Summer in Appalachia means the return of ripe produce and colorful blooms piled onto vendor booths and scattered alongside mountain roads. On Saturday mornings Asheville locals and tourists alike flock to the farmers markets happening across the Western North Carolina mountains. While these market mornings are a ritual unto themselves, there’s a lesser-known pastime - U-Pick flower farms.
Those looking to immerse themselves within the blooming valleys of the Blue Ridge Mountains can pick from eight different options within an hour or less of downtown Asheville. From produce stands alongside wildflower fields to working farms, each location offers its unique spin on the experience. A lineup of vessels, freshwater, and pruners to borrow await your arrival. No prior experience is needed, just a love of flowers and the desire to spend some time in and among them.
📍FLYING CLOUD FARM - 20 min southeast of downtown Asheville
Situated right off US Highway 74A which takes you from Asheville over to Hickory Nut Gorge is a quaint, self-service farmstand that serves as the consumer outpost for Flying Cloud Farm. Decorated with whimsical shapes and the outlines of garden pollinators, the stand is reminiscent of a gazebo found tucked into a garden. Conveniently located, this you-pick farm is the perfect complement to a day spent exploring Lake Lure or hiking at Chimney Rock State Park.
Flying Cloud Farm is a small family-run business positioned at the edge of the scenic farmland valleys of Fairview, NC. Managers Annie and Isaiah are deeply rooted in the area with family ties that stretch back over 100 years.
Visitors can wander through the colorful rows of blooms branching off from the rustic open-air stand. The warmer months burst with organic
Picture provided courtesy of Flying Cloud Farm
berry bushes alongside the wildflowers. Pay for an all-you-can-fill $10 cup or $25 bucket with Venmo, PayPal, cash, or check. While the U-Pick flower season lasts from mid-June through the first frost in October, the farm also grows plenty of available veggies. You can find what’s in season at the produce stand every day, all day from April through to December.
Pictures provided courtesy of Flying Cloud Farm
📍NEVER ENDING FLOWER FARM - 25 min north of downtown Asheville
It doesn’t take long to feel far away from the city heading north out of Asheville. The mountainsides steeply border the windy roads. As you pass old tobacco barns and small family farms, it’s hard to believe how beautiful things get a mere 25 minutes from Asheville. The Never Ending Flower Farm is tucked into an idyllic valley just east of Mount Mitchell. A destination all unto itself, Loretta and her family have created something special in the small town of Barnardsville.
The Never Ending Flower Farm is open from May through to the end of September for you-pick flowers. New flower varieties to pick adorn the field as the seasons change from month to month. Springtime bachelor buttons, snapdragons, and poppies give way to bright and cheery cosmos, zinnias, sunflowers, and marigolds in the heat of the summer. As the cooler air creeps in with the coming of fall, dahlias, amaranth, and celosias disperse themselves amidst the waning summer blooms. The farm is also the family’s home and it’s not uncommon to chat with Loretta herself as she tends to the flower fields on an evening walk.
There are three size options to pick from. Pay $25 for a 32oz plastic cup, $28 for a glass vase approximately 32 ounces in size, or $75 for a 3-gallon bucket. To enjoy the beautiful space without picking flowers there’s a $5 fee per person. Picnic tables line the side of the gravel drive and there’s a bathroom available for use onsite, making it easy to stay and enjoy the beautiful space as long as you’d like. Bring some food and picnic alongside the field as you arrange your newly picked bouquet.
Both Flying Cloud Farm and Never Ending Flower Farm can be best accessed by staying in one of our downtown Asheville vacation rentals, less than a half hour from these U-Pick options.
📍WALKER TOWN FARM - 30 min east of downtown Asheville
Just east of Asheville is the charming, small town of Black Mountain, North Carolina. Black Mountain is a lively hub that hosts a variety of festivals and events throughout the year and is filled with endearing local shops and an array of restaurants. It’s surrounded by the dramatic Seven Sisters Mountain range that offers scenic hikes like Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain in the Eastern United States. These mountains are the backdrop to Walker Town Farm.
