The sun is shining strong and bright in Anchorage these days. Today, the sun outside the Westmark Anchorage Hotel will rise at 4:20 a.m. and set at 11:42 p.m. for 11 hours and 22 minutes of glorious daylight. With such long days and temperatures hovering in the 60s and 70s, there is no better time of year to step out of bed early in the morning and check out the fresh, local produce at some of Anchorage’s bountiful farmers markets located all around the city.
Don’t let the long dark winters fool you. Alaska’s summers produce a wide array of agricultural products from candy-sweet carrots and purple cauliflower to apples, berries, potatoes and colorful plant starts. Add to that a variety of year-round products such as grass-fed beef, Alaska seafood, cheese curds, butter, ice cream, organic breads and hand-made soaps and you don’t really need to look any further.
If you dream of a one-stop-shop at a farmers market, Anchorage is your perfect destination. Stock up on all kinds of picnic essentials merely steps from your hotel room before taking on a splendid Alaskan day. Most markets also feature food vendors, some using only the freshest locally grown ingredients and arts and crafts made by local artists.
There are five farmers markets in Anchorage and the largest one – the Anchorage Market & Festival – is only a several-minute walk from the Westmark Anchorage Hotel. This open air market is more like a fairground with pony rides, music shows and fair-food vendors alongside the locally-grown Alaskan produce and numerous artist booths and Alaskan souvenir stands. For 19 years, this market has been a popular destination for Alaskans and visitors alike, with more than 400 vendors promoting all sorts of Alaskan goods. The Anchorage Market & Festival operates Saturdays and Sundays, May 12-Sept. 9.
The Center Market in Mid-Town is the only farmers market that operates year round. Open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., this market features a wide selection of meats, vegetables, fruits, jams, eggs, plants and more.
Anchorage farmers markets
- Anchorage Market & Festival – Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Third Avenue between C and E Streets.
- Center Market – Wednesdays 11 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on 600 E. Northern Lights Blvd., in the Sears Mall parking lot.
- Spenard Farmers Market – Saturdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Chilkoot Charlie’s parking lot on 26th Ave. and Spenard Rd.
- South Anchorage Farmers Market – Saturdays, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Subway – Cellular One Sports Center parking lot on the corner of Old Seward Highway and O’Malley Rd.
- Anchorage Farmers Market – Saturdays 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Central Lutheran Church parking lot on the corner of th Ave and Cordova St.