Agritourism Events
Each season brings something new to the Triangle’s agricultural features. Springtime can be celebrated with new blooms, succulent strawberries, and baby animals while autumn brings harvest bounties and October beers.
Listed below are a few of the most prominent agritourism-related events in the Triangle. For more complete events for each county, be sure to check out the links to each county at the bottom of the page.
FALL EVENTS
Autumn conjures images of perfect pumpkins, fragrant apples and confusing corn mazes, and the Triangle does not disappoint. Approximately one million people flock to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds for eleven days every year to attend the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh. The fair is the largest annual event in the state and contains hundreds of agricultural displays and features, including livestock, produce, a midway and more. Durham is home to the original World Beer Festival that happens each October and features more than 400 world-class beers from more than 150 different breweries from around the world.
Chatham County’s annual Pepper Festival celebrates pepper-related local food and drink along with creative dishes using peppers. Durham’s Duke Homestead Harvest and Hornworm Festival is a culture and arts festival centered on North Carolina’s agricultural history. Benson Mule Days Festival has been a Southern tradition for over 60 years and this four-day, family fun festival is packed with mule competition events, rodeos, carnival rides, arts and crafts, street dances, and concerts. Several fall-related farms also open up in September and October, featuring hay rides, pumpkin patches, corn mazes and more. You can explore many of them at once as part of the annual Eastern Triangle Farm Tour.
WINTER EVENTS
While winter is often seen as a dormant time for agriculture, it is also the perfect time for the Southern Farm Show, an annual agricultural exposition held at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. This major event features farm equipment, more than 500 manufacturers, and tractor and truck driving competitions.
SPRING EVENTS
The Piedmont Farm Tour is an annual event that offers guests a self-guided tour of working farms and nurseries in multiple counties. Visit wineries, goat farms, berry farms, greenhouses, and more. Raleigh’s World Beer Festival happens each April and features more than 400 world-class beers from more than 150 different breweries from around the world. Pittsboro’s bi-annual NC Hops and Roots Fest is a celebration of farms, food, music, beer, and wine. TheGot to Be NC Festival celebrates North Carolina food, music, carnival rides, antique farm equipment, and more. This three-day annual event held at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh is great for families to experience all the homegrown things North Carolina has to offer. Garner, in Johnston County, hosts an annual Strawberry Festival each April, featuring vendors, games, entertainment and crafts, pony rides, and more. In May, celebrate Smithfield’s local heritage at the Ham & Yam Festival, an annual event that includes a 5k race, barbecue contest, and the popular “What’s that Yam Thing?” contest.
SUMMER EVENTS
Summer in the Triangle is often a steamy affair with temperatures reaching for the top of the thermometer. However, that shouldn’t deter visitors from attending the Annual Acme Tomato Festival in Carrboro or the Farm to Fork Picnic in Chatham County. Learn about culinary traditions at Duke Homestead’s Pork, Pickles & Peanuts festival.
ONGOING
Any time of year is ideal for Tree Camp, an environmental education program for adults who desire to become familiar with the Piedmont region’s 100 species of trees. Lazy O Farms in Smithfield holds special events several times a year on the farm and open to the public. Visitors are encouraged to bring the whole family for fun farm education and enjoy mazes, activity stations, hayrides, pumpkin patch, farm animals, and a picnic area.
Browse additional events by county:
PLACES TO GO
The Triangle’s agricultural sites range from pick-your-own berry farms to goat cheese homesteads to farm stands. Discover where some of the best food in the Triangle comes from.
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AGRITOURISM EVENTS
There’s always something happening with the Triangle’s agricultural offerings. Visitors are encouraged to attend events ranging from farmers’ markets to pepper festivals.
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INTINERARIES
It’s easy to have a fun day full of agricultural site visits without even having to plan! See some ideas for easy and educational day trips.
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