Nebraska people like the word “junk” to describe what is sold in flea markets, and it is used affectionately by some around the nation.
Many of their sales have the word in the name of the sale or event.
Nebraska people also like to have special events connected to their flea markets.
They might make it into a festival with some live music and food trucks added.
The state also has some highway routes set aside for huge sales at times.
Nebraska is a rural state too, and that means there should always be plenty of antique farm-related items for sale.
Most of the flea markets in Nebraska are indoors, but there is some outside connected to events like festivals.
The 10 Best Flea Markets in Nebraska
Junkstock Omaha
Junkstock Omaha is a flea market festival that embodies the spirit of the American Flea Market.
The event is held for three weekends in the fall and three weekends in the spring.
There are more than 200 vendors offering new and used items.
A lot of them are just people wanting to sell their unused stuff.
There is no telling what you might find, from antiques to farm implements, collectibles, memorabilia, and more.
There are 20 or more food trucks, and bands provide music throughout the festival.
It starts with an early bird session Friday morning and runs through Sunday.
It is just to the west of Omaha on an old horse farm.
https://www.junkstock.com/junkstock-info#hours-location
Junktoberfest
Junktoberfest is an antique show that happens a couple of times a year.
There is usually one in November where there is a holiday or Christmas gift theme.
This flea market is held indoors in Belleview.
It is focused on antiques and art.
Many artists will be there selling their work, and you can visit them and talk about the art.
You might even be able to get one to custom-make something.
There will be a few both will typical flea market items, but the focus is on old and artsy work.
There is new and used furniture, memorabilia, and a lot of collectibles.
Craftspeople find interesting ways to use things, and you never know what creation you will find at this market.
It is held at 1001 Ford Cook Road in Bellevue.
Nebraska’s Junk Jaunt
Nebraska’s Junk Jaunt is a trip of 300 miles through the middle of the state where you can see the countryside as you shop.
The route is roughly Highway 11 and 91, and it goes through a lot of small towns which Nebraska is famous for.
Community centers, barns, and churches are gathering places where you can also shop for treasures.
You can find junk and treasures all along the route.
There is plenty of food, and lots of entertainment all the way as well in each of the small towns.
It is a loop that takes up the Sandhills Journey Byway and the Loup Rivers Scenic Byway, both of which will take you through the prettiest parts of the state.
You may also order a shoppers guide before you start your journey.
Brownville Flea Market
Brownville Flea Market happens for two weekends each year and has been a part of this small town for 50 years.
It is a classic flea market in every sense of the word.
It is mostly outdoors, and people from all over come to sell the stuff they no longer want.
Brownville is an old historical town, and the flea market is part of what makes it a nice place to visit.
Many people come and stay the whole weekend, which is what organizers hoped for.
There will be hundreds of dealers, offering antique home furnishings, crafts, furniture, glassware, and art of many kinds.
There will also be jewelry and toys, both old and new.
Local handmade crafts are available and there will be stalls selling plants and various kinds of food.
The spring sale is usually on Memorial Day, and the Fall sale is in late September.
Brownville is a small town on the Missouri River.
https://www.brownvillehistoricalsociety.org/attendees
The Omaha Mega Market
The Omaha Mega Market lives up to its name in the state’s biggest city.
There will be hundreds of vendors selling almost anything you could imagine.
There are also specialist stores for sports memorabilia and items representing many teams.
Some dealers focus on high-quality, expensive antiques, as well as vintage goods like toys, furniture, art, glassware, and ceramics.
If you want it, someone in this store has it or can get it pretty fast.
The market is indoors and is open Wednesday through Sunday each week.
It is unusual to see a place this big open so many days each week, but they have a tremendous amount of inventory.
They also have closeout sales occasionally where things are sold at a very deep discount.
https://www.facebook.com/theomahafleamarket/
Junktoberfest
Junktoberfest in McCook is a traditional flea market that happens in the fall each year.
It is a small town in the western part of the state close to the Kansas border.
It is held at the Red Willow Fairgrounds.
Some are indoors and some are outdoors.
Hundreds of sellers flock to this market to sell used items, antiques, crafts, vintage, and repurposed items.
There are also food trucks and stalls selling homemade food items as well.
Admission is just $2.
There will also be juried art contests, and in some ways, it resembles a county fair.
There are activities for children as well, such as chalk paint.
The main event is the flea market though, with hundreds of used items to sift through.
You can also see artists doing their art, and buy art from the artists who are there selling their work.
https://visitmccook.com/events/what-the-junk/
The Imaginarium Mercantile
The Imaginarium Mercantile and the Imaginarium Super Store are two huge flea markets in Omaha that are under the same ownership.
They sell “everything you can imagine,” their sign says, and they are not exaggerating.
They have a little of everything under two roofs.
One of their stores is in the older part of town, and the other one is on the southern edge.
They are open from noon to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
There is a large collection of sports memorabilia, vinyl record albums, and a lot of electronics to play them on.
They have new and used furniture, glassware, and household items.
Collectibles of many kinds, and some you may not have thought of.
You can find a life-size Gumby, vintage jewelry, or a box of nails.
https://www.facebook.com/imaginariumantiques/
Junktion Flea Market
Junktion Flea Market is in Fremont and about 50 miles northwest of Omaha.
It is far enough away from the city to feel very rural.
This store has 100 or more dealers, and has washtubs filled with vinyl record albums, to show how “country” it is.
