I've never been to either show although I've been past Carlisle ( on the interstate ) when going to Williams Grove a couple of times . Are these similar shows in terms of what they offer or do they differ greatly ? If I do go next year , I'll have to choose one of the two . Thanks , Terry
I haven't missed a HERSHEY meet since 1969, I stopped going to Carlisle in 1978 when it no longer had anything worth the gas and drive time. Bob
At Hershey, a very high percentage of stuff for sale is HAMB-worthy, and the show, the cars for sale, and the hundreds of random cars in the flea area will include many that will astound you. At Carlisle only a tiny percentage of sale items are of interest and you will likely walk past a mile of repro Mustang hubcaps and home junk for each item of interest. The show is large enough that you will still find goodies, though. Cars at Carlisle will very largely be '60's and newer with very few that you could not match at your local burger king cruise night. If you are hunting in the '30's--pre muscle car '60's, just save every spare nickel all year and tote the result to Hershey...you will almost certainly find every damn thing you ever wanted and get a mind-boggling show as you march around.
Hershey is more pre War, and serious specialty stuff. Carlisle is more post War, heavy on the 50's,60's and 70's repop. Depends on what you are looking for.
Well it definitely sounds , so far , that Hershey would be most interesting . I've had my share of muscle cars over the years but in the past while , I have focused on 1927-1963 Fords ( I know that covers a lot of territory ) . Having said that , I also enjoy seeing and shooting the **** about other brand names ....just wouldn't be buying them . T
This is very accurate as far as the flea market and car corrals go, but Hershey has a 1500 to 1800 car show on Saturday with some of the most rare antique cars to be seen anywhere. A must see if you have never been there. The specialty shows at Carlisle also have very nice show cars at the Corvette, Chrysler, Import, GM and Ford shows. Dave Carlisle, pa.
As a 31 year veteran of Carlisle I can tell you that Ian and Dave sumed it up. You want old (pre 50's), Hershey's the place. If you want '55 and up then you want Carlisle. Both places will have a mix of all years but the bulk of the eras are as stated. I know many vendors that vend in Carlisle one week and the following week they're at Hershey.
I know many vendors that vend in Carlisle one week and the following week they're at Hershey. __________________ Sounds like a great 3 week vacation!
Just checked out map-quest and was amazed at how close Hershey is to Carlisle ....I was way out ....thought Hershey was much further West for some reason . I suppose motels are booked solid in the surrounding area ....I'm too old ( and wiser ) for camping/tenting/sleeping in the car .
PA has recently added casinos near to Hershey. So I would think the hotel room numbers have gone up due to that. I don't know about availability, google the area for motels, see what's around. A lot of the vendors stay on site in truck beds and campers.
Carlisle - got tired of paying to get in to look at the "blue tarp" venders and cheap / junk tools. Hershey - would not miss it!!!
I have been going to both for many years. The vendors are declining at Carlisle while at Hershey it's the other way around. Howvever, Carlisle has a good indoor 2 day auction of old cars outside gate 3. Click below some photos of cars, vendors, and stuff from last week at Hershey. BTW we are staying all three days at Fall Hershey and not going to Spring Carlisle. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=744080
If you go to either, you might want to check out intense sprint car races at Williams Grove or several other nearby dirt tracks.
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