We often pass through Treasure Island on our trips to Tahoe or the East Bay, but we hardly ever stop there.  The Treasure Island Flea Market takes place every last weekend of the month, including this coming weekend.  Having long heard of this event, we finally checked it out ourselves last month.  The first sign that this is not a hardcore flea market is the hours, it’s held from 10am-4pm.  On the bright side, there’s no need to wake up at the crack of dawn to get first dibs. The TI flea is much smaller in scale than Alameda and is more like a combination of craft fair and flea market.  We were able to leisurely stroll through all the stalls in under two hours.  TI flea is a fun activity for the family when you want to get out and do something different.  There were inflatables (another sign) for the kids and a row of food trucks for picnicking.  We came home with a few things (these blue and white ceramic decorative balls, a shark tooth for my son, and a succulent for my daughter) and full stomachs.  Plus, you can’t beat the views of our beautiful city.  If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, drive over to the TI flea.

Our tip?  Get there at 10am when it opens and stay for lunch.  As we were heading back to the city, there was a long, single line of cars heading down.  And watch the quick merge back onto the bay bridge!

A glimpse of some of the wares you’ll find at the TI flea:

The row of food trucks offers an international selection of foods.  We enjoyed Seoul of Taipei, Curry Curry, and clam chowder.  Finishing it off with Gordon’s gourmet mini donuts (worth the wait — the kids can watch them make the donuts) was a perfect end to the chilly (albeit sunny) day.  On warmer days, I’d definitely enjoy some Three Twins ice cream, which also had a stand.

Photos courtesy of RevolvingDecor.com