A Few of our Favorite Farmer's Markets.

Submitted by: Beth Rudnick

You can find Dig the Dunes at the European Market on select Saturdays throughout the summer.

Summer, sun, dunes, and deals! Now is the time to put on those hiking boots and hit the trails to some of the areas best farmer's/artisan markets.

Chesterton's European Market, held in the town square Saturdays 8 am to 2 pm, offers some of the best options around. Jewelry, hand-made rugs, food vendors, produce, and nuns selling bread and biscuits – what more does a Dunie desire? And your host, Dig the Dunes, will be there selling Dig merch and other goodies to get your dune groove on. (You can find Dig the Dunes there on July 8, July 29, August 5, August 12, September 9, and September 16.)

Head up Hwy 12 just past New Buffalo and check out Skip's European Market on Saturdays and Sundays 9 – 3. Artisan cheeses, hand-made lotions and soaps, copper jewelry, produce, food – all the pleasures and treasures of a market experience. There's always lots of seasonal produce fresh from Michigan and, of course, New Buffalo has free public parking for that jaunt down to the beach.

Skip's Market held on weekends has a wide variety of things to choose from.

New Buffalo itself has a farmer's market on Thursdays from 5 pm to 8 pm EST on the corner of Whitaker and Merchant Streets. Baked goods and local farms are their boast.

Steer back to Michigan City and dock at Millennium Plaza for Dockside Artisan Market hosted by Harbor Country Adventures. Live music and vendors with a nice seating area by the harbor and the historic Old Lighthouse Museum add summer serenity to this stroll. Parking here is free and the walk to the pier and working lighthouse is just a ½ mile. The market is open Sundays 10 – 2.

Enjoy live music, bloody mary's and a view of the boats from the Dockside Artisan Market.

Finally, don't miss Coffee Creek Farmer's Market on Wednesday evenings in Chesterton. Open 3 – 7 at Coffee Creek Pavilion Parking area. Pick up some fresh Italian food from Albano's or grab some bread, honey, or produce. This is a smaller market, but dinner awaits!

Still have a taste for the fresh or fancy? La Porte also has a farmer's market as does Michigan City, Miller Beach, etc. Do some googling and get going! Now is the time to eat fresh, shop local, and get those deals while diggin' those dunes!

---

Want to learn about more fun stuff like this? Be sure to sign up for the Dig the Dunes e-newsletter, right here.