The Saturday Morning Market - St Petersburg, FL

Some of my favorite places are just steps away. Once such place that doesn't require much of a journey is the Saturday morning market located in downtown St. Petersburg on First Avenue South and First Street. Per the Market's website, here, the market began in November 2002. Back then, I remember when it was a lot smaller and located on Central Avenue. Although I love the market as much as ever, I wish it was still on Central Avenue and they had closed down a few more blocks of Central to accommodate the ever expanding market. One business owner I spoke to back when they first moved to their current location, said they really lost a lot of Saturday morning and early afternoon business when the market moved. I guess the one advantage to the Market's current location is that they don't need to close down any streets as the market is located in the parking lot of Al Lang Field, the old training stadium of the Rays.

After being closed down for the summer months this year, it was great when the Saturday Market opened again this October. Better yet, the weather has been beautiful, so I have seen huge crowds at the market. The market draws an eclectic crowd and it is a great place to people watch, while perusing the market. If you are lucky enough to get one before they are all taken, you can grab a table or a chair and sit down and enjoy your food and listen to the live music that is playing. One of my favorite spots is Empanada World where I almost always get a chicken empanada. On a recent visit, I bought local honey. There is everything to be found from crepes, hot food, breakfast, baked goods, jewelry, clothing, and fresh fruit and vegetables. So, sleep in on Saturday and when you wake up head over to the Saturday Morning Market for a relaxing Saturday.

Saturday Morning Market
Downtown St. Petersburg
Al Lang parking lot
1st Ave South and 1st Street
Open October 2, 2010 - May 28, 2011