Who doesn’t love a great Farmers Market?
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the popularity of Farmers Markets is growing. What was once a niche shopping experience for the wealthy and ultra health conscious has become mainstream. And to appease the diverse populations that have shown interest in farmers markets, vendors have expanded their offerings. You can now get ice cream, homemade soap and even beer to go along with your organic beets and mushrooms.
And they aren’t just popular in liberal enclaves and on the west coast.
Farmers markets are booming in areas that had trouble making inroads in the past. 20 years ago, you’d never think you’d find farmers’ markets in Kansas City, Detroit or St. Louis.
Simply put, farmers markets aren’t just for farmers any more.
So, where are the best farmers’ markets in Massachusetts? We’ve got the answers here. (We’ll explain our methodology below.)
These are the best Massachusetts farmers markets:
- Boston Public Market, Boston, MA
- Sowa Outdoor Food Market, Boston, MA
- Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market, Pittsfield, MA
- Amherst Farmers’ Market, Amherst Center, MA
- The Newburyport Farmers’ Market, Newburyport, MA
- Roslindale Village Main Street Farmers Market, Boston, MA
- Waltham Farmers’ Market, Waltham, MA
- Copley Square Farmers Market, Boston, MA
- Union Square Farmers Market, Somerville, MA
- Northampton Winter Farmers’ Market, Northampton, MA
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how each market ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably live in one of these cities where things are oh-so farmers market friendly.
And after you find a great farmers market, check out the best places to live in Massachusetts or the cheapest place to live in Massachusetts.
How do you decide if a farmers market is awesome or not in Massachusetts?
In order to rank the best farmers markets in Massachusetts, we had to determine what criteria makes for a good market experience. It isn’t a stretch to assume that great farmers’ markets have a variety of options, are up to date with the latest technology, and are in areas with decent populations. Because everyone should be able to take home some homemade jam, right?
So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.
How we crunched the numbers for the Bay State
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using Department of Agriculture data produced for the state of Massachusetts, along with the government census numbers, we looked at every single farmers market in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Number of amenities
- Each market’s technology improvements
- Variety of items to buy
- Nearby population
- Number of organic vendors
We then gave each market a HomeSnacks Score. The higher the score, the better the farmer’s market ranked. What we found is there seems to be a balanced number of large farmers markets near major city centers as well as awesome farmers markets in smaller communities. That’s the way it should be!
1. Boston Public Market
Score: 88.6
City: Boston, MA
Address: 100 Hanover Street, Boston, MA 2108
Times: Mon: 8:00 AM-8:00 PM Tue: 8:00 AM-8:00 PM Wed: 8:00 AM-8:00 PM Thu: 8:00 AM-8:00 PM Fri: 8:00 AM-8:00 PM Sat: 8:00 AM-8:00 PM Sun: 10:00 AM-8:00 PM
WIC: Y
Baked Goods: Y
Coffee: Y
Flowers: Y
2. Sowa Outdoor Food Market
Score: 82.9
City: Boston, MA
Address: 500 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 2118
Times: Sat: 10:00 AM-4:00 PM Sun: 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
WIC: N
Baked Goods: Y
Coffee: Y
Flowers: Y
3. Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market
Score: 80.0
City: Pittsfield, MA
Address: First and Eagle Street, Pittsfield, MA 1201
Times: Sat: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM
WIC: Y
Baked Goods: Y
Coffee: Y
Flowers: Y
4. Amherst Farmers’ Market
Score: 80.0
City: Amherst Center, MA
Address: Spring Street Parking Lot, Amherst Center, MA 1002
Times: Sat: 8:00 AM-1:30 PM
WIC: Y
Baked Goods: Y
Coffee: Y
Flowers: Y
5. The Newburyport Farmers’ Market
Score: 80.0
City: Newburyport, MA
Address: 50 Water st, Newburyport, MA 1950
Times: Sat: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM
WIC: N
Baked Goods: Y
Coffee: Y
Flowers: Y
6. Roslindale Village Main Street Farmers Market
Score: 77.1
City: Boston, MA
Address: 6 Cummins Hwy, Boston, MA 2131
Times: Sat: 9:00 AM-1:30 PM
WIC: Y
Baked Goods: Y
Coffee: Y
Flowers: Y
7. Waltham Farmers’ Market
Score: 77.1
City: Waltham, MA
Address: 119 School Street, Waltham, MA 2452
Times: Sat: 9:30 AM-2:00 PM
WIC: Y
Baked Goods: Y
Coffee: Y
Flowers: Y
8. Copley Square Farmers Market
Score: 74.3
City: Boston, MA
Address: None, Boston, MA 2116
Times: Tue: 11:00 AM-6:00 PM Fri: 11:00 AM-6:00 PM
WIC: Y
Baked Goods: Y
Coffee: Y
Flowers: Y
9. Union Square Farmers Market
Score: 74.3
City: Somerville, MA
Address: Union Square Plaza, Somerville, MA 2143
Times: Sat: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM
WIC: Y
Baked Goods: Y
Coffee: N
Flowers: Y
10. Northampton Winter Farmers’ Market
Score: 74.3
City: Northampton, MA
Address: 80 Locust Street, Northampton, MA 1060
Times: Sat: 9:00 AM-2:00 PM
WIC: N
Baked Goods: Y
Coffee: Y
Flowers: Y
There You Have It – The Best Farmers Markets In Massachusetts
If you’re looking for a breakdown of farmers’ markets in the Bay State ranked by criteria that vendors and customers agree on, this is an accurate list.
