Name: Spooky Big Barn Social at Hickory Nut Gap Farms
Start: 2026-10-25T11:00:00.000-04:00
End: 2026-10-25T16:00:00.000-04:00
Location: Hickory Nut Gap Farms

Spooky Big Barn Social at Hickory Nut Gap Farms

Hickory Nut Gap's Big Barn Social goes spooky this Sunday. Wear a costume and trick or treat with the vendors while DJ Dancy Pelosi spins Halloween tunes, Street Creature Puppet Collective leads crafts and a puppet dance party, and Becky Stone tells Appalachian ghost tales.

It runs from 11 AM to 4 PM at the farm in Fairview. There are pony rides, hay rides, sword demos from the Warriors of Ash, local makers, pumpkins, apples and fresh pressed cider. The raffle includes a Hickory Nut Gap turkey and benefits Street Creature Puppet Collective.

It's free to get in. Bring the kids in costume and spend Sunday on the farm.

Hickory Nut Gap is a working family farm out on Sugar Hollow Road in Fairview, east of Asheville, and the same family has been farming it since 1916. They raise 100% grassfed beef plus pasture-raised pork and chicken, and the farm store and butchery is where you stock up on all of it, along with local goods and prepared food.

Fall is when the farm really comes alive. Weekends bring hay rides and pony rides by donation, with the money going to Project HNG. Wednesday through Sunday the kids, and plenty of grown-ups, hit the culvert slides, the trike track, the sound silo and the creek with its little rope swing. Local apples, farm-pressed cider and pumpkins fill up the store in September.

The calendar stays full out here. Monthly Big Barn Socials, barn dance shows with live music and a two-step instructor, stargazing nights, birding walks and Sunday morning qi gong all happen on the farm, so grab tickets early for the bigger nights.

Regulars come for the meat, the grassfed beef and the sausages especially, and plenty of folks make the drive just to restock the freezer. On fall weekends it's a go-to for families, with kids bouncing between the slides, the piglets and the chick brooder while the grown-ups grab a hot dog and a cider.

Hickory Nut Gap Farms

Asheville's food scene is mostly local, and this guide walks it neighborhood by neighborhood. Many of these spots post their daily specials, happy hours and events on Dig Local, so check a profile before you go. Downtown, Posana on Biltmore Avenue builds its menu around local farms, The Rhu on South Lexington Avenue is known for its cruffin, Old Europe Pastries has made Hungarian pastries since 1994 and now sits on Broadway, and Capella on 9 serves tapas on the roof of the AC Hotel. On the South Slope, Tiger Bay Cafe cooks Latin and West Indian food inside Ben's Tune Up, and the Funkatorium on Coxe Avenue pours sour beer. Haywood Road in West Asheville has Biscuit Head, Thai Pearl, Finest and Westville Pub. Merrimon Avenue in North Asheville has plant, Mountain Madre, Mother Ocean Seafood Market and 828 Family Pizzeria. In East Asheville, RendezVous serves French bistro food on New Haw Creek Road. Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack fries Nashville-style hot chicken on Patton Avenue in West Asheville and on Sweeten Creek Road in South Asheville. For fully vegan kitchens, restaurants with real meat-free menus and answers to common questions, see our Dig Deeper guide to vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Asheville.

Asheville Food and Drink: Restaurants, Specials and Happy Hours

Unlock the best of Asheville, NC through unforgettable tours and experiences that showcase the city’s natural beauty, vibrant arts scene, and local culture. Whether you want guided outdoor adventures, historic city tours, art crawls, or foodie explorations, Asheville offers a diverse array of activities for all interests. Find curated excursions that highlight waterfalls, mountain trails, local farms, breweries, and cultural landmarks. Perfect for visitors and locals alike, these experiences create lasting memories and deepen your connection to Asheville’s unique charm and character. Explore the latest tour options, event packages, and insider tips to make your visit extraordinary.

Tours in Asheville, NC: Food, Trolley, Walking and Pub Tours

Asheville Made is your guide to products made right here in the mountains, from hot sauce and craft sodas to farm-raised meat, handmade crafts and small-batch spirits. FIREWALKER Hot Sauce Company has made small-batch, vegan sauces with locally grown produce since 2012. Devil's Foot Beverage brews ginger beer and craft sodas with organic ginger and fruit from local farms, and pours them at The Mule, its taproom on Sweeten Creek Road near Biltmore Village. Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview has been farmed by the same family since 1916 and sells its grassfed beef and pasture-raised pork and chicken at the farm store. The Southern Highland Craft Guild shows the work of hundreds of juried Appalachian craftspeople in pottery, fiber, glass, wood and jewelry. For local spirits, visit Eda Rhyne Distilling in Biltmore Village, Oak and Grist in Black Mountain and Two Trees in Fletcher. These are good stops for gifts and souvenirs that are actually made in Asheville. Every listing below has hours, photos and directions.

Asheville Made: Local Artisans, Makers and Handmade Gifts

Looking for things to do with kids in Asheville? Find wildlife, hands-on museums, farm days, arcades, bowling and outdoor theater. In East Asheville, the WNC Nature Center has black bears, red wolves, river otters and red pandas on Gashes Creek Road. Near downtown, the Asheville Tourists play minor league baseball at HomeTrust Park, long known as McCormick Field. Downtown, the Asheville Art Museum on Pack Square has a makerspace where kids and grown-ups make art together, and Asheville Community Theatre on Walnut Street stages youth productions. In West Asheville, Sky Lanes has been bowling on Patton Avenue since 1963, with bumpers and an arcade, and Asheville Retrocade on Haywood Road is packed with vintage arcade games and pinball. South of town, Claying Around on Hendersonville Road is a paint-your-own pottery studio, and Sweeten Creek Brewing has a big creekside lawn with cornhole and barbecue. Out in Fairview, Hickory Nut Gap Farms runs hay rides and pony rides on fall weekends. Each summer, Montford Park Players stage free outdoor Shakespeare in Montford. Asheville Parks & Recreation runs more than 50 parks with playgrounds, swimming, trails and community centers.

Spooky Big Barn Social at Hickory Nut Gap Farms

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