South County Farmer’s Market

Roanoke geography is a bit curious, with Roanoke County encircling the City yet not part of it. When local people refer to Roanoke, they rarely specify City or County and could mean either.

Much of the County retail-concentrated areas are close to the City. There aren’t a lot of signs delineating between the two, so you might not know when you’ve left the City. Don’t be concerned about a County location being far away (although do check a map first – parts of the County are a good distance from the City, particularly when you factor in the hills and speed limits). Some County spots may be closer to you than City destinations.

The South County Farmers Market is outside of the City, but a quick hop down (Interstate) 581 {which becomes 220}, on 419 (also known as Electric Road). It’s adjacent to Tanglewood Mall (might as well check that our while you’re there too – occupancy challenges have led to an eclectic mix of tenants including some surprisingly fun finds). The Market sets up on the far side lawn behind the Firestone parking lot.

This seasonal market is open Thursday through Saturday from about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., so the long hours make it easy to fit a trip into your day. This time of year (early May), it’s small. This may be a much larger event as the local growing season gets into full swing. Seeing things like peppers and tomatoes available now means produce probably isn’t all local (and certainly not fresh-picked, obvious from a glance at the green peppers on one stand), but there was a variety other things to choose from, including seed starts, flower baskets and homemade bread that might pique your interest.

If you like farmer’s markets, this is one of many available in the Roanoke area. This one doesn’t permit crafts for sale, so it’s a very different experience than, say, the City Market, which is a great place to find a bite to eat and also a hopping outdoor scene full of vendors selling only what they produce (once winter weather breaks).