St. Jacobs Farmers Market

Here is a spot that a lot of people are unaware of, and it isn’t that far from Toronto if you drive. It is the St. Jacobs Farmers Market, and it is in the Waterloo Region. What you need to be aware of is that the Farmers Market itself is only open on select days. Yearly it is open on Thursday and Saturday and then in the summer (late June to late August) it is also open on Tuesday.

The St. Jacobs Farmers Market is more than just an outdoor area where you can purchase locally grown fruit and vegetables. You will find buildings where you can purchase local grown meat, cheeses, baked goods and a lot more. Being able to give yourself quite a bit of time to walk
around the entire market is so enjoyable. You will see lots of different handmade items as well as some commercially made items, but it is so worth the walking around. You will also find The Fritter Co (see blog entry) in one of the buildings and purchasing some apple fritters is highly recommended.

Besides visiting the Market itself there are a couple of nice antique markets that are very close as well that require some time to walk through them if you are looking for something unique. Each time you go to these antique markets you are find different things as the stock does change so don’t be surprised if you find something today that it might not be there when you look again.

My suggestion is if you are wanting to see everything in the area you aren’t going to be able to see it all in one day, so I would look at maybe booking a hotel room that is within walking distance to the market so that you can enjoy your time and not feel rushed. Being able to spend a day at the market and then have some time to explore the area around is so good. St. Jacobs Village also offers some nice shops, and it isn’t far up the road from the Market.

When you are in the area around St Jacobs you will have to keep your eyes open for horse-drawn carriages or horse and buggies, that will be sharing the road with you. The Waterloo Region is home to the largest population of Old Order Mennonites in Canada. So, keep your eyes open and be prepared to slow down and share the road.

There is a lot to see and do around the St. Jacobs Farmers Market so ensure that you have on some comfortable walking shoes because you will get lots of steps in especially when you are exploring all the different things there are to see in the Market itself and the areas around it.