They have new and used furniture, jewelry, memorabilia, and the usual antiques.
What is unusual here are the curiosities, unusual and strange things you did not know you needed until you saw them.
Some are inventions of people selling them, or modifications that make tools unique.
They have antique wood and metal wheels for your covered wagon, or for whatever you need them for.
It would be worth it.
They have a good selection of toys for kids of all ages, as well as model cars, trucks, and trains.
https://www.facebook.com/Junktionfleamarket/
The Platt Valley Antique Mall
The Platt Valley Antique Mall in Greenwood is serious about its antiques.
They want only authentic antiques.
They have no fakes in reproductions.
They do not have handmade items and not many newer collectibles.
It has about 150 dealers.
It is said a lot of dealers are also customers here.
It has a great reputation for its high standards of quality when it comes to antiques.
You may not find rock bottom prices here, but you will find the best quality antiques.
We often think of furniture when we think of antiques.
They have that, in addition to hunting tools, globes, ceramics, vintage clocks, lamps, and decorative items.
They are open seven days a week and are at exit 480 on I-80.
http://www.plattevalleyantiquemall.com/
The Pony Express Antique Mall
The Pony Express Antique Mall is in the small town of Melbeta in the western part of the state, not far from the Colorado border.
The town is near the Platte River and was very close to the historic pony express route.
This mall is not huge and is in a very rural area.
They have around 70 dealers with a lot of antiques, memorabilia, collectibles, as well as new and used items.
There is some furniture, glassware, tools, and toys like model cars or trucks.
In winter they are open only on Saturday, and in summer they may be open two or three days a week.
https://www.facebook.com/The-Pony-Express-Flea-Market-1001779356620546/
The 10 Best Flea Markets in Nebraska – Summary Table
| Flea Market | Address |
|---|---|
| Junkstock Omaha | 1150 River Rd Dr, Waterloo, NE 68069 |
| Junktoberfest | 100 Main Street, Springfield, NE 68059 |
| Nebraska's Junk Jaunt | 1523 M St #104, Ord, NE 68862 |
| Brownville Flea Market | 213 E Main St, Brownville, NE 68321 |
| The Omaha Mega Market | 5222 S 136th St, Omaha, NE 68137 |
| Junktoberfest in McCook | 501 W O Streets, Mccook, NE 69001 |
| The Imaginarium Mercantile | 1113 Howard St, Omaha, NE 68102 |
| Junktion Flea Market | 305 N Park Ave, Fremont, NE 68025 |
| The Platt Valley Antique Mall | 13017 238th St, Greenwood, Nebraska 68366 |
| The Pony Express Antique Mall | 205-211 Ringsby St, Gering, NE 69341 |
Nebraska Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Nebraska Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: LOW
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
- MUGGING RISK: LOW
- TERRORISM RISK: LOW
- SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Frequently Asked Questions
What is unique about flea markets in Nebraska?
Nebraska uses the term “junk” liberally to refer to selling used items, or old things at flea markets.
A lot of flea markets in Nebraska are connected to other events or made into festivals themselves.
There are several that happen just once or twice a year and they have a festival atmosphere.
In many small towns, there are thrift stores, antique malls, and flea markets.
Another unique thing is that, since this is a farming state, there will be a lot of farm-related antiques for sale.
You may find old tools or even old tractors.
While there may be several things that are a little different in Nebraska, adding the festival atmosphere to many of them is something you will not find anywhere.
Where are the best flea markets in Nebraska?
Omaha and Lincoln are only 50 miles apart and nearly half the state’s population lives in that metropolitan area.
No other city in the state has more than 65,000 people.
As a result, most of the best flea markets are in the Omaha-Lincoln area.
Even so, there are some nice flea markets in the rural areas.
There are just a lot more of them in the two main cities.
Also, do not forget about the junk jaunt, a 300-mile loop following the state’s most scenic highways, that has special sales all along the route once each year.
Lincoln is the state capitol and the home of the University of Nebraska, and those two things together result in some very good flea markets.
There are a few superstore-type flea markets that have hundreds of dealers in the Omaha and Lincoln areas.
When is the best time to go to a flea market in Nebraska?
The best stuff sells early because that is when serious collectors, as well as other dealers, hit the sales hard.
You will not get the best prices early, but you will have the first pick and get the best stuff that is for sale.
To get the lowest possible prices, go late in the day.
The only problem is, most of it will have been picked over and the best stuff will be gone.
Still, merchants often would rather get rid of stuff than have to haul it away, and they would sell things very cheaply.
Indoor markets are a little more formal, and it may not make as much difference what time of day you go.
Prices are normally set at indoor markets.
To find new stuff at indoor markets, the best day to go is Monday because new items are added on weekends.
What are the differences between indoor and outdoor markets in Nebraska?
Most indoor markets do not have the festival atmosphere that is attached to outdoor events in Nebraska, but some do have a bit of flair in that direction.
The biggest difference is how business is done.
At a flea market, the owner is there with his or her booth and selling things directly to the customer.
As a result, you can often barter for a better deal.
Cash is often the only currency accepted.
Indoor markets are more like regular stores.
Vendors rent booths and leave what they have for sale there, and the owner of the business sells it to customers for them.
There is no contact between the buyer and the owner of what is for sale.
Indoor markets usually accept credit cards or checks, and you are more likely to be charged sales tax at an indoor market.
