Saturday morning is a great time. It’s the beginning of the weekend; you have two whole days ahead of you, and you want to get the most out of it. Starting at 6 a.m., you can head down to City Market to get the freshest produce around. City Market is the region’s largest Farmer’s Market, which is open rain or shine. It started in 1857 when Kansas City granted Jacob and Fred Scheibel a lease for $50 a year- $1,300 in today’s money. From then on, City Market became a go-to stop for people traveling westward. In the 1960s it was mainly a produce-only destination, but by the 1970s, many restaurants, bars and other businesses sprung up around it.

Walking around the place, I felt a real sense of community and a very welcoming vibe. Live music played all around. One particular man was a one-man show, playing the harmonica, the guitar, and the drums all at the same time. There were three main “greenhouses”, which were more like big slabs of concrete with a big shaded structure above. Farmer’s set up their stands beside the concrete and could sell to people walking under the shade. Outside of the big structures there were farmers selling under tents too, and it wasn’t just produce. There was jewelry, flutes, clothing, shoes and books. The unique thing about all of these vendors was that all of their pieces were handmade, which you don’t see a lot of nowadays.

Along the edge of the market were many different little shops, which are open year-round. There’s a sidewalk running alongside the shops, and beside that sidewalk even more vendors are selling produce, and some even making food. The cool thing about all these little shops was that as you walked alongside the sidewalk it felt like you were walking around the world. Every new shop had a new culture, a new origin. There was an Indian place which sold Indian food, but outside of their shop right on the sidewalk, they sold naan, pita bread, and many different Indian spices. There was a Boba tea shop, (very good 10/10), an Italian deli, a burrito shop, and a French pastry shop. I recommend getting the beignets, with raspberry or nutella filling.

Overall, there was an overwhelming sense of family, community and welcoming here. I definitely plan on going back again, and it’s a great place to spend an early Saturday morning with family or friends.