Agritourism & Farm Experiences near Boone, NC

Boone

Pick-your-own blueberry patch on Junaluska Road in Boone, high in the Watauga County mountains. At this elevation highland blueberries usually ripen through July into August, later than in the Piedmont. Public details are limited, so call ahead to confirm picking days, hours, and ripeness before driving up.

Boone

C and J Christmas Trees grows Fraser fir on Brookshire Road in Boone, at the center of North Carolina's High Country tree country. Watauga County's cool, high elevation produces the firs that ship nationwide each December. Choose-and-cut farms here open after Thanksgiving, weather permitting.

Boone

Bill Moretz grows more than 90 apple varieties on this Watauga County orchard, alongside peaches, nectarines, pears, plums, blueberries, and bramble fruit. The family started the operation in 1993 and sells through the Watauga County Farmers Market and the High Country Food Hub. Fruit comes in from roughly June through October, with dried apples, potatoes, pumpkins, and winter squash later in the season. The high elevation near Boone keeps the apples crisp.

Vilas

Shady Grove Gardens and Nursery is a High Country nursery in Vilas, in Watauga County near Boone. Mountain nurseries here sell perennials, daylilies, and cut flowers suited to cool Blue Ridge summers. Elevation makes the growing calendar later than the lowlands. Check plant availability and open dates before visiting, since a P.O. box is the only address listed publicly.

Boone

A Greene Family Farm sits on Junaluska Road outside Boone, in Watauga County's High Country. The mountain setting is prime Fraser fir and cool-season produce ground, but the farm's own offerings and visiting hours aren't posted online. Contact them directly before heading up the mountain.

Todd

The Farm at Mollies Branch raises free-range hens for multicolored eggs and grows shiitake mushrooms, nettles, herbs, and vegetables near Todd in the High Country. It calls itself a no-kill farm focused on non-GMO food and keeps llamas, chickens, and ducks. Tours run by appointment, with admission of two cans of food per person or a donation. The farm posts updates on a Substack newsletter.

Deep Gap

New River Corn Maze operates in Deep Gap, in Watauga County's High Country just east of Boone. The maze takes its name from the nearby New River, one of the oldest rivers in North America. Mountain corn mazes run through the fall harvest season.

Swinging Bridge Farm sits on Old Glade Road in Deep Gap, in the Watauga County High Country east of Boone. Farms at this elevation lean toward pasture, hay, Christmas trees, and cool-season produce. The Deep Gap area rises along the Blue Ridge near the Parkway.

Creston

A pick-your-own blueberry farm on Sutherland Road in Creston, up in Ashe County near the Virginia line. High-country berries here ripen later than the piedmont, generally mid-to-late summer. Bring buckets during the July harvest window.

Vilas

A farm on Mountain Dale Road in Vilas, in the High Country just west of Boone. Watauga County leads North Carolina's Fraser fir Christmas tree production, and many farms here also cut hay and graze cattle on steep mountain pasture. Whether this one sells trees or opens to visitors isn't posted online, so contact them before a trip.

Mountain City

Shull's Farm sits on Roan Creek Road in Mountain City, in Johnson County at Tennessee's far northeastern corner near the North Carolina and Virginia lines. The high elevation here — some of the coolest farm ground in the state — favors apples, cabbage, Christmas trees, and hardy vegetables. The listing gives no crop details or hours online. Contact Shull's Farm directly to find out what it grows and whether it sells to visitors.

West Jefferson

Ashe County Corn Maze operates in West Jefferson, in Ashe County's High Country near the Blue Ridge Parkway and the New River. Fall corn mazes in these mountains run through the autumn harvest season. Specific dates and pricing aren't listed online.

West Jefferson

Lantern Farm sits in the Doe Meadows area near West Jefferson in Ashe County, high in the North Carolina mountains. The short, cool growing season here favors berries, greens, and other high-elevation crops, alongside Christmas trees, an Ashe County staple. Little is published about this farm, so it's best to confirm details directly.

Newland

Cartner's Christmas Tree Farm grows Fraser fir on Balsam Drive in Newland, in Avery County, the heart of North Carolina's Christmas tree country. Avery's high, cool ridges produce firs that ship across the country each December. Choose-and-cut farms here open once the trees are ready after Thanksgiving.

Butler

Villa Nove Vineyards pours Tuscan-style wines above Watauga Lake in the Appalachian high country near Butler. Tastings run $20 and feature bottles like Vigoroso, Merlot, Tuscanee, and Bonita, made from California estate and locally grown grapes. The kitchen turns out brick-oven pizza and cicchetti, the Italian take on tapas. Live music plays every weekend, with wide mountain views from the tasting room. Open Thursday through Sunday.

Valle Crucis

Harvest Farm LLC is on Highway 194 North in Valle Crucis, Watauga County, in the high mountains near Boone and the original Mast General Store. At this elevation the growing season runs short and cool, favoring summer produce and fall crops. Contact the farm for what it offers and when.

Lansing

Old Orchard Creek grows blueberries for pick-your-own at $10 a gallon from late June through early August, high in the Blue Ridge near Lansing in Ashe County. The farm also rents cottages year-round, hosts weddings, and opens its trails for hiking and star-gazing. An old apple orchard shares the property, and pre-picked berries can be reserved in advance.

