Summer travels offer great opportunities to explore an agritourism farm or activity, and visitors will find plenty in North Carolina from tours, u-pick fruit, farm stands, farmers markets, festivals and local foods. The following is a sample of experiences offered at North Carolina farms this summer.
Visitors can find more agritourism operations across the state online at www.gottobenc.com, by clicking on the agritourism listing under the Find Local link. Or download the Visit NC Farms app to discover more than 1,300 destinations and farms nearby and across the state.
App users may choose a suggested itinerary or use the My Trips feature to customize itineraries with navigation tools. Examples include the Berry Brick Road Itinerary in Guilford County or the Berry Best of Cumberland County for blueberry farms. Guilford County also has a Farmers Market and Farm Stand Trail listed or take a drive to see Sampson County’s beautiful Barn Quilts, using the itinerary feature to plan your stops. Or plan stops at English Farmstead Cheese and The Orchard at Altapass on a self-paced day trip in North McDowell County.
To learn more about the app, go to visitncfarmstoday.com.
Visitors should verify event dates, ticket requirements and operational hours before going.
Eastern NC
- Twiddle Dee Farm welcomes members to schedule time on the farm to relax and enjoy the outdoors, along with the farm’s store, animals and courtyard. The farm is always accepting new members.
- The Inn on Turner in Beaufort offers Field to Fork menus three times a week, supporting fresh, local and sustainable foods from Carteret County family farms, pastures and fishermen.
- Visit Dinosaur World at Sweet Valley Ranch in Cumberland County. Guests will be transformed to a time when dinosaurs walked the planet.
- Carteret Local Food Network’s Veggie Van Mobile Market is back in action. To find the season’s schedule and locations go to www.carteretlocalfoodnetwork.org/veggie-van.
Central NC
- Triple BBB Vineyard in Shelby will have pick-your-own and pre-picked Muscadine grapes beginning mid-August.
- Eno River Farm in Hillsborough will host “Food Trucks on the Farm” on Wednesday evenings throughout July.
- The Grove Farmers Market in East Greensboro is open on Saturdays, 9am-1pm.
- Hinton Farms Produce Stand in Gibsonville is open this summer with seasonal vegetables.
- Brookhaven Mill Farm of Greensboro has its petting zoo, picnic tables and farm store open on weekends over the summer.
- OKT Farm in Oxford will have goats and yoga at the farm on Saturdays this summer. Cost is $15 cash at the door.
- Harrells Farmers Market in Sampson County is open every-other Saturday, 9 am-1pm, with a variety of produce, meat, eggs, and vendors.
Western NC
- Justus Orchard in Hendersonville will have pick-your-own thornless blackberries starting in early July.
- The annual Brushy Mountain Peach and Heritage Festival will be held July 31, 2021 in Wilkesboro, NC.
Source: Annie Baggett, NCDA&CS