For a fresh take on summer travel, consider visiting a farmers market. Here are a few destinations to check:

Santa Monica, Calif.Three times a week, a beautiful bounty of food, flowers and music graces the Third Street Promenade, a pedestrian walkway known for shopping, restaurants and street performers.

Just blocks from the beach, you’ll be awash in a sea breeze while sampling local produce, fruit, juices, cheeses, nuts and fish offered by more than 75 area farmers and purveyors.

Contact: www.santamonica.com/things-to-do

Portland, Ore.Mingle with local chefs as they peruse the fresh produce with their menus in mind. Launched in 1992, the colorful market is open each Saturday on the campus of Portland State University.

Expect artisan food producers in 140 stalls, educational demonstrations and cooking classes for kids, with lively music as a backdrop. Sample plump berries or your favorite greens as you plan the remainder of your day in the City of Roses.

Contact: www.portlandfarmersmarket.org

Santa Fe, N.M.There is plenty to sample and savor at this bustling year-round market inside the Rail-yard. (It spills outside in warmer months.) It’s a great spot to take on a bulging breakfast burrito or get familiar with local green chiles and mesquite-flavored honey.

At the venue, launched in the late 1960s by a small group of farmers, more than 150 vendors offer locally grown fruits, vegetables, breads, soups and cheeses every Saturday. The market is also open on Tuesdays during the summer. Expect entertainment for the kids as well as arts and crafts.

Contact: www.santafefarmersmarket.com

Washington, D.CBetween visits to the National Zoo or your favorite Smithsonian museum, tap into a healthy sampling of the local, sustainable food movement in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by visiting one of 11 producer-only farmers markets in the area.

Sample handmade cheeses in Foggy Bottom on Wednesdays, nibble on handcrafted empanadas near the White House on Thursdays, or savor fresh-baked bread in DuPont Circle on Sundays.

Contact: www.freshfarmmarkets.org

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