Connecticut flea markets will be one of those activities that make for a great addition to your travel plans. Even the central part of the trip itself!
They’re full of interesting things and people, provide the opportunity to find the occasional diamond in the rough. And you can usually find something to interest everyone you’re travelling with.
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With a bit of patience, you can find great deals on tools or scrap wood for the craftsperson in you. There are vintage clothes and vinyl records for those who enjoy a retro aesthetic, furniture sets, glassware and toys.
You can find just about anything at a flea market! And it can be a fun day out for the whole family too. Connecticut flea markets offer a wide variety of truly great experiences.
The region is rife with items of historical interest (this means you’re more likely to find valuable antiques for sale!). There is something to love about every season, Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter!
Below are fifteen of the most exciting and interesting Connecticut flea markets. Whether you’re looking for an indoor experience or an outdoor one, antiques or something to do you will find it. Enjoy!
Indoor Connecticut Flea Markets
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Sometimes you don’t want to take a risk with your plans. You want to ensure that no matter the weather, you can enjoy a nice day out.
At your favourite Connecticut flea market indoor markets can be ideal for this. Though it is sometimes worth checking if they have air conditioning on a hot summer’s day.
Here is a selection of some of our favorite indoor flea markets!
Bethlehem Indoor Flea Market
Whatever the weather happens to be doing outside is no concern for shoppers of the Bethlehem Indoor Flea Market. One of the largest of the indoor Connecticut flea markets.
It is located in a very large warehouse building at 37 Thomson Road in Bethlehem. Open from noon to 5 PM on Fridays and 9 to 5 on Saturdays and Sundays.
This flea market even has temperature so it’s comfortable to visit all year round. It also regularly features a wide variety of antiques and vintage items. In addition to collectibles such as records, art, and even classic cars.
This flea market also offers delivery on everything sold there, as well as the ability to purchase via PayPal. Making it convenient on multiple levels for all shoppers and their various needs.
It’s also a well organized flea market, with the items categorized making it easy to find what you’re looking for. And it’s even pet friendly!
Mongers Market
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Located at 1155 Railroad Ave in Bridgeport, Mongers Market is 75,000 square feet and located inside a large industrial building. Conveniently it is visible from the highway.
Again, due to being indoors, it’s open year round and in all weather. Making it a particularly fun one to go to on a rainy day when others are closed.
Mongers Market runs every Sunday throughout the year, opening at 10 AM and closing at 4 PM. And while it does have some antiques, that’s not the main focus of this market. It tends to focus on salvage both industrial and vintage, which makes it unique amongst other Connecticut flea markets.
The problem with visiting this one is that finding parking is a bit difficult because it’s a popular flea market. But on the plus side, Mongers Market does hire a parking attendant who can help guide you to a good and/or available spot when the market is packed with people.
Which it can be, so make sure to get there early if possible!
The Flea Market at the Crossing
At 105 East Main St in Plainville, which is located outside Hartford between Bristol and New Britain is another of the best indoor Connecticut flea markets. Simply called The Flea Market at the Crossing, this market runs on every Saturday and Sunday year round between 9 AM and 4 PM. And again, due to being indoors, it’s open in all weather.
This flea market specializes most in things such as furniture, décor, and crafts, and it’s additionally also home to the headquarters of a furniture company called H&B Woodworking. So besides finding older treasures, you can also find custom furniture, cabinet making, as well as restoration for your own older pieces that need work.
Entry to this flea market is free, and in addition, if you get there early, they also provide free coffee in the morning. Nice touches such as this make it a very homey, welcoming environment that attracts both locals and people traveling from further away looking for their next flea market discovery.
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Outdoor Connecticut Flea Markets
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Connecticut is blessed with a temperate climate and has some truly beautiful weather, particularly in the autumn. If you are looking to enjoy some time in the open air as part of your flea market trips, consider checking out one of these open air or outdoor flea markets!
Redwood County Flea Market
Located on 170 S Turnpike Road in Wallingford, Redwood County Flea Market opened four decades ago as a small little market in The Redwood restaurant’s parking lot but has greatly expanded over the years to its current form.
It’s now one of the most established and long-lived Connecticut flea markets, running from 6 AM to 3 PM, Friday through Sunday, all year long, unless it’s raining.
Each week, over eighty vendors sell antiques, jewelry, furniture, as well as special collectibles, including comic books, DVDS, games, tools, coins, various sorts of memorabilia (from pop culture to military), and even baked goods. They pride themselves on being a classic old fashioned flea market that regularly attracts large crowds.
Admission is always free, and there’s also free parking. When coming to visit the Redwood County Flea Market, many also choose to grab lunch at the restaurant, which makes for a lovely Friday and/or weekend afternoon out with the family.
Boulevard Flea Market
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One of the most unusual Connecticut flea markets on our list is Boulevard Flea Market, located on Ella T. Grasso Boulevard in New Haven. It also claims to be the oldest in the state, having been running for over a century.
