Watauga County Farmers' Market

Trip Advisor is one of the outside platforms this market points to, but the stronger anchor is on the ground: Watauga County Farmers' Market runs at Daniel Boone Park on Horn in the West Drive in Boone, with Saturday mornings framed by a long-established market setting. The market describes itself as Boone's Town Square since 1974, which helps explain why the vendor roster stretches from certified organic vegetables and orchard fruit to bagels, tamales, pottery, and reclaimed-wood paintings. For a visitor, that means this is not a produce-only stop; it is a market where weekly shopping and handmade goods share the same Saturday footprint.

Why it matters locally

Boone's Town Square since 1974 is not casual branding here; the market ties its identity directly to Boone and Watauga County, and its vendor list keeps that local frame visible. Boone-based businesses include Between the Trees Bread, Boone Fungi, Layers of Love, and The Hive Bakery, while nearby mountain communities appear throughout the roster, including Zionville farms such as Against the Grain, Creeksong Farm, and Mountain Works, plus Lively Up Farm in Valle Crucis. The market also makes room for programs beyond selling, with a community booth interest form, a perform-at-the-market form, and a Kids Corner listed alongside board, staff, and vendor resources.

What you'll find there

The mix here runs broad without losing its mountain-market identity: certified organic vegetables, orchard fruit, mushrooms, flowers, pasture-raised meats, breads, ferments, and a substantial craft bench all appear in the same vendor lineup. Prepared foods and drinks are part of that shape too, so the market works for both grocery shopping and a Saturday morning breakfast circuit.

• -Shop Against the Grain for certified organic vegetables and 100% grass-fed beef from Zionville.
• -Pick up breads and pastries from Boone micro-bakery Between the Trees Bread.
• -Find herbal medicine, teas, tinctures, and topicals at Black Birch Her-Pothecary.
• -Taste chevre, medleys, pestos, and goat milk bourbon caramel from Blue Goat Dairy.
• -Look for honey, beeswax candles, and other hive products from fourth-generation Blue Ridge Apiaries.
• -Bring home 16 varieties of fresh mushrooms from Boone Fungi.
• -Order coffee, espresso drinks, chai, matcha, tea, or hot chocolate at Carly's Coffeehouse.
• -Stock up on vegetables, flowers, plants, pasture-based meat, and eggs from Creeksong Farm, a second-generation family farm selling since 1979.
• -Buy apples, peaches, nectarines, and pears from third-generation Deal Orchards.
• -Grab chicken eggs and occasional seasonal produce from E & E Organics, a vendor here since 2002.
• -Add kimchi, sauerkraut, and hot sauce from Fermenti's probiotic-rich fermented foods.
• -Choose pasture-raised meats, turkey cuts, and eggs from Happy Hens NC.
• -Take home fresh and filled pasta, sauces, pestos, and Italian breads from Mystic Pasta.
• -Order ready-to-eat or take-home tamales from veteran-owned Poncho y Jefe.
• -Sip meads and ciders made with locally sourced biodynamic ingredients from Stardust Cellars.
• -Finish with fried-to-order empanadas, juices, and Venezuelan desserts from Valencia Flavors.

The market also posts ways to get involved beyond shopping, including a music interest form for performing at the market and a community booth interest form. At Watauga County Farmers' Market, one clear thread is how often the offerings move past raw ingredients into things that are made, cultured, baked, forged, or otherwise finished by hand. Fermenti brings kimchi, sauerkraut, and hot sauce; Sunnyside Pasta Co. focuses on handmade pasta; Walkin' Waffles serves scratch-made Belgian-style waffles on a stick; and High Country Clay pairs ceramics and jewelry with boiled peanuts. That same maker energy extends into the nonfood side, where Fiddler Forge works in solid steel, copper, and bronze, Elijah Holman Woodworking offers cutting boards and rustic furniture, and D.A. Tallarico Healing Art paints on reclaimed wood. The result is a Saturday market where groceries and crafted objects sit side by side rather than in separate lanes.

Know before you go

No dogs is the policy that will change some visits before they start, and the market separately references service animals through ADA National Network guidance. Parking is available in the Horn in the West lot and the Daniel Boone Gardens lot, with another nearby park-and-walk option; parking attendants help direct drivers, and front parking is available for handicap permits. The market takes place at 591 Horn in the West Drive in Daniel Boone Park, which matters if you are navigating by landmark rather than street grid. Restrooms are not listed among visitor amenities, so plan your stop with that in mind.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP/EBT is accepted here, and the market also highlights WIC, SFMNP, and debit in its visitor navigation and payment information. If payment access matters to your shopping plan, this is a market that visibly foregrounds those programs rather than burying them in fine print.