Starting the weekend at the farmers market

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Watauga County farmers market | Boone A genuine local market with live bluegrass, fresh produce, and the kind of vendors you actually want to buy from

If you're in Boone on a Saturday morning, the Watauga County Farmers Market should be your first stop. Not because it's on every tourist list — it isn't particularly — but because it's the real thing. Local vendors, local produce, local music and a crowd that's equal parts neighbors catching up and visitors who stumbled onto something genuinely good. It has the kind of energy that makes a Saturday morning feel like it's already been well spent before you've done anything else.

And it’s a great first stop of your weekend, maybe en route to Valle Crucis, Banner Elk, Blowing Rock or the Grandfather Mountain area.

The basics: Boone, on Saturdays through Nov. 28, 2026, 8am to 12pm. Free.

What it is: This is a proper farmers market — the kind where vendors are actually required to be local, so you're not buying strawberries trucked in from three states away. The selection covers a lot of ground: fresh produce, baked goods, flowers, mushrooms, honey, soaps, fresh meats and a rotating cast of makers and artisans selling everything from mountain photography to handmade goods. When I went in April, there was a bluegrass band playing — banjo, cello, violin, guitar — and the kind of tunes that remind you you’re in the mountains, not in the big city.

What to do: Walk the whole market before you buy anything. It's worth seeing everything before you commit. The coffee line gets long, so get in it early if a cappuccino or fancy coffee drink is on your agenda. The baked goods go fast, too. If you're into photography or local art, keep an eye out — there are occasionally vendors selling prints and photographs of the mountains that are genuinely beautiful and make for a much better souvenir than anything you'd find in a gift shop.

Good to know: The market draws an eclectic crowd — locals, second-home owners, visitors, families, students. The live music is a nice touch that elevates the whole thing from errand to experience. This is also a great way to stock up if you're staying in a cabin or vacation rental and want to cook with genuinely local ingredients.

The move: Get there early, get in the coffee line first if you haven’t already had your caffeine fix, then work your way through the vendors. Pick up something you didn't plan on buying. Make it the initial stop on your Saturday, maybe en route to a hike or shopping or some other activity. It’s nice to set the tone for the day.

—Tony Mecia

IF YOU’RE GOING…

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➡️ For more music, check out The Mountain Ledger’s live music guide

Plans for the return of Bistro Roca are starting to come together.

The beloved Blowing Rock restaurant was destroyed in a fire in January – and with it the Antlers Bar, said to be the oldest continuously operating bar in North Carolina. (It dated from 1932.)

The restaurant’s general manager told The Mountain Ledger that the restaurant will come back, with a nod to the vibe that made it so great but with some modern touches.

Jen Wolfe said the goal is to recreate “the same kind of feel — the wood and the rustic and the dark and sexy kind of vibe.” Since it was a speakeasy at one point, “we might be kind of leaning into that a little bit.”

But there will be some new features, too – like a modern kitchen, which the century-old building lacked. And also some new outdoor patio space where customers can come with their dogs. Patrons of the old Bistro Roca will recall the dozens of dog photos around the bar.

“We're going to try to have an outdoor area to have dogs, because that was one of the things — we love dogs so much,” she said.

Bistro Roca is shooting for a summer 2027 opening, she said.

In the meantime, portions of the restaurant’s menu have relocated to sister restaurant Hellbender Bed and Beverage. Hellbender held a get-together Saturday for Bistro Roca customers, where the restaurant group unveiled plans for a new barbecue restaurant in the old Woodland BBQ spot on U.S. 321. It could open as soon as next week.

(We wrote about that in a special breaking-news edition of The Mountain Ledger on Sunday.)

We are opening this to community events. If you have a book club or a talk on radon or something and you're a nonprofit, we will let you use the back room. We can schedule something for any nonprofit, or if it's not selling something, we will consider even doing it at night, or on the weekend, to offer that for the community. Our goal is to provide services for the community.

Q. What do you like about this area?

I love the people up here. They’re all happy because they're not here to prove anything. They're just up here to have a good time.

I love all the outdoor music. It's got a real history to it, and it's offered every night.

Q. If someone were coming up here and hadn't been up here before, what would you recommend that they do?

Well, I'd recommend they stay here and walk the street. And go to the music. Visit us. Visit BRAHM. Visit all the places.

➡️ On our website, we also have 20 independent reviews and recommendations of restaurants, hikes and activities — with more added each week!

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