This is not a flea market that tends to cater to people on the lookout for antiques, but you will find things such as furniture, clothing, jewelry, books, TV sets, purses, sunglasses, hats, and all sorts of novelty items.
It’s also known for all of its food truck options that are reminiscent of what you might find at a carnival, including hot dogs, hamburgers, subway sandwiches, ice cream and more. In fact, carnival gives a much better idea of the sort of atmosphere you’ll find here versus the more quaint images that are often conjured up by the term “flea market”.
Boulevard Flea Market runs from 7 AM to 4 PM every Saturday and Sunday throughout the year.
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The Woodbury Flea Market
Located at 44 Sherman Hill Road in Woodbury, which is known as the antique capital of Connecticut, it’s no surprise that this is one of the Connecticut flea markets most known for historic merchandise. For forty years, the Woodbury Flea Market was run by one couple, and it was taken over by another in 2008.
A small, charming market, Woodbury Flea Market features more than twenty dealers each week selling things such as furniture, jewelry, tools, vintage clothing, records and CDs, baseball cards, and more.
The Woodbury Flea Market runs every Saturday of the year and additionally is open on Sundays from March through November, other than Easter Sunday, from 7:30 to 3:30 PM. From July through October, the Woodbury Flea Market also hosts a farmers’ market where you can buy all sorts of fresh vegetables and produce.
Entry is completely free, and it remains open in all weather conditions!
Elephant’s Trunk Country Flea Market
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Located at 490 Danbury Road in New Milford, Elephant’s Trunk isn’t only the largest and (thanks in part to its HGTV appearances) likely the most famous of the Connecticut flea markets, it’s also the largest in the entirety of New England!
Having opened in 1976, it’s an institution that began as a smaller market near a Victorian mansion that has grown so huge, it extends over a full field. It regularly has approximately 500 vendors selling antiques, collectibles, and all sorts of sought-after vintage treasures, as well as new work from the local artists.
Between the months of April and mid-December every year, Elephant’s Trunk runs every Sunday, as long as it isn’t raining, with doors opening as early as 4:45 AM for early birds (who pay $40 for admission) and the general public at 7 AM, for $2 a piece. From 2 PM onwards, all visitors can enter for free, and it closes at 3:30 PM.
Mansfield Drive-In Theatre & Marketplace
Another of the more unusual of the Connecticut flea markets is Mansfield Drive-In Theatre & Marketplace, which, as the name indicates, operates as one of the few remaining drive-in movie theatres in the country but on Sundays, year-round, between the hours of 8 AM and 3 PM, transforms into a flea market.
Located at 228 Stafford Road in Mansfield Center, Mansfield Drive-In Theatre & Marketplace can accommodate all sorts of weather. When it’s bright and beautiful outside, vendors are outside near where the films show at night.
When it’s raining, snowing, cold, and/or wet, the flea market is held inside the 15,000 square foot building on the premises. What might also surprise you to discover is that Mansfield Drive-In Theatre & Marketplace is actually one of the largest Connecticut flea markets, so there is always a huge eclectic selection of items to look through and treasures to find there! Admission is free, but parking is $2.
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Antique Connecticut Flea Markets
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One of the greatest appeals of flea marketing is the search for valuable antiques, occasionally for offer at bargain prices! The thrill of the hunt is one reason people return time and time again to their favourite markets! Who knows when you’ll find a rare treasure!
Connecticut flea markets are especially great for antiquing. The region is one of those first colonised by European settlers, and therefore you’re more likely to find the more valuable antiques. Just thing of the classic furniture you might find!
College Mart
Located at 2 Wedgewood Drive in Jewett City near Mystic, College Mart Flea Market is on the largest of the outdoor/indoor Connecticut flea markets, with both an outdoor and indoor area, the latter of which is held within a sprawling historic building that used to be home to a textile mill. On inclement weather days, the market is only held inside.
College Mart runs every Sunday throughout the year from the hours of 9 AM to 4 PM, and also runs an auction on every single Friday night over at Leone’s Auction Gallery nearby. Its two floors and whopping 900 tables include vendors of antiques, clothes, accessories, toys, sporting goods, DVDs, food, tools, cosmetics, games, and more.
If you are looking for deals on items, the lower priced items tend to be at the outside tables (when the weather is nice), although you might have to do some searching to uncover treasures, while the indoor ones are generally the more higher priced items.
Wright’s Barn
For another of the Connecticut flea markets located inside a historic building, Wright’s Barn, located at 99 Wright Road in Torrington, has a rich history. In the 1940s, it was home to a dairy barn. In the mid-1960s through the mid-70s, it was a dance club for teenagers. And since 1980, it’s been in its current form as a flea market.
Open on Saturdays and Sundays all year round (other than holidays) between the hours of 10 AM and 4:30 PM, Wright’s Barn is a deceptively large market that seems smaller on the outside than the 10,000 square feet on the inside. Both floors are filled weekly with over forty vendors, many of whom have been mainstays there for 2 decades.
