The Market at St. Andrews

The Market at St. Andrews is a weekly farmers and artisan market held every Saturday morning in Oaks by the Bay Park, at the south end of Beck Avenue in Historic St. Andrews. Run by the Historic St. Andrews Waterfront Partnership, it operates year-round from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and draws locals and visitors to shop under the shade of large live oaks with views across St. Andrews Bay.

The market has moved and grown several times. It launched in 2004 as the St. Andrews Waterfront Farmers Market, set up at St. Andrews Marina under a pavilion funded with community redevelopment resources. In September 2011 it outgrew that spot and expanded onto the boardwalk of the Yacht Basin. It was rebranded as The Market at St. Andrews in 2019 and moved to its current home in Oaks by the Bay Park in May 2022.

Vendors vary by week and season, but the partnership lists fresh produce, local honey, sauces and spices alongside hand-crafted goods, local artwork, jewelry, woodworking and furniture. It is a good place to pick up picnic supplies, a jar of local honey or a small handmade souvenir, and to meet the growers and makers behind them.

The park setting is part of the appeal. Oaks by the Bay Park has a boardwalk to the water, a gazebo and an observation platform, and it is home to the Sentry Oak, a live oak estimated at nearly 300 years old that survived Hurricane Michael in 2018. Destination Panama City suggests pairing a market visit with a picnic in the park or a stroll along the bayside beach.

Because the market sits at the foot of Beck Avenue, it is easy to make a morning of the neighborhood. The Grocery Kitchen & Taproom is across the street, the Panama City Publishing Company Museum opens at 9 a.m. on Saturdays, and coffee is a short walk away. Arrive early for the best selection of produce. Vendor lineups and weather can affect individual Saturdays, so check the market’s social media before you go.

Shopping at the market is also a way to see how St. Andrews has recovered since Hurricane Michael. The market settled into its current park home in May 2022, beneath a live oak that survived the 2018 storm, and many of the surrounding restaurants and shops have reopened or rebuilt. Bring cash for smaller vendors, a reusable bag for produce and a hat or sunscreen for stalls outside the tree cover.