Petaluma Walnut Park Farmers' Market

On Saturday afternoons from May to November, Walnut Park in downtown Petaluma hosts a certified farmers' market from 2 to 5pm. Local farms bring produce, eggs and honey, alongside meats and fish, artisan cheese and bread, canned goods, prepared food and handmade crafts, all set out under the trees of a small town square at Fourth and D streets.

It is run by Agricultural Community Events, the nonprofit that also manages Petaluma's year-round East Side market.

The afternoon hour is the point. Most farmers' markets are winding down by lunch; this one starts after it, so a morning on the river or among the tasting rooms of the Petaluma Gap can end with a market stroll and a bag of produce for the weekend.

It is also a lovely way to meet Petaluma itself. The park sits at the edge of the historic downtown, and on a warm Saturday the square fills with families, cyclists and neighbors who treat it as the town's living room for the afternoon.