About

About Us

As a producer-only farmers’ market, our mission is to strengthen the local foods movement of Western North Carolina by organizing a dynamic and inclusive outlet for farmers and small businesses to connect with customers and community.

The North Asheville Tailgate Market is a vibrant Saturday morning gathering place that creates a fun, safe and enriching environment for youth, adults and folks from all walks of life. We began in 1980 to offer local farmers an outlet for selling their farm fresh goods. What began as a handful of farmers, now represents over 120 of the best farmers, bakers, growers, chefs and artists.

Today over 80% of these vendors earn their primary income from self-produced products. Cooking demos, dietitian talks, live music and our Growing Minds at Market are just a few of the ways we engage our community in education, health and culture.

PARKING LOT CHANGE ANNOUNCEMENT

Beginning NOVEMBER 11TH, our market will be temporarily relocating to UNC Asheville Lot P34 as UNC Asheville will need use of our lot for some time for construction. We are unsure exactly how long but we will keep you updated! We will be back to P28 at some point in 2024.

Lot P34 is just NORTHย of our current lot towards Merrimon Ave right next to Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church and has been used for overflow market parking, so maybe you have been there before – check out the map below. Accessible parking will be available in P34 and our portajohns will be moved there as well. Additionally, we will have signs posted around campus to help you find your way!

Email us at natmdirector@gmail.com for any questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued support and we know as strong of a community we have and as loyal as our customers are, y’all will find us and help keep us resilient through these temporary big changes.

We are also seeking volunteers to help us support customers in finding us. Please reach out if you are reach out if you are interested!

HOURS & ANNUAL SCHEDULE

Winter Market

January – March | 10am – 1pm

Main Season

April – November (Saturday before Thanksgiving) | 8am – 12pm

2023 Holiday Bazaar

November 25th – December 16th, 2023 | 10am – 1pm

WHAT TO EXPECT AT MARKET

EBT/Double SNAP

You SNAP, we match! Thanks to a grant through ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Program) we are able to double your SNAP dollars. Just come to our market information booth, swipe your card with us, and we will give you double that amount in market SNAP tokens that you can use on all qualifying produce and food products at the market.

ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION

Our market is outdoors on a paved parking lot with a moderate grade increase from the South Entrance (entering from University Heights) to North Entrance (exiting onto Edgewood Rd). There are at least 12 accessible/handicap parking spots at our South Entrance near our Porta Johns. One of our two Porta Johns are handicap accessible and we have a hand washing station that is about 3-4ft high to reach. Most vendor stalls are accessible by rollator and wheelchair but some may be a tight fit for mobility devices.

If you need any assistance getting items to your vehicle, shopping at various booths, or have ideas to better our accessibility please visit our yellow information booth in the middle of market or send us an email at NATMdirector@gmail.com. Additionally, our market can be overstimulating for some due to high customer traffic and noise levels. We have weekly musicians and some bring amplification. Dogs are allowed and present at market. Masks are available at our information booth. SNAP/EBT is accepted by all food vendors by first visiting our information booth to get SNAP tokens.

PARKING

As our market has temporarily changed locations, parking can be found in our new current lot, P34. Accessible parking available there as well. There are a number of lots on UNC Asheville’s campus that are nearby and available to use including P25, P26, P27 and P28 (our original market lot). You can follow this Google Maps link for directions.

DOGS

While dogs are allowed, please help us ensure a safe and comfortable market environment for all by making sure all dogs at the market are well mannered and well behaved. Customers are responsible for the behavior of their dogs at all times and will be asked to leave by the market staff if they are determined to be endangering the market. Customer’s dogs are allowed only if:

  • On a short leash of 18 inches or shorter at all times. No retractable leashes.
  • The customer pays for any supplies or products damaged by their dog.
  • They use the bathroom outside of the market area and are cleaned up after.
  • They can remain calm in a crowded, public setting.
  • They can exhibit self control around people of all ages and other dogs (no lunging, barking, growling, or aggression).
  • They show manners at vendor booths by not sniffing, licking, or tasting vendorโ€™s goods.