Every Saturday morning from April to November, you find the Dane County Farmers' Market filling Capitol Square. This is America's largest producers-only farmers' market, founded in 1972 by Madison Mayor Bill Dyke, who sought to unite Dane County's urban and rural cultures. From April to November it fills this Square on Saturday mornings, and on Wednesday mornings it gathers along Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. From November to December the market moves indoors to the Monona Terrace; since January 2020 the late-winter market meets at the Garver Feed Mill in Monona through early April, after previously being held at the Senior Center on Mifflin St. Throughout the year a pool of about 275 vendors of agriculturally-related products from Wisconsin—farmers, food trucks, artists and more—sell fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, meats, cheeses, nuts and specialty products.
In summer the market hosts 150 vendors who completely encircle the state capitol. USA Today listed it as the top-rated market in the state and a readers' poll placed it fifth in the country, and Fox News called the market one reason Madison is a top foodie paradise. Breathe in the mix of fruits, cheeses, and flowers from roughly 275 Wisconsin vendors.