West Jefferson

Wayland's Nursery grows Fraser fir and white pine Christmas trees alongside blueberries and raspberries on Round Knob Ridge in Ashe County. During the holidays it sells trees in a range of sizes plus wreaths, roping, and stands, and offers drilling, baling, and net-bagging. The Blueberry Hill gift shop stocks homemade items and takes wreath pre-orders. Open daily 9 to 5 in peak blueberry and tree seasons.

Newland

A small agricultural operation on Charlie Clark Lane in Newland, the Avery County seat and part of North Carolina's Fraser fir Christmas tree belt. Public records tie the address to Long Ridge Nursery, so nursery stock or cut trees are the likely draw. Little else about hours or products is posted online. Contact the farm directly to confirm what it sells and when.

Long's Tree Farm has grown Christmas trees since the late 1970s on NC Highway 16 South in West Jefferson, in Ashe County's High Country. The farm runs choose-and-cut on site, sells wholesale by the tractor-trailer load, and carries nursery stock, wreaths, and garland. Ashe County ranks among the country's top Fraser fir producing areas.

Shady Valley

Morley Farm and Orchard grows pick-your-own blueberries in the high valley of Shady Valley, up in Johnson County near the Virginia line. The bushes are grown without pesticides, and picking runs from early July into fall, roughly seven to seven Monday through Saturday. Picnic tables and a porta-potty on site make it easy to linger. Check their Facebook page for daily picking updates, since ripening shifts with the mountain weather.

Thunder Moon Farms sits on Thunder Road in Grassy Creek, in Ashe County in North Carolina's far northwestern mountains near the Virginia line. This High Country valley is known for Christmas trees, small livestock farms, and mountain produce. Details about the farm's crops and hours aren't posted online, so contact them directly to learn what they raise and whether they welcome visitors.

Grassy Creek

Landmark Farm Alpacas raises alpacas on Landmark Church Road in Grassy Creek, in Ashe County's High Country near the North Carolina-Virginia line. Alpaca farms in these mountains typically offer animal visits and fiber goods. Current visitor hours aren't posted online.

Crumpler

Joe Vannoy Farm sits on East Healing Springs Road in Crumpler, Ashe County, in the high mountains of far northwestern North Carolina. Ashe County produces more Fraser fir Christmas trees than anywhere else in the state. Contact the farm to confirm what it grows or offers.

Roan Mountain

Turkey Knob Tree Farm sits on Teaberry Road in Roan Mountain, high in Carter County near the North Carolina line. The elevation here suits Christmas-tree growing, which the name points to. No public website turned up in a search, so contact the farm directly for the cut-your-own season, which in this region typically runs late November into December.

Plumtree

A farm in Plumtree, tucked in the North Carolina high country of Avery County along the Toe River. Mountain farms at this elevation lean toward Christmas trees, cabbage, and cool-season produce. Little is documented online for this listing.

Jefferson

A farm on Little Peak Creek Road outside Jefferson, in Ashe County's northwestern high country. This is Christmas-tree and mountain-produce ground, with cool summers and long winters shaping what grows. Public details are limited, so contact the farm directly about crops, livestock, or visits.

Roan Mountain

Roan Highlands Farm grows more than 38 varieties of organic heirloom apples at the foot of Roan Mountain near the North Carolina line. The orchard picks its varieties for flavor rather than looks, favoring older apples you won't find in a grocery store. A farm cottage rental gives visitors a base near Roan Mountain State Park.

Grassy Creek

Grouse Ridge Christmas Tree Farm grows Christmas trees on Old Highway 16 in Grassy Creek, in Ashe County — North Carolina's Fraser fir country and one of the top tree-producing regions in the United States. Choose-and-cut and pre-cut Fraser firs are the standard offering here each November and December. No website was found online.

Laurel Springs

Lil' Grandfather is a choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm on NC Highway 18 in Laurel Springs, high in Ashe County's Fraser fir country near the Blue Ridge Parkway. This corner of the North Carolina mountains grows much of the nation's Fraser fir. Cutting dates and pricing aren't posted online, so contact the farm before the holiday season.

Spruce Pine

Sparks Farm is an agritourism operation on Biggerstaff Road in Spruce Pine, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Mitchell County. No website or contact information was found online. The high-elevation setting supports cool-season produce and, on many area farms, Christmas trees.

North Wilkesboro

A roadside produce farm on Curtis Bridge Road in North Wilkesboro, selling fresh fruits and vegetables grown with natural methods. The lineup has run to beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, melons, onions, peas, pumpkins, tomatoes, and cut flowers, with Jennifer Bare handling the operation. Sales are cash only. Some directories now list it as no longer active, so it's worth a call before making the drive to Wilkes County.

Bakersville

Blueberry Heaven charges $15 for a five-quart bucket of pick-your-own blueberries on Blevins Branch Road in the Buladean community near Bakersville, high in Mitchell County. A small shop sells fresh berries, homemade jams, and baked goods. Picking season runs hot, and the farm's Facebook page posts the weekly schedule, so check it and call ahead before driving up into the mountains. See blueberryheaven.net.