Browse produce, baked goods, fresh-cut flowers, and more while a local musician plays in the background – sounds like a great way to start your day in the Petoskey Area. Petoskey, Harbor Springs, and Boyne City all boast stellar farmers markets on select days of the week.
Downtown Petoskey Farmers Market
Seasonal – Fridays 8:30 AM – 1 PM
Location: Howard Street, Downtown Petoskey (near Julienne Tomatoes)
Run by the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Petoskey Farmers Market is conveniently located between Mitchell and Michigan Streets on Howard Street. This market runs late May through late September! You’ll catch all the great spring, summer, and fall produce in northern Michigan. With street and parking lot parking close by this makes it accessible. You can find organic meats from L & J Turkey Farms, a sweet cinnamon roll from Tillie’s Taffel, fresh produce from various local farms, fresh cut flowers from Emlia Acres or Mackinaw Plant Center, locally harvested maple syrup, and more!
Live music too! Blissfest Music Organization provides a live musician while you shop about for local goodies and produce each week.
For a full list of vendors, check out the listing on the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce website here.
Check out live music at the Downtown Petoskey Farmers Market! Photo credit: Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau
Harbor Springs Farmers Market
Seasonal – Wed & Sat 9 AM – 1 PM
Website: https://www.harborspringsfarmersmarket.org/
Location: On West Main Street, Downtown Harbor Springs (near Johan’s Pastries)
For the summer season of the market (end of May–August), Harbor Springs Farmers Market happens on both Wednesdays and Saturdays. Come September through the end of the market season it operates on Saturdays only. The Harbor Springs Farmers Market not only hosts produce and baked goods but homemade soaps/lotions, Charlevoix Cheese Company, Cultured Kombucha Co., small batch hot sauces from Grand Traverse Sauce Company, and various made-to-order food! Like the Downtown Petoskey Market, you can mingle with the purveyors of the goods while listening to a local musician. Don’t forget to check out their few scheduled Kids’ Days throughout the summer! This is a free, fun thing for the kids to do while visiting the market with you. For Kids Days they bring a bounce house, crafts, prizes, story time, scavenger hunt, and more activities – like a taste test. For the taste test, kids can try farmers market produce in a different setting that they might not otherwise. Did I mention it’s free?
Harbor Springs Farmers Market on Kids Day! Photo credit: Michigan Barefoot Memories
Boyne City Farmers Market
Year-Round – Wed & Sat 8 AM-Noon (Saturdays Only in Winter)
Website: https://boynecityfarmersmarket.org/
Location: Veterans Park, Boyne City
Boyne City Farmers Market is a year-round market in the Petoskey Area that is worth the visit! There is a variety of local goods from farmers, artisans, bakeries, and entrepreneurs. You may even get the chance to snag a freshly made crepe from Gildas’ Crepe Shack or a bagel from Lottie’s Bagels. For a full list of potential vendors check their website or for their latest updates, you can follow them on Facebook.
One event to mark on your calendar with the Boyne City Farmers Market is their 40th Anniversary Event: Saturday, August 19th.
Photo Credit: Michigan Barefoot Memories
What about a market… at a farm?
Here are some area favorites. Although you don’t have the convenience of having many different purveyors at once, visiting a local farm where they offer their goods for sale is a unique experience as well.
Bear Creek Organic Farm
Year-Round – Petoskey
Location: 4012 Atkins Rd, Petoskey
This gem of a northern Michigan produce farm is Petoskey, Michigan’s first-ever 100% USDA Certified Organic Farm and the first B Corp Certified farm in the state of Michigan. Opened in 2015, with sustainability and community at the forefront of their mission, Bear Creek Organic Farm is not just good products but good people as well.
Visiting the farm? You’ll want to stop by their farm market to shop their organic produce like spring mix, spinach, arugula, fresh potted herbs, and microgreens. They have all that plus other organic products. Check out their greenhouses for herbs, greens, beans, bell peppers and more for purchase during specific seasons. Want some farm-to-table fresh eats? Check out their Farm Food Truck open seasonally – try things like Bear Creek Onion Rings made with organic heirloom onions, panko and cornmeal, and served with their Famous Black Garlic Everything Sauce.
Bill’s Farm Market
Petoskey – See Their Website for Current Hours
Location: 4450 East Mitchell Rd, Petoskey
Open for over 100 years, Bill’s Farm Market continues to bring fresh produce, flowers, local canned/jar goods, and more to the Petoskey Area. Just a quick 4 miles east of US 31. Great little stop while you’re in town and looking for local jam, jelly, honey, or syrup to take home. Or if you’re renting somewhere with a kitchen and need a veggie to go with dinner or a bouquet of flowers for the dinner table.
Fall and winter are not short of beautiful. Fall you will see the market grounds decorated with thousands of pumpkins and fall squash. In the winter, for select days you can pick out a Christmas tree or a beautiful wreath. And did we mention the gorgeous valley view of the rolling back hills of Petoskey?
Coveyou Scenic Farm Market
Petoskey – See Their Website for Current Hours
Location: 4160 US 131, Petoskey
Coveyou Scenic Farm Market offers, you guessed it, a gorgeous scenic view from their expansive porch that gives glimpses of Walloon Lake in the distance. It is absolutely breathtaking. To get to this gorgeous view you will walk through Coveyou Scenic Farm’s Market – get ready to take in their large selection of goods. They have fresh produce, locally made goods from places like American Spoon, Crooked Tree Breadworks, The Rustic Baker (of Boyne Falls), and more! In the spring you can browse through the plant sale they put on too.
Fall scenes from Pond Hill Farm in Harbor Springs, Michigan.
Pond Hill Farm
Open Year-round – Check Their Website for Current Hours
Location: 5699 S Lake Shore Dr, Harbor Springs
Pond Hill Farm of Harbor Springs has been welcoming guests for many years in all seasons (with a short break here and there). Each season is unique in activities and in-season produce but there are some things you won’t want to miss no matter the season. Be sure to check out their café and market while visiting! In the café, you can find things like wood-fired pizza, parmesan-crusted grilled cheese, and yummy seasonal salads – like an heirloom tomato bruschetta, and for a short amount of time this year, they were offering brunch! Keep an eye out to see if they bring that back, I will just say one thing: smoked trout eggs benedict – amazing. In the market, they offer seasonal produce, signature canned salsas, sauces, jams, bottles of their estate-grown wine, Pond Hill merchandise, and fun gifts!
Having a hard time figuring out what Farmers Markets are happening and when? Take a look at our event calendar or check Farmers Market’s specific websites listed above.
About the Author: Ellen Hillier is a native of the area, a lover of hiking, snowboarding, foraging, and a great meal. She enjoys promoting the next fun thing to do in the Petoskey Area – but also likes to recommend local favorites and learning opportunities for all. She hopes to help in your planning process for your next trip to the Petoskey Area of northern Lower Michigan.