Summer Street Markets in Boston's Downtown Crossing offers arts, crafts, and artisan foods handmade by local and popular artists. Photo courtesy of Summer Street Markets

One of Boston’s liveliest and fastest-growing arts and crafts markets is a hop and skip from the MBTA’s Park Street T stop in Downtown Crossing. Fanning out across from Macy’s, between Washington and Hawley Streets, the twice-weekly Summer Street Markets are an outgrowth of Art Fridays, a seasonal gathering of vendors that has expanded to include Wednesdays. It is now downtown’s largest outdoor market.

Once a bustling shopping district, this span of historic real estate fell on hard times in the last decade. But the Summer Street Markets are revitalizing the area, thanks to the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District, a private nonprofit collective of business and property owners committed to making downtown Boston safe, vibrant, and welcoming.

Here is a sampling of what you can buy under the markets’ signature white tents: artisan foods, fine arts, fiber arts, ceramics, glass works, herbal products, jewelry, home décor, clothing, metal works, woodworks, handbags, and original photography.

“Summer Street Markets offer arts, crafts, and artisan foods—all original and handmade by local and popular artists,” says Maria Morelli, marketing director for the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District. “Artisans change weekly, so visit often to follow your favorites or discover new ones.”

Summer Street Markets are open Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., through October 26. More information and a list of vendors are here.

Check out our things to do list on Foursquare for tips on other fun activities and events around the Boston area.