I happened upon this gem of a sale last year quite by accident. My intended destination was the Heart of Country Antiques Show, which is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Opryland Hotel.

Now this show in Nashville was one I had been dying to get to...so I talked some other DDs into a trip and away we went, visions of supreme shopping in our heads. Although the hotel and setting was fabulous, we were a little disappointed in the show itself as it was mostly upscale antiques that were very expensive. It seemed like it was more for those high-end buyers who have money to burn, not savvy Discount Divas like ourselves.

Nevertheless, since we had flown in for the event, and our return flight did not depart for hours, we made the best of it and explored the booths and exhibits. About 2 hours before our flight was to depart, we left the hotel and were headed for the airport. As we pulled out of the Opryland Hotel, we made a wrong turn and ended up at the Fiddlers Inn Motel across the street.

Much to our surprise, every motel room door was open and there were sales going on in every room, as well as all kinds of great items for sale in the parking lot! What a bonanza! We jumped out of the car and started milling around. I have never in my life seen such great stuff at such great prices. By accident we had come across the Tailgate Antiques Show.

Since we only had a few minutes, we frantically scooped up some items like our lives depended on it. I bought a huge bread board for when I make homemade bread, for $20. I also bought a pair of antique wooden shoe molds, a little piece of Americana, for $10. Tied with a bit of ribbon, I have them displayed in my daughter's room. If we had more time, we would have done a lot more damage as the bargains were fabulous!! And the selection was huge...they had everything from tables, rugs and benches, to baseball cards and collectibles.

Right then and there, we made a decision to come back the next year and go straight to the Fiddlers Inn! And by the way, we made the flight with 5 minutes to spare!

This year the Tailgate Antiques Show will happen February 12-15 and again October 22-25. Don't miss it!