Reading Terminal Market

The market opened in 1893 beneath the Reading Railroad's elevated train shed and has traded continuously since, which makes it one of the oldest continuously operating public markets in the country. Around eighty vendors work the hall. A block of Pennsylvania Dutch merchants from Lancaster County - Amish and Mennonite families selling meat, cheese, baked goods and pretzels - trade only Wednesday to Saturday, since they drive in from the farms, so a Monday visit misses that section entirely. Philadelphia food is well represented: roast pork sandwiches, cheesesteaks, scrapple and soft pretzels. The market survived the railroad's collapse and a period of severe decline in the 1970s before being taken over by the convention centre authority.

Background

The market grew out of open-air stalls that once ran six blocks along High Street, which became Market Street in 1858. Two indoor markets that followed at 12th and Market, the Franklin Market and the Farmers' Market, formed its foundation. It opened in 1893 after the city pressed to move markets indoors for safety and sanitary reasons, and a basement of 52 separately controlled cold rooms came into use in July 1893. There were 380 merchants in the first year, and the hall stayed nearly full for 60 years. The terminal stopped serving trains in 1984, and in 1990 the complex passed to the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority.

Source: Wikipedia, "Reading Terminal Market"

What to look for

• Around eighty vendors - under a former train shed from 1893.
• Pennsylvania Dutch stalls - open Wednesday to Saturday only.
• Philadelphia food - roast pork, cheesesteaks, scrapple, pretzels.
• A market trading continuously since 1893 - among the country's oldest.

When to go

Wednesday to Saturday to catch all vendors; lunchtime is busiest. Two hours.

Things to know

The Pennsylvania Dutch section is closed Sunday to Tuesday - the most common disappointment. Lunchtime queues at the known stalls are long. Seating is limited and shared. It closes in the early evening.

Nearby

City Hall is west; Chinatown is immediately north.

Key facts