5 Public Markets Worth Traveling For

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia.

The public market has been around almost as long as civilization itself. Even an event as relatively recent as the founding of our country was celebrated at the old public markets that served each town as a a central meeting place. Today, even with all of the Walmarts and Sams’s Clubs across the country, there is still something to be said about buying something local, from a local or made from a local. Here are five great examples of markets that are still thriving today.

West Side Market – Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland’s oldest continuously operating municipally owned market opened in 1912 serving the growing population boom of the early 1900s. The building stands 241 feet by 214 feet with a 137 foot tall clock tower and when opened contained 109 stands selling everything from meats to produce to hard-to-find ethnic foods. 

Today 113 vendors sell their wares and are as diverse as the ethnical make up of the city, with some of the tenants even dating back to the original 1912 opening. Food network magazine named West Side Market “America’s Best Food Lover’s Market.”

Chelsea Market – New York City, New York

Way more than just your typical open air market, the Chelsea Market is part food market, shopping mall, office building and television production facility. It's also the location of the former National Biscuit Company factory which also happens to be the place where the original Oreo cookie was invented and produced. 

The Oxygen Network, the Food Network, MLB.com and EMI Music Publishing all have studios in the building and Google and YouTube have a couple of floors as well.  The High Line, a new urban landscape that took over the unused elevated train tracks that ran through the building, now passes through allowing walkers to access the market as well.  

Pike Place Market – Seattle, Washington

The market here originally opened in 1907 and is still going strong today. The market is built on a hill and therefore contouring to the hill, contains many levels. Visitors can find antique dealers, comic books, collectibles, and restaurants. 

The Pike Place Fish Market fishmongers on the street level are probably the most well known of all of the tenants because of their “Flying Fish.”  Whenever a customer orders a salmon, they toss it from the fish table over the counter to another employee. Fresh and fun for everyone but the fish, of course.

Reading Terminal Market – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The old train shed for Reading Terminal now belongs to the Philadelphia Convention Center and the ground and basement floors are occupied by the Reading Terminal Market. Birthed as the child of the two markets at 12th and Market Streets and the Franklin Market, The Reading Terminal became an institution in 1892 with 380 merchants selling their goods. 

The railroad came along a year later and raised the rails to their shed enclosing the market beneath. Today, the market is open seven days a week with the Pennsylvania Dutch stalls open every day but Sunday. There are culinary treats, unique merchandise and ethnic groceries are all to be found under its roof.

Market Square – San Antonio, Texas

Market Square sits on a piece of land originally gifted to the first settlers of San Antonio form the King of Spain. In the 1700s the vendors sold their produce, meat and nuts by day and the women, known as the “Chili Queens” would sell their chili by night. 

The market moved in the 1890s to its current location and as the immigrant boom of the early 1900s took place, the Mexican character was joined by European, Middle Eastern and Asian cultures as well. Today the market still thrives daily with shops, galleries, restaurants as well as plays host to such events as Cinco de Mayo and Dia de los Muertos.

These are but a few of the many public markets that are out there for you to visit while you are traveling on vacation. Get a little bit of the local flavor and have a great time, too!

Follow @TravelWriterTom