If you want local produce and wild-caught shrimp for the week, the Fernandina Beach Market Place sets up on North 7th Street in the downtown historic district every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It runs year-round, rain or shine. The organizers say it closes only on the Saturday of the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival or when a Tropical Storm Warning or higher is in effect.
Local chiropractors Joe and Elizabeth Lee opened it on September 8, 2012, the Saturday after the previous downtown market left North 7th Street for the Omni resort property, and Judie Mackie has managed it ever since. It's a true farmers' market. Arts and crafts aren't allowed, and vendors can only sell what they grow or make themselves. The weekly lineup covers:
- Seasonal produce, plants and flowers
- Beef, chicken, pork, eggs, salmon and shrimp
- Breads, pastries, honey, pecans, jams and pickles
- Salsas, guacamole, dips, hot sauce, jerky and flavored salts
- Candles, soap and body products
Live music, featured local businesses and a rotating Booth with a Cause round out the morning. Parking is free, and well-behaved pets on a leash are welcome. The farmers market calendar listing shows the upcoming Saturdays.
Handmade goods have their own sister market. The Fernandina Beach Arts Market runs on the second and fourth Saturdays, same hours, in the 500 block of Centre Street, less than two blocks away. The same organizers' Wednesday market at South 14th and Lime Streets is temporarily closed, so don't plan a midweek trip around it. Both Saturday markets sit in the historic core of Fernandina Beach.
If you'd rather arrive to a kitchen that's already stocked, pre-arrival grocery stocking is part of arrival and departure services.