Asheville shops outdoors most of the year. Farmers and bakers set up tailgates from spring through fall, and the city's big craft fairs pull juried artists from across the Southern Appalachians twice a year. Then the holiday markets fill December weekends.
This guide covers the markets you can count on every week, the craft fairs and festivals worth planning a trip around, and the holiday markets that close out the year. Most markets are seasonal and some move indoors in winter, so check each profile before you go.
Southern Highland Craft Guild
East Asheville, 930 Tunnel Road
The Guild runs the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands, a tradition that started in Gatlinburg in 1948 and now fills Harrah's Cherokee Center downtown each July and October. Over 100 juried artists from the region sell pottery, wood, fiber, glass, jewelry and more across two floors, with live craft demonstrations all four days and mountain music on the weekend. Admission is $12, and kids under 12 get in free. In December, the Guild's Holiday Sale fills the Folk Art Center auditorium at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, with members' work marked down 10% to 50%.
Tip: Tickets for the Craft Fair are sold at the door, so there's no need to buy ahead. Plan to catch at least one demonstration.
Harrah's Cherokee Center
Downtown Asheville, 87 Haywood Street
The downtown arena hosts both of Asheville's biggest indoor craft events. The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands comes in July and October. The Big Crafty, an indie craft fair that began in 2008, takes over in July and again in early December, with about 185 artists ranging from juried prize winners to first-timers, plus food, drink and live music. Saturday is preview day with a $10 ticket, and Sunday is free community day. Between fairs, the center books touring concerts and other big events on the same floors.
Tip: Go Saturday for first pick at The Big Crafty, or Sunday if you'd rather browse for free.
New Belgium Brewing
River Arts District, 21 Craven Street
Every Wednesday afternoon, all year, the River Arts District Farmers Market sets up on the lawn at New Belgium's Asheville brewery on the French Broad River. It's Asheville's year-round weekday farmers market, with local produce, meat, eggs, bread, honey, pastries, flowers and crafts. SNAP, Double SNAP and Farmers Market Prescriptions are accepted. The taproom pours the core lineup and wood-aged sours, food trucks rotate daily, and the river-view decks make it easy to turn a grocery run into happy hour.
Tip: Shop first while the produce is full, then take your bags up to the deck for a beer.
Fleetwood's
West Asheville, 496 Haywood Road
Fleetwood's is a bar, live music room, legal wedding chapel and vintage shop in a former pawn shop on Haywood Road, with a 1958 Cadillac parked out front. On Sundays it hosts Junk-O-Rama, an outdoor vintage market out front. It's a small room, about 50 people, and the bar pours beer and wine only. The calendar runs to rock, punk and comedy acts, with weekly karaoke and DJ nights, so come for the market and check what's on that night.
Tip: Make a West Asheville afternoon of it and walk Haywood Road afterward for more West Asheville thrift and vintage shops.
Mills River Brewing Co.
Mills River, 336 Banner Farm Road
Each May, Mills River Brewing hosts the Cheese and Pickle Festival, a free afternoon in the beer garden that drew hundreds even through heavy rain at its second edition in 2026. Expect pickle bobbing in an inflatable pool, a pickle brine dunk tank, trophies for the best homemade pickles, and a Bloody Mary bar with cheese and pickle garnishes. Vendors sell pickle and cheese themed goods, from pickle macarons to goat cheese. The rest of the year, it's a family-owned taproom with a big dog-friendly beer garden, fire pits and live music.
Tip: Enter your own homemade pickles for a shot at the trophy.
Hickory Nut Gap Farms
Fairview, 57 Sugar Hollow Road
The same family has farmed Hickory Nut Gap since 1916, and fall is when it fills up. From mid-September, the farm hosts its fall festivities with hayrides, pumpkins, fresh-pressed apple cider and wide mountain views. Hay and pony rides are donation based, with proceeds going to Project HNG, and pony rides come with helmets for young children. Through the year the farm also hosts barn dances, truck sales, makers markets and workshops. The farm store and butchery sells its grassfed beef and pasture-raised pork and chicken.
Tip: Grab a $5 grassfed beef hot dog or pork sausage from the farm store after your hayride.
Old Town District
Black Mountain, 110 Black Mountain Avenue
Black Mountain's walkable historic downtown is about 15 miles east of Asheville, a few blocks of locally owned shops, galleries, craft stores and cafes in buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Seasonal festivals, live music and art markets keep it busy, and in December the Black Mountain Tailgate Market moves to holiday markets here and at Foothills Grange, with farm goods and handmade gifts. With galleries and craft stores on the same few blocks, it's an easy half-day trip to fill out a holiday list with work made nearby.
Tip: Hit the Saturday tailgate on Montreat Road in season, then walk to Cherry Street for lunch and shopping.
Artist, vintage and holiday markets
- Uncommon Market Asheville, 1 Foundy Street. A curated monthly Sunday market for antiques, art and vintage in spring and fall, plus an indoor Holiday Market downtown in early December.
- Ooh La La Curiosity Market, 67 Patton Avenue. Local artists in Pritchard Park on select Saturdays, raising money for Animal Haven of Asheville.
- Grovewood Gallery, 111 Grovewood Road. Its yearly Holiday Sip & Shop in early December brings artist demos and a gallery-wide discount.
- Grove Arcade Shops, 1 Page Avenue. The seasonal Portico Market sells local farm and craft goods, and the Holiday Tree Lighting Block Party adds an outdoor market the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
- Hi-Wire Brewing, RAD Beer Garden on Lyman Street. Home base for Dark Market, an after-dark makers market of oddities, curios and gothic gifts, including the December Krampuslauf Market.