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
- These Are The 10 Safest Places In Massachusetts
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Live In Massachusetts
- These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In Massachusetts
Detailed List Of The Best Farmers Markets In Massachusetts
| Name | Rank |
|---|---|
| Boston Public Market | 1 |
| Sowa Outdoor Food Market | 2 |
| Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market | 3 |
| Amherst Farmers’ Market | 4 |
| The Newburyport Farmers’ Market | 5 |
| Roslindale Village Main Street Farmers Market | 6 |
| Waltham Farmers’ Market | 7 |
| Copley Square Farmers Market | 8 |
| Union Square Farmers Market | 9 |
| Northampton Winter Farmers’ Market | 10 |
| Canal District Farmers Market | 11 |
| Northampton Tuesday Farmers’ Market | 12 |
| Wakefield Farmer’s Market | 13 |
| Burlington Farmers’ Market | 14 |
| Dedham Farmers Market | 15 |
| Winchester Farmers Market | 16 |
| Newton Farmers’ Markets | 17 |
| Brookline Farmers’ Market | 18 |
| Attleboro Farmers Market | 19 |
| Salem Farmers’ Market | 20 |
| Westfield Farmers’ Market – Winter | 21 |
| Lexington Farmers’ Market | 22 |
| Melrose & Wakefield Winter Farmers’ Market | 23 |
| Melrose/sally Frank’s Farmers’ Market | 24 |
| Marblehead Farmers’ Market | 25 |
| Farmers’ Market At Forest Park Aka The Farmers’ Market At The X | 26 |
| Beverly Farmers Market | 27 |
| Cape Ann Farmers Market | 28 |
| Winchester Farmers Market | 29 |
| Swampscott Farmers Market | 30 |
| Bpma At The Greenway | 31 |
| Somerville/davis Square | 32 |
| Belmont Farmers’ Market | 33 |
| Mill City Grows Mobile Market | 34 |
| Quincy Farmers Market | 35 |
| Haverhill Farmers Market | 36 |
| Danvers Farmers Market | 37 |
| Stoneham Farmers Market | 38 |
| The Marketplace Somerset, Ma | 39 |
| Maynard Community Farmers Market | 40 |
| Farmer’s Market @ Woburn’s Spence Farm | 41 |
| Dewey Square Farmers Market | 42 |
| Lowell Farmers’ Market | 43 |
| Farmers’ Market At Harvard University | 44 |
| City Of North Adams Farmers’ Market | 45 |
| Black Seed Farmers Market | 46 |
| Cambridge Central Square Farmers Market | 47 |
| Berkshire Harmony Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Markets, Music, And Creative Arts Fair | 48 |
| Leominster Marketplace | 49 |
| Main Street Market | 50 |
| Cape Ann Farmers Market | 51 |
| New Bedford Farmers Market- Brooklawn Park | 52 |
| New Bedford Farmers Market/downtown At Custom House Square | 53 |
| Framingham Farmers Market | 54 |
| The Silver City Farmers’ Market | 55 |
| Needham Farmers Market | 56 |
| Wilmington Farmers Market | 57 |
| Rec Beaver Brook Park Market | 58 |
| Rec University Park Farm Stand | 59 |
| Revere Farmers’ Market | 60 |
| Peabody Farmer’s Market | 61 |
| Everett Farmers Market | 62 |
| Wellesley Farmers’ Market | 63 |
| Out To Lunch Farmers Market-Worcester Common | 64 |
| Worcester/main South | 65 |
| Medford Farmers Market | 66 |
| Norwood Farmers Market | 67 |
| Saugus/cliftondale | 68 |
| Milford Ma Farmers Market | 69 |
| Farmers’ Market At Riverfront Park | 70 |
| Bass River Farmers Market | 71 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Coe’s Pond Village | 72 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Edward M. Kennedy Community Health | 73 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Elm Park Towers | 74 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Family Health Center Of Worcester | 75 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Green Hill Towers | 76 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Lincoln Park Towers | 77 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Lincoln Village | 78 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Out To Lunch Concert Series, City Hall Common | 79 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Seabury Heights Apartments | 80 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Seven Hills Foundation | 81 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – The Senior Center | 82 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Webster Square Towers | 83 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Ywca Of Central Ma | 84 |
| Rec Mobile Market – Colony Retirement Homes | 85 |
| Stcc Farmers’ Market | 86 |
| Chicopee Farmers Market | 87 |
| Local Harvest Farmers Mkt At The Longmeadow Shops | 88 |
| Holbrook Farmers Market | 89 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Plumley Village | 90 |
| Rec Mobile Farmers Market – Wrta Transit Hub | 91 |
| Brockton Farmers Market At City Hall Plaza | 92 |
| Boston University Farmers Market | 93 |
| The Farmers Market @ Kendall Square | 94 |
| City Of Holyoke Farmers’ Market | 95 |
| Lynn, Central Square | 96 |
| Lawrence Farmers Markets | 97 |
| Fall River Downtown Farmers’ Market | 98 |
| Lawrence Farmers Markets | 99 |
| Abington | 100 |
