<em>Today's post comes from <a href="http://lesleyraes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tulsa blogger Lesley Zellars, who blogs at lesleyraes.blogspot.com</a> — welcome, Lesley!</em>

First off I have to say how excited I am to be sharing here today. I'm a big fan of TDT and, obviously, Tulsa. So I hope to provide you with a fun, new way to explore some of Tulsa's treasures. 

I'm not talking food, art or festivals. I'm talking about flea markets.

One of my favorite places to find awesome vintage-y greatness is <a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/2010/08/tulsa-flea-market/" target="_blank">the Tulsa Flea Market at the fairgrounds</a>. I kind of grew up going to the flea market. My grandparents used to have a booth there when I was little and nearly every Saturday my parents would take me and my sister to visit them. I knew if I ran up and gave my grandpa a hug he would slip me a dollar. Add a kiss on the cheek and another dollar found its way in my pocket. Two dollars doesn't sound like much, but at the flea market, it could buy a lot. Not to mention that was over twenty years ago, but times haven't really changed at the flea market. There's still the guy with the crystal rocks, puppies in crates needing a home, the booth with tons of toys and baked goods ready to be tasted.

Now that I'm older, I've found my way back to the flea market. If you've never been, you'll probably want to take more than two dollars. There are a lot of different vendors each with their own booth ranging from furniture, records, fabric, old Fisher Price toys, tools, kitchenware, collectibles and everything in between.

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I like taking old things, like a metal mop bucket, and using it for something different, like a toy bin.

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What ever you are looking for, you can probably find it at the Tulsa Flea Market. Plus, you can practice your negotiating skills, and even bring your dog along for the fun, as long as it's well-behaved. Just remember, it's only open on certain Saturdays, 8 a.m. — 4 p.m. <a href="http://www.tulsafleamarket.net/index.html" target="_blank">Check out Tulsa Flea Market on the web before heading out or to learn more</a>. 

And then there are the antique malls. They are a lot like the flea market except that the vendors aren't actually at their booths, and most are open every day. Each booth is owned by a different vendor and some are neatly decorated while others are cluttered, with merchandise just piled onto shelves.

Drive down Route 66 and you'll find Generations Antique Mall.

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It's smaller than the Tulsa Flea Market but there are plenty of booths to keep you perusing. You can find a lot of the same types of things here, along with dolls, furniture and Route 66 collectibles. The prices are about what you'd find at the flea market, too.

Generations is open every day from 10 a.m — 5 p.m. Find it next to Tally's at 11th and Yale.

If you're in Broken Arrow (or don't mind going there), there's a fun shop called The Hitching Post on Main Street. 

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Its footprint is about the same as Generations, but the prices are usually a little higher. Most of the booths are tidier, so it's a bit easier to look through. They have a lot of antique plates and kitchen stuff, a whole room full of tools, a wall full of books and an entire room full of kids' toys.

The Hitching Post is on the corner of 91st Street and Main. It's open Monday — Saturday, 10:30 a.m to 5:30 p.m.

And if you're out in Jenks, you have to check out River City Trading Post. It's the largest of the three stores and offers the largest variety in booths and vendors.

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=8054" rel="attachment wp-att-8054"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/RiverCity.jpg" alt="River City by Tulsa Blogger Lesley Rae" title="River City by Tulsa Blogger Lesley Rae" width="500" height="420" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8054" /></a>

There are aisles and aisles of booths offering everything form vintage treasures to handmade items, like hair bows and soap. There's also a large open area devoted to old furniture, and they set up mini showrooms to assist with decorating ideas. The prices vary depending on the booth. Chances are, if you see something but it's a little higher than what you want to pay, keep looking because you're bound to find something similar in another booth for less.

I've discovered several treasures for my house at River City Trading Post, and my favorite finds were these wire baskets that I hung on the wall in my girl's nursery to hold her books.

<a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/?attachment_id=8055" rel="attachment wp-att-8055"><img src="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/basket.jpg" alt="Basket by Tulsa Blogger Lesley Rae" title="Basket by Tulsa Blogger Lesley Rae" width="500" height="353" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8055" /></a>

River City is on Main Street in Jenks, open seven days a week. You can <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/River-City-Trading-Post/128001817212558" target="_blank">find River City Trading Post on Facebook</a>, too.

Now go, explore and find your own second-hand treasures!