A floral constant at the town’s tailgate market, Walker Town Farm is a local favorite to grab beautiful blooms in lush garden-style arrangements. From the beginning of July through to October they also offer U-Pick flowers for visitors. Picking your own homegrown blooms at Walker Town Farm is the perfect way to start your weekend morning exploring the Black Mountain area. Unlike the other farms listed,
Picture provided courtesy of Walker Town Farm
you will need to check in before you begin picking. The farm is also the family’s home, so make sure to check in at the white tent to sign a liability release. At the tent, you can pay with cash or card for a 32-ounce cup priced at $30 or a 1.75-gallon bucket for $50. There are no bathrooms on-site so plan accordingly!
For vacation rental options close to Walker Town Farm, browse our selection of Black Mountain area homes.
Pictures provided courtesy of Walker Town Farm
📍THE TEN ACRE GARDEN - 40 min southwest of downtown Asheville
Sandwiched between Waynesville and Canton in the Great Smoky Mountains, the surroundings at Ten Acre Garden are something out of a dream. The colorful rows of zinnias and sunflowers seem to endlessly extend out to the layered peaks in the distance.
The Ten Acre Garden is more than a you-pick farm. It is a local gathering spot. Many weekends they host local vendors to lead a variety of fun activities for visitors to enjoy. These events range from free live music, outdoor movie screenings, and donation-based yoga to unique ticketed classes. Some past examples include tea blending, painting, and candle making with dried flowers from the farm. Check out their Facebook page for the most up-to-date information on what upcoming events are planned on the farm during your visit to the area.
For your own farm-to-table dinner, grab some fresh produce from their onsite store to take back to cook with at your vacation rental. If you prefer dining out, on Saturday nights you can enjoy fresh brick oven pizza on the farm. This is also one of the few flower farms that is dog-friendly! Your pup is welcome to join in on your flower-picking adventure to the Smoky Mountains as long as they are kept on a leash.
The U-Pick flowers are priced per stem depending on the variety or you can fill a $25 container that’s yours to take home. Hang on to the container for future trips and get a $5 discount the next time you come to cut your own blooms. U-Pick produce is also available with unique offerings like asparagus and in the late summer, you can wander through their sunflower maze in the fields.
📍PINNACLE FARMS - 40 min southwest of downtown Asheville
Continuing just southwest of Waynesville lies Pinnacle Farms. Less than 2 miles down the road from the Blue Ridge Parkway, this farm is the perfect stop along a scenic drive through the mountains. Cowee Mountain Overlook, arguably one of the best sunset spots in the area, is a short 25-minute drive from the farm. Pick some blooms from the field and enjoy the best show in town on your way back to your rental cabin.
Visitors to the farm are greeted with sweeping views of the surrounding mountains and row after row of colorful flowers. This small-cut flower farm is owned and farmed by Jennifer Arrington and has been around since 2022. As of 2024, this farm has even expanded to a bigger field location allowing for more beautiful flowers to pick from.
Pay $25 for a cup, $90 for a bucket, or a $5 entrance fee per person if no one in your group is cutting flowers. Payments of cash or checks are collected in a locked box at the white stand in the field. There you can also find a QR code to pay with PayPal, Venmo, or even directly through the Pinnacle Farms website. Wandering through the rows of colorful blooms you’ll find a lovingly handmade set of big, wooden monarch butterfly wings perfect for a photo op with your new bouquet.
If The Ten Acre Garden or Pinnacle Farms are top on your list for your next Smoky Mountains vacation, browse our selection of cabins available in the Maggie Valley and Waynesville area.
📍SIDEAWAYS FARM & BREWERY - 40 min southwest of downtown Asheville
Sideways Farm & Brewery is one of the three amazing you-pick flower locations south of Asheville. Located in the small community of Etowah, North Carolina, this hidden gem has something for everyone to enjoy.
You can cut your flowers here and grab a bite to eat at their delicious selection of rotating food trucks, listen to live music, enjoy one of the many events they host, or try one of their small-batch craft ales or their hard jun. Jun is a fermented drink made from green tea and sweetened with honey rather than the black tea and sugar used in its cousin, kombucha. Sideways Farm & Brewery is deeply anchored in its agricultural roots and is one of the few breweries in the United States to naturally carbonate their drinks with local wildflower honey.
