10 Best Farmers’ Markets in Sacramento

Sacramento Central Farmers’ Market is one of California’s largest certified farmers’ markets that’s easy to find – right under the Interstate 80 Freeway. Open on Sundays throughout the year, this ‘fresh festival’ is also a thriving community gathering spot where you can browse through booths of all sorts of fruits and vegetables as well as people watch.

It’s where chefs of Sacramento’s thriving restaurants go for the weekend to source or get inspired with the fresh bounties of the region – from herbs, vegetables, nuts, olive oil, and poultry and beef, among myriad others. Booths with crates and stacks of colorful produce are laid out under the shelter of the freeway’s concrete, along with flowers and plants as well as pastries and coffee to get your Sunday morning going. You won’t find arts and crafts stalls here, though.

Midtown Farmers Market is a family-friendly market on Sacramento’s 20th Street with local vendors that showcase fresh regionally grown produce as well as food and arts and crafts. The market takes place on Saturdays, serving as a cool community gathering place with entertainment ranging from cooking demos to live music and children’s play neighborhoods.

The market is divided into 2 sections, one with the food and artisan market beside L Street and the farmers’ and market demo section next to J Street. You get between both by crossing K Street. This is the heart of Sacramento’s shopping district. The Midtown Art Retail Restaurant Scene (MARRS) building is conveniently nearby, filled with shops and restaurants that you can further explore on your Sacramento Saturday family day out.

At the Sundays Asian Farmers Market in Sacramento, you'll find all manners of fresh regionally grown fruits and vegetables, as well as herbs and spices that make up exotic Asian cuisine. The market is just a around the corner from the well-known Sacramento Central Farmers’ Market, making it a well-worth visit on a Sunday shopping trip in downtown.

It’s smaller but opens before the crack of dawn and offers lower prices compared to other farmers’ markets. Local shoppers themselves would often make their way purposefully for a sought-after ingredient. There’s often a frenzied spree for the best and freshest bok choy and other leafy greens, and stalls are often swept clean way before noon.

The biweekly Oak Park Farmers Market on 5^th Avenue may seem significantly smaller than Sacramento’s well-known under-the-freeway farmers’ market, but it packs a great selection of specialty vendors. Look out for those selling artisanal goods like hummus, vinegar, and smoked salmon and halibut. You can also grab a freshly prepared tamale sandwich or empanada, plus a freshly squeezed mixed fruit juice to go along with it in between your shopping.

Furthermore, adding to the overall friendly and lively vibes are food trucks and food demos alongside buskers, fundraisers and informational and promotional stalls. There are even often activities like storytelling and art workshops that the little ones can actively join.

Elk Grove Farmers' Market is at the community center of the namesake city, located south of the state capital of Sacramento. It’s a seasonal market that showcases regional farm produce and more. Also known as the Small Farmers’ Market, it opens every Sunday from June to November.

You also get to enjoy the cool features of the civic center, with its pleasant ambience surrounded by outdoor artworks called Avenue of the Arts, together with rhythmic water fountains and large oak trees. Goods offered by vendors at the market range from freshly bakery items, homemade jellies and jellies, certified organic fruits and veggies – including cold-pressed juices, cold-cut meats, cut flowers, vegan food, and many more.

Head down to Saturday Farmers’ Market in the Arden Arcade community of Sacramento for fresh and healthy regionally produced goods and an overall fun local community vibe. It’s held every Saturday morning throughout the year, right behind the Country Club Plaza on Butano Drive – that’s why many refer to it as the Country Club Plaza Farmers’ Market.

Growers from all over the Central Valley region come to showcase their fresh seasonal produce at the market, and it’s where Arden Arcade locals and Sacramento visitors stop by for fresh fruits and prime cut meats for the broil as well as vivid cut flowers. You can pick up California wine and munch on fat, juicy strawberries while enjoying live music performances.

Shopping at the farmers’ market in Folsom lets you take in some old vibes of the Wild West in an old town with a railroad museum and pioneer village nearby. The city is an hour’s drive northeast of Sacramento and its old town centres around Public Plaza, which has a historic ice rink and the Folsom amphitheater.

Here, Saturdays start early as you and local weekenders stroll through the market where over 80 growers set up their stalls, showcasing everything from succulent oranges to fresh grapefruit and tangelo juice. Great for families to visit, the farmers’ market isn’t just all about shopping for great regional produce. You can put down your shopping bag and sink into a massage chair while enjoying live bands perform.

Carmichael Park Farmers Market presents a great mix of regional fresh produce from over 80 farmers, together with 40 specialty food vendors and live music every Sunday morning. It’s a family-friendly marketplace that makes good use of the large recreational setting of the namesake community park, meaning those with kids in tow won’t run short of ideas on how to spend their Sunday.

Besides the colorful fresh produce you can buy at very reasonable prices, you can also expect a good variety of culinary demos, farming presentations, kids’ activities, live music, taste-offs, and much more. There’s plenty of vendors selling ready-to-eat nibbles like strudels and you can also drop into the onsite food court whenever you’re feeling peckish.

Sunrise Farmers’ Market is a source of fresh local goods held every Saturday at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 25 minutes north-east from downtown Sacramento. You can find the parking lot in front of Macy’s lined with tents that cover rows and rows of vendors. Goods on display range from California certified organic fruits and vegetables to cut flowers and homemade honey, olive oil, and jellies.

Besides fresh regional farm produce, souvenir hunters can browse the art and craft stalls as well as the specialty vendors selling organic soap and body care products. Hungry? Check out gourmet prepared treats such as tamales and hummus, which you can snack on between your shopping.

Every Saturday, Natomas Farmers’ Market springs to life at the North Natomas Regional Park with farm-fresh California-grown produce and a great food variety from local food vendors. Apart from the vividly colored fruits and vegetables that you can find throughout the stalls, there are specialty food stands that make this market a good go-to when hungry.

Delights range from wraps with fillings like turkey pesto or broiled chicken, red onion and sun-dried tomatoes. Check out the pizza stand for a selection of wood-fired thin-crust breakfast pizzas, and wash them down good with refreshing fruity smoothies or iced lattes. If you come with kids in tow who love to garden, they’ll have a blast at the occasional special farmer demos.