Farmers Market

On your next trip to the beach, treat your senses to a visit to a local farmers market. Spend the morning sampling freshly baked bread, homemade jams, and artisanal cheeses. Soak in the beauty of native plants, handmade jewelry, and crafted goods. Pet some dogs, chat with locals, pick up fresh-cut flowers for your vacation home and treat yourself to a truly, one-of-a-kind memento from your time along the coast. 

Part of the fun of a farmers market is the adventure involved in discovering what is there. The handmade soaps that caught your eye at one booth could lead to a conversation about sourcing local herbs and the discovery of Florida’s first lavender farm.

Or, maybe a smoothie sample will lead to a conversation about how the path of health and healing led Ed Berry, the former owner of For the Health of It in Blue Mountain Beach, to create the Earthquake Eddie Bee line of pollen-based nutritional supplements. 

And speaking of bees, who doesn’t love a jar of local honey? If you’re visiting a farmers market along 30A, you will likely see honey from the Register Family Farm. This veteran-owned, family-run farm began with two honeybee colonies and a dream. The farm has now grown to 1,200 colonies! Samples of wildflower, Tupelo, and creamed honey are usually available, and they also make natural beeswax candles, lotion bars, and soaps. 

Farmers markets along the Emerald Coast and the Forgotten Coast stretch from Fort Walton Beach to Port St. Joe. There’s even a Saturday market near I-10 if you prefer to stop on the drive home.

While farmers markets along 30A, Destin, and the Forgotten Coast are relatively small in size, they are big in heart.