On a nice summer day, there are few things better than meandering through their wildflower field picking your bouquet followed by a drink on their outdoor porch. $15 gets you a vase filled with as many flowers as you can fit and they also have bulk bucket flower picking options available upon request. Spacious, dog-friendly, and beautifully tucked within the local community, Sideways Farm & Brewery makes it easy for you to stay awhile.
📍JOHNSON FAMILY FARM - 50 min south of downtown Asheville
An 8th-generation family-owned farm, Johnson Family Farm is first and foremost a local farm store with seasonal produce and products available for purchase. The staff is so friendly and welcoming that walking in feels like visiting with extended family. In the main barn, you can find fresh produce, meats, loaves of bread, homemade cakes, ice cream, milkshakes, and other local and regional goods for sale. More food offerings like pizza, BBQ, and traditional Southern boiled peanuts can be found right next door.
Conveniently located off a main road just south of downtown Hendersonville, it’s easy to miss the flower field out back. The opening date for their U-PICK varies by year, depending on when the flowers are in their peak bloom, but it usually opens sometime in June. You-pick is even available after hours with everything you need at the flower shack in front of the field and payment is accepted through Venmo.
This spot offers the most affordable option for picking your flowers with prices starting at only $6 for the smallest plastic container. There are three other larger-sized containers priced at $10, $15, or $20. Gladiolus, sunflowers, marigolds, zinnias, and dahlias are all lined up in vibrant rows behind the main building. Deep within the rows of colorful blooms and the hum of the pollinators, the flower field provides a rural oasis within Hendersonville, NC.
📍 JETER MOUNTAIN FARM - 50 min south of downtown Asheville
If you’ve been to Hendersonville, North Carolina to pick apples in the fall you’ve almost surely heard of Jeter Mountain Farm. This almost 400-acre slice of heaven is a well-known local haunt. While most people visit for the apples, it opens to the public as early as mid-July for pick-your-own flowers and berries. Pay $18 for a reusable cup to fill with cut flowers and enjoy a tractor-towed wagon ride through the orchard for up to four people.
The farm below the orchards is a hub of activity. There’s a delicious BBQ, hot apple cider donuts, a coffee house, an indoor playground, and a market offering a wide selection of home goods, gifts, and farm produce available for purchase. There’s even a cider taproom serving up apple slushies that can’t be beaten in the summer heat. Between the food and drink
offerings, the beautiful mountain views, and live bluegrass music on weekend days, the farm stays busy.
While Jeter Mountain Farm is the furthest U-Pick flower field from downtown Asheville, this area south of the city is well worth exploring. DuPont Forest is a short drive away and has many beautiful trails to hike. This forest is known for its big waterfalls. The Three Waterfalls Hike is one of its most popular hikes where you can loop together Triple Falls, Hooker Falls, and High Falls in just three scenic miles.
4 TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR CUT FLOWERS LONG-LASTING
- Time your trip for the morning or later in the evening to avoid the heat of the day.
- Make sure you place your flowers in the water as soon as you cut them! As you fill your container, it’s easy for the stems to get caught up with one another and never reach the water at the bottom of the vessel. Make sure the bottom of the stem is deep within the water as you place your blooms in!
Keep your flowers within the air-conditioned part of your car for the ride home. No trunks or truck beds! The cooler you can keep them, the happier they’ll be.
Trim the stems and replace water in the vase every two days for maximum freshness.
Carolina Mornings has one of the best collections of vacation homes in the greater Asheville area. With cabin rentals located conveniently throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding Asheville, NC, visitors can choose a vacation rental near any of the above-listed flower farms. Click the link here to explore our selection of luxury homes.
U-Pick flower farms are a great place to take kids or enjoy a girl’s outing to the mountains. They can be a unique way to make a romantic getaway trip more special or even enjoy some solitude in a new way. Whatever kind of experience you’re after, you-pick flower farms are the perfect way to immerse yourself in the beautiful colors characteristic of summer in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Happy picking!
