If you are visiting Gilbert on a Saturday morning, the Gilbert Farmers Market is one of the best places to start your day.
More than 150 vendors sell everything from fresh produce and artisan bread to homemade salsa, coffee, pastries, flowers, handmade gifts, and global street food. It works equally well for locals shopping for fresh ingredients and visitors looking for a relaxed weekend activity that feels connected to the community.
I always love visiting local farmers markets when I travel because they are one of the easiest ways to experience a community.
Instead of spending the morning at chain restaurants or souvenir shops, you can meet local farmers, bakers, artists, and small business owners while trying foods you probably would not find anywhere else.
When I found out Gilbert had one of the largest farmers markets in Arizona, it immediately went on my itinerary.
If food is also a major part of your Arizona trips, my Best Restaurants in Phoenix: Where to Eat for Every Craving includes more local places to add while you are in the area.
The Gilbert Farmers Market first opened in 2010 with fewer than 30 vendors. It has since grown to include more than 150 vendors throughout the year.
It is nicknamed The Foodie Market, and after visiting, it is easy to see why. Food is a major part of the experience, whether you want breakfast, coffee, pastries, produce, pantry items, or something to take home.
The market is open every Saturday year-round, although the schedule changes between summer and winter.
The Gilbert Farmers Market includes a mix of farmers, food producers, bakers, ranchers, artists, and other Arizona small businesses.
Depending on the week, you may find:
Every week feels a little different depending on which vendors are attending and what is currently available.
The market feels more like a community event than a place to complete your weekly grocery shopping.
People walk around with coffee, listen to live music, try breakfast, and talk with local vendors. Some shoppers arrive with reusable grocery bags ready to stock up for the week, while others come mainly to eat and browse.
Plan on arriving hungry because there are far too many good food options to only eat once.
The large selection also makes the market easy to enjoy even when you are traveling and cannot take home bags of produce. You can still have breakfast, buy coffee or pastries, browse the handmade items, and try products from local businesses.
A lightweight Nano Bag is useful if you plan to buy bread, packaged foods, gifts, or several smaller items but do not want a bulky reusable bag taking up room in your luggage.
What I liked most was how many of the vendors were actually local. Most of the farmers are Certified Naturally Grown, and all growers are chemical- and pesticide-free.
You are buying directly from Arizona farmers, bakers, ranchers, and artisans rather than from a large distributor. It also gives you a chance to talk with the people who made or grew what you are buying, which made the market feel much more personal than a regular grocery trip.
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The Gilbert Farmers Market is open every Saturday throughout the year.
May through September
7:00 AM to 11:00 AM
October through April
8:00 AM to noon
The market closes for one Saturday each year during the Christmas holiday.
I recommend checking the current schedule before your visit, especially when traveling near the holidays.
The Gilbert Farmers Market is currently located at:
Chandler-Gilbert Community College
2626 E. Pecos Road
Chandler, Arizona
Although it is still called the Gilbert Farmers Market, the current location is technically in Chandler.
The market spent its first 15 years near the Gilbert Water Tower in Downtown Gilbert before moving to Chandler-Gilbert Community College in 2025. The relocation was necessary because of the Heritage District redevelopment project.
The address changed, but the market continues to feature the local vendors that made it popular.
If you are visiting from outside Arizona, my Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Guide: Everything You Need to Know (PHX) explains the terminals, transportation, and what to expect when flying into the Phoenix area.
A rental car is the easiest way to reach Gilbert and explore other East Valley attractions during the same trip. You can compare rates through Discover Cars.
Parking was much easier than I expected.
The college has dedicated customer parking lots as well as overflow parking. Entering from Pecos Road and Norman Way is recommended.
I would still arrive shortly after opening. You will have a better chance of parking close to the market, popular vendors will have their best selection, and the temperature will be more comfortable.
This is especially important during the summer, when the market opens at 7:00 AM and Arizona temperatures rise quickly. Some vendors may also sell out of popular items before the market closes.
