying decisions.
The Antiques That Got Away
What haunts me from the Liberty Antiques Festival? Here’s the short list, along with my thoughts on if I’ll find them again, rated on a scale of 1 to 10.
#1 Vintage Bread Board
The bread boards differed in size and shape and originated from Hungary. And they even sported a flour dusting from their original bakeries.
Odds I will see them again: 5 out of 10
The dealer had a stack of these, but it was a small booth on the edge of the show.
#2 Pair of Sancai Planters
The gold and green glazed pots with their drippy Tang design, about 14 inches tall, screamed to live at my front door.
Odds I will see them again: 0 out of 10
I’ve never seen these planters before, and they were a great deal. What was I thinking?
#3 Tribal Rug Pillows
Backed in vintage velvet with custom down inserts, the pillows, constructed from sections of damaged antique rugs, gave well-traveled vibes that would up any sofa’s game.
Odds I will see them again: 9 out of 10
I took photos of the pillows, the booth, and the dealer’s card.
Make Asheboro Home Base
I like to think of Asheboro as “under-discovered.” It has everything that makes Asheville or Highlands appealing to the Upstate with a plus: no mountain roads. Asheboro has its own antiques shops nestled among its vintage buildings, but I took the opportunity to check out what else is in the area.
Plan for breakfast at The Table. The farm fresh eatery/bakery/coffee bar is a winner as well as aesthetically beautiful. Four Saints Brewing Company is a fun spot for a drink, and Las Cebollitas Taco Truck is often parked out front. On Sunday, have lunch at Magnolia 23 for fried chicken and a board full of daily sides.
If you brought the kids along, or you’re just a kid at heart, the North Carolina Zoo is in Asheboro, and it’s outstanding. Did you know it’s the largest natural-habitat zoo in the world? Or wander just a bit further south and visit the hub of more than 50 pottery studios in the little town of Seagrove.
For a unique stay, book a studio cabin at Getaway Asheboro. The tiny home resort is chic and tranquil and offers fishing and hiking on-site.
To learn more or to help plan a trip, check in at libertyantiquesfestival.com or heartofnorthcarolina.com.
