One of our favorite activities for a Saturday morning is heading to the Green City Market at Chicago’s Lincoln Park.
Schedules and Locations
There are technically three Green City Markets. You can find (and should always check) the official schedule on the Green City Market website.
The outdoor Lincoln Park market occurs every Saturday and Wednesday May through October from 7AM to 1PM. This market is located in the west of the park, at Clark and Lincoln.
A good address to use is 1816 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614, the address for the Hotel Lincoln, across the street from the market. This market is the subject of this post.
The outdoor West Loop market occurs every Saturday from June through October from 8AM to 1PM and is located at 115 S. Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607.
Finally, from November through April, the Indoor Market occurs in Lincoln Park at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum certain Saturday mornings from 8AM to 1PM. The address is 2430 N. Cannon Dr. , Chicago, IL 60614.
The schedule for the indoor market is sometimes every week, sometimes every other week. You should check the official calendar for the current schedule.
Getting There
Directions in this section are to the outdoor Lincoln Park market. For the other markets we recommend using Google Maps.
Walking
We wanted to mention walking because even though you might have long walks from some areas, they are quite pleasant.
In particular, if you’re coming from farther downtown, the walk can take you through the older, ritzy Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago or along the Lakefront.
The 1.5 mile walk from the north end of the Magnificent Mile (Chicago and Michigan) isn’t short, but on a Saturday morning the Lakefront Trail comes alive with runners and cyclists (this is a fun energy, just be sure to be aware of where you’re walking).
Walk up to North Avenue Beach, and cross the bridge over Lake Shore Drive into Lincoln Park.
Staying off the Lakefront, both Dearborn and State have a variety of luxury townhomes. The neighborhood is one of the wealthiest in the country. Walking north you’ll hit North Avenue (the southern end of the park), and walk through the park to the market.
By Public Transportation (L or CTA Bus)
There are a ton of CTA Buses that pass through, so that’s the easiest option if you’re coming from some distance. Use Google Maps to determine the best route. We have a guide to taking the CTA bus in Chicago.
The Sedgwick stop on the L’s Brown Line is also only a 12 minute (0.6 mile) walk away.
Taking the Red Line, the North Avenue stop is 1 mile away. Clark and Division is 0.8 miles away. Both are uninteresting walks. We also have a guide to riding Chicago’s “L” train system.
By Car
There is street parking available in the area, but there’s not an abundance. Most meters near the park cost $2 per hour, but south of the park the rate jumps to $4 per hour.
Green City Market (Lincoln Park) Tips
Here are some quick tips for visiting the Lincoln Park Green City Market.
Walk From Downtown
You may have gotten this from our earlier discussion of how to get there, but we love the walk to Green City from downtown. We live over 2 miles from the market, and if we aren’t running there, we’ll always make the walk.
Pair it With The Zoo, Beach, Park, Etc.
This area is packed with activities. North Avenue Beach, Lincoln Park Zoo (free), Second City (Comedy Club), Old Town, the Chicago History Museum, and the rest of Lincoln Park are just a few things in the area.
Arrive Between 9:30AM and 11AM
Produce in particular can become scarce by 11AM on busy days–you definitely don’t want to target the tail end of this market.
Our Favorite Vendors at Green City Market
It’s important to clarify that there can be over 40 vendors present on a Saturday morning and we have experience with only a handful.
Seedling Farms
Seedling Farms is probably the first vendor you’ll notice, even if you don’t see their stand right off the bat. Their smoothies are a staple of the market, and you’ll see many visitors walking around the the latest concoction.
Phoenix Bean Tofu
Phoenix Bean Tofu sells both unprepared tofu and pre-sauced / seasoned tofu.
Brunkow Cheese of Wisconsin
Brunkow Cheese of Wisconsin offers delicious raclette sandwiches. If you’re unfamiliar, raclette is an Alpine cheese that is usually prepared by being melted off of a wheel and served hot (as on a sandwich). Not only are the sandwiches fantastic, but they’re really cool to watch get prepared.
J2K CAPRAIO
J2K CAPRAIO is a cheese vendor at Green City Market. We’ve gotten their cheeses for use at home a few times and really enjoy them.