A refillable Brita Water Bottle is useful during warmer months, especially if you plan to continue sightseeing afterward.
Even if you have no intention of buying produce, the Gilbert Farmers Market is worth visiting for the food alone. Between the breakfast vendors, locally roasted coffee, artisan bakeries, fresh flowers, handmade gifts, and Arizona small businesses, it is an easy way to spend a Saturday morning.
Allow at least one to two hours if you want to walk through the market, order food, and stop at several booths. You could move through it faster if you only need a few specific items, but that is probably not how it will go once breakfast, coffee, and pastries become involved.
The market and parking are both free. Portable restrooms and ADA-accessible restrooms are available, but pets are not permitted on the Chandler-Gilbert Community College campus. More than 95% of vendors accept credit cards, although bringing a little cash is still a good idea. A reusable shopping bag is also helpful because bread, flowers, salsa, and several things you did not plan to buy can add up quickly.
I would especially recommend the Gilbert Farmers Market to weekend visitors who want to see a more local side of the East Valley. I would gladly return, take my time browsing, and probably still have trouble deciding which food to try first.
For another unique outdoor experience near Phoenix, my Salt River Wild Horses: Where to See Arizona's Famous Wild Horses explains where to go, when to visit, and what to expect.
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Southern comfort with a twist, cozy modern vibe, worth the stop before Dollywood or downtown Gatlinburg.🥞🍳
Just a few highlights… Deep South Waffle: andouille, corn, cheddar, two eggs, chipotle hollandaise. Stuffed French Toast: coconut cream + berry compote (this one won). Cheese Blintz: berry compote crepes. Hash brown casserole: crispy, cheesy, non-negotiable
Save this for your next Smokies trip 📍 Buffalo Breakfast Co, Sevierville TN
#Sevierville #Gatlinburg #SmokyMountains #TennesseeEats #BreakfastSpots
Pack your bags: Bryson City is your next fall trip. Save this now. ✈️
Ride the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad through peak color, eat your way down Main Street, and end the day in a luxury yurt. Three days here and you won’t want to leave.
Haywood Smokehouse is the BBQ spot that ruins you for every other BBQ spot. Lean brisket so tender it doesn’t need the fat, fried pork ribs you won’t find anywhere else, and don’t sleep on the banana pudding for dessert.
Save this before your next Waynesville or Dillsboro trip 🍖🔥
Booked this Bryson City yurt for the ‘ber months and it’s already my top fall pick this year. 🍂
The Junaluska Yurt sleeps six but feels more like a stylish cabin than a yurt, two real queen bedrooms with actual doors, a full kitchen, and a private bathroom with a walk-in shower. Check-in is just a door code texted to your phone, no lobby, no waiting.
The real win is outside: wraparound porch, private fire pit, free firewood, a gas grill, and Smoky Mountain sunsets that stop you mid-sentence, picture all of that with October color on the ridgeline. Heads up, the last stretch in is a gravel road, so skip the low-profile rental, and there’s no restaurant onsite, you’re minutes from Bryson City, Dillsboro, and Sylva for dinner.
Two to three nights is the sweet spot. (We actually stayed in the dead of winter and it was still stunning, fall just takes it up a notch.) Full review linked in bio.
Italian food felt like the last thing I expected to find in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains... until I sat down at Ilda in Sylva.🍝
They call it Italian-Appalachian, and that’s not just a tagline. Homemade pasta, craft cocktails, local ingredients pulled straight from the mountains around it, this is the kind of meal that makes you forget you’re two hours from the nearest city. It’s cozy, it’s a little upscale, and it is not a walk-in kind of place, call ahead, because tables go fast on weekends.
It’s not cheap, and it’s not trying to be. But if you’re already making the trip out to Sylva, this is the one reservation worth planning your day around.
Full write-up, including what to order, link in bio.
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