Fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and cheeses, beautiful art, fun food trucks, natural soaps and candles, warm pies, bright bouquets, smiling faces….. Anyone who calls Springfield home absolutely has to try Farmers Market of the Ozarks (loveyourfarmer.com)! We did a little Springfield farmers market tour a few weekends ago, and Farmers Market of the Ozarks was hands down the BEST. It’s located in the Farmers Park Pavilion (at the intersection of the James River Expressway and Republic Road) and is open year-round every Saturday from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm, and on Thursday evenings (4:00 – 7:00 pm) in the summer (June, July & August). And it’s FREE (except for all of the yummy things you might buy)! Fresh air, no admission or parking and loads of colorful treasures make for a fun weekend family outing.
A huge perk is that it’s not boring at all, which means that our kids enjoy it just as much as we do! There is so much to see, the vendors are kind and welcoming, and it allows tiny humans to experience community at it’s finest. Last time we went, we spent about an hour there. We found some unique things to try for dinner that night, my oldest got to talk to a sweet lady sitting at a spinning wheel (double cool points since it reminded her of Sleeping Beauty) whose friend gives her sheep wool that she dies and spins into yarn and then into pretty things, and the girls took turns smelling the homemade soaps at one stand where the never-stopped-smiling vendor gave them each pink soap samples to take home to try. They cherished those soaps like they were gold.
The food truck and ready-to-eat options are unique and delicious, the produce is fresh and holds up well, and the memories we make each time we go are worth the break in a Saturday morning.
Oh, and one more thing. There’s a FUDGE stand.
What You Need to Know:
- When: Saturday (Year-round) 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m
Thursday (June, July & August) 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - Where: Farmers Park Pavilion located at James River Expressway and Republic Road. (2144 E. Republic Road, Springfield, Missouri)
- Parking: You can park in the parking lot that you’ll see as soon as you pull into Farmers Park Pavilion, or drive past either side of the front parking lot where there are more spaces alongside the market.
- FREE
- For more information: http://loveyourfarmer.com