Olde Beaufort Farmers' Market

Education is built into the way Olde Beaufort Farmers' Market operates: vendors are asked to incorporate shopper education into their presentations because teaching the public is a significant part of the market’s mission. That gives this Beaufort market a distinct shape. It is a place to shop, learn, and connect, with local farmers, food makers, artisans, and community groups gathered in a historic setting near the waterfront. For more than a decade, the market has served as an informal learning setting centered on fresh food, sustainable agricultural and environmental practices, wellness, and the value of shopping local.

Why it matters locally

The market’s stated mission reaches beyond sales: it aims to educate, inform, and engage the public around fresh food, sustainable environmental and agricultural practices, personal health, wellness, and the value of shopping local. That mission is carried out in an informal learning setting that values interactions and shared relationships among members of the community.

Its nonprofit structure adds another local layer. The Friends of the OBFM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and market support helps fund operations, student scholarships, community projects, and seasonal farm-to-table dinners[tag:agritourism]. Each year, the market also hosts its Farm to Table Supper and Sea to Table Dinner to celebrate food grown, raised, and caught in the region.

What you'll find there

The vendor mix runs wide, but the through-line is clear: fresh foods and prepared foods share space with a carefully selected artisan roster. On a single Saturday, the market can lean coastal, agricultural, and handmade all at once, with seafood, mushrooms, flowers, books, pottery, and woodwork all represented by named vendors.

• -Find Atlantic Beach Salt Co. at the market.
• -Browse Alpacas of the Crystal Coast.
• -Pick up products from Ann St. Peanut Guys.
• -Look for baked goods from Baking for Good.
• -Order from Beaufort Biscuits.
• -Bring home olive oil from Beaufort Olive Oil.
• -Get honey-related goods from Bight Bees.
• -Try mushrooms from Crystal Coast Champignon.
• -Start with coffee from Dancing Baristas or New Day Coffee.
• -Shop seafood from Darden's Seafood.
• -Choose bouquets from Fountain Dream Flowers.
• -Add produce from Goodwin Family Farms, Paradise Produce, or Simple Southern Garden.
• -Grab microgreens from Harlowe Custom Microgreens.
• -Sample hot sauce from HPC Hot Sause Co ..
• -Eat tamales from La Casa de Tamales.
• -Pick up ice cream from Pop & Nana's Ice-cream.
• -Order tacos and other prepared foods from San Luis Taqueria or Thai Street Bites.
• -Take home baked goods from Wildflour Bakery.
• -Browse pottery from Brushfire Pottery, Dreaming Dragon Pottery, In the Garden Pottery, or Salt of the Earth Pottery.
• -See woodworking from 4 Pelicans Woodworking, Forward Wood Turning, Long Point Decoys, or Lucky Wood Furniture.
• -Leaf through books at Book Wagon, DVD Books, Reams Books, or Susan's Books.

The calendar adds themed Saturdays such as A Special 4th of July: Pie Contest!, Book Lovers Day, Health and Wellness Day, National Estuaries Day, Cake Contest Day, and Halloween Fun. A separate Olde Fashioned Holiday Market is also scheduled for December 12, 2026. Under the oak trees by the Carteret County Courthouse, the market’s setting does a lot of the work: tents line the walkways and courtyard area just steps from Beaufort’s waterfront. That historic backdrop matches the market’s own description of a welcoming place to shop, learn, and connect. One visitor described finding dozens of tents next to the courthouse, with fresh fish on ice, coffee, breads and pastries, pottery, paintings, candles, jewelry, live music, and community organizations all folded into the same morning. The market also notes that families love the Kids’ Tent, which adds another layer to the courthouse-square setting.

Know before you go

No dogs are allowed, which may change plans for anyone used to bringing a pet along on Saturday errands. The market operates from the County Courthouse driveway at 300 Courthouse Square in Beaufort. Parking is described as plentiful nearby, though the detailed parking instructions published by the market are directed at vendors rather than shoppers. There are no restrooms listed in the visitor details. Market management is identified as Cindy W. Bunch, with Gus Stoehrer serving as Saturday Market Assistant.