This is mostly an antiques flea market, and the historic, picturesque setting creates the perfect atmosphere for this sort of shopping. Antiques you’ll find here include furniture, books, glassware, china, tools, paper goods, jewelry, Victorian artwork, and more. We can also recommend the nearby Jim & Carol’s Café for a meal afterwards!
New Brunswick Flea Market
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Located at 601 Migeon Avenue in Torrington is the largest flea market in Litchfield County’s history. At 55,000 square feet, this indoor market is held inside a beautiful old manufacturing building.
It features vendors ranging from all over New England. It’s also a fairly recent addition to the list of Connecticut flea markets, having opened in 2017.
This flea market features antique dealers who are ready to bargain with you, and people selling all sort of collectibles, jewelry, and more, as well as people selling new crafts they’ve just recently designed, making it a wonderful mix of the vintage and the new. And stock is updated so frequently, you’ll find new items every time you visit.
New Brunswick Flea Market charges $1 for entry, but admission for children is completely free, and is open every Saturday and Sunday throughout the year from 9 AM to 4 PM. Parking is free.
Maplewood Indoor Flea Market
Another one of the best Connecticut flea markets, particularly for antiques, is actually on the same road as Elephant’s Trunk. Located at 458 Danbury Road in New Milford. Maplewood Indoor Flea Market was actually specifically designed as a reaction to how bad weather can ruin an outdoor market.
After the owners observed a flea market getting washed out in the rain, they decided to start their own indoors. With climate control, so it’s available all year.
This market gets particularly busy whenever Elephant’s Trunk happens to be closed. This is partly due to inclement weather, and also regularly offers an alternative to outdoor shopping.
Maplewood Indoor Flea Market is open from 9 to 4 on Saturdays and Sundays. It is known as the largest of Connecticut’s indoor flea markets, featuring approximately 100 vendors.
Their items include furniture, books, music, jewelry, collectibles, and more. Both admission and parking are free, and the building features convenient restrooms for customers.
Antiques on the Farmington
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Antiques on the Farmington is located on 10 Depot St in Collinsville. It is one of the Connecticut flea markets that specifically features antiques and are also housed in a historic location.
Back when they first opened, they were in an 1800s grist mill in Unionville, and now they’re in a historic axe factory, ever since 2006 when they moved.
The Collins Axe Factory was the first company in the entire country that made axes that were ready to use, and the town of Collinsville actually sprang up around this factory as the business became more popular and began to expand.
Now, Antiques on the Farmington allows visitors to experience this historical space while browsing merchandise from the 70 vendors who have set up shop on the two floors inside. It specializes in antique furniture in addition to glassware, art, and pottery. It’s also unusual in being open every day of the week from 10 AM to 5 PM.
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Weekday Connecticut Flea Markets
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Many flea markets exist only at limited times, such as the weekends. That is not the case with the Connecticut Flea Markets we’ve listed below, however!
These markets are open throughout the week, giving patrons even more chances to find something good. But remember to always check holiday hours!
Cobalt Route 66
The Cobalt Route 66 Flea Market, on 363 West High Street in Cobalt is fairly rare amongst Connecticut flea markets. This is because it’s actually not only open on weekdays but actually every single day of the year.
No matter the weather, between the hours of 10 AM and 5 PM. It’s also unusual because it’s a generally outdoor flea market that remains open no matter the weather.
Additionally it actually moves indoors for the winter months. So that both vendors and shoppers can continue to both sell and buy in comfort even during the sometimes brutal New England winters.
Items sold within this charming market range from everything from furniture to clothes to books to toys, and more.
Flea at 99
Located at 99 Railroad St in Canaan, Flea at 99 is another great flea market. Unlike most of the other Connecticut flea markets, is actually open on some weekdays as well. It runs on Wednesdays through Sundays year round.
Being indoors, in all weather, open between the hours of 10 and 5. Because it’s open more often, this also means Flea at 99 can be less crowded than some of the others. Which can be a perk, particularly in these pandemic times.
Across their 8,000 square feet, Flea at 99 has more than 80 regular vendors who have an ever changing variety of merchandise Attracting collectors, bargain hunters, and even just browsers curious to check it out.
Flea at 99 often has a lot of beautiful antiques. It’s also become known as a great place to find old books and sought after vinyl. They also have a great deal of furniture, for those looking for an old, attractive piece to restore.
If you’re looking for a new statement piece to anchor a room in your home they have that too.
Conclusion on Connecticut Flea Markets
If you’re looking for a gorgeous piece of antique furniture or art to liven up your home décor, or if you’re simply a collector looking for a rare piece of literature, music, memorabilia, or what have you, there’s no better weekend adventure than a day spent at one of the many Connecticut flea markets above! Happy bargain hunting!
