These days, art is so accessible to the public that sometimes we forget about it.

Right in our own backyard is a taste of culture that might be worth a trip during a rainy day this winter — the Montclair Art Museum.

But don’t take my word for it. .  .

Here’s some recent press mentions that highlight what’s right around town:

• The New York Times
• Local site Montclair Patch
• A top 10 list - although not what you’re probably thinking
• The Star Ledger

Buy using my links posted here, you can score a 50% discount on regular admission right now with this Groupon discount the MAM in Montclair NJ off Bloomfield Avenue.  And with that admission, you’ll also get 10% off all gift shop purchases too!  But hurry!!! The deal expires very soon. . .

QUESTION:  Have you ever visited the Montclair Art Museum? What do you recall from your visit?  Please leave a comment below!

As many as 3,000 locals reportedly pass through on some weekends as this is a well known 18 year local tradition of inviting the growers and merchants into Montclair, NJ.

This Saturday, there was a small crowd towards the end of day by the 1:30-2pm timeframe afterwhich the vendors started to pack-up for the day.   There were a bunch of interesting vendors — probably because the vendor fee is approximately $35/week for each spot in the market (~$800/year).  Montclair seems to have figured out that keeping it affordable will keep the vendors coming back year after year.

You can see in the photos included below that there is a variety of offerings – wine, buffalo meat, cheeses, pickled pickles, fruits, veggies, breads, real honey products and sausage meats.  A neat little inclusion was the taco food truck with some tables and seating available for those that wanted to take a break and stay awhile.

QUESTION: Have you ever been to this or any other local farmer’s market?  What did you buy?