From May 2 through October 24, 2026, the Columbus Farmers Market sets up every Saturday on the historic Courthouse Square. Starting in November, the market only happens on two Saturdays a month and moves to a different street. The town's weekend splits into market weeks and off-weeks. On the off-weeks, much of the year-round load falls on one shopping center on West Mills Street.
October 24 is the last Courthouse Street Saturday
The listing from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project puts the 2026 season at May 2 to October 24. That leaves two market Saturdays from today, October 17 and October 24. The sources disagree on start time. Polk County's agricultural office lists the market at 9 a.m. to noon, and ASAP lists it at 8 a.m. to noon. The noon close is the same in both, so arriving at 9 works either way.
The market is part of the WNC Double SNAP Network, and ASAP describes its produce, meat, eggs and farm crafts as coming from within a 25-mile radius.
October 24 is also a busy Saturday around the county. Overmountain Vineyards holds its third annual Oyster & Harvest Fest that day from noon to 5 p.m. at 2012 Sandy Plains Road, with oysters, wine, vendors and live music. The listing says to email for the waitlist. Over in Tryon, the first Foothills Fantasy Festival runs 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Rogers Park. Adult admission is $25, and children 16 and under get in free. Because the market closes at noon and the oyster fest opens at noon, you can do both without rushing.
November moves the market to a back building on Locust Street
The indoor Columbus Winter Market starts the next month at Iron Key Brewing, 135 Locust St. Polk County lists it on the first and third Saturdays, November through April, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with local food and handmade crafts. First Peak's listing adds a useful detail: the market is in the back building at Iron Key, not the taproom facing the street.
The hours change in two ways. Opening moves later, from 8 or 9 to 10, and closing moves from noon to 1 p.m. A shopper who used to finish by late morning on Courthouse Street now shops into lunchtime, at a brewery.
The bigger change is how often it happens. Through October 24, every Saturday had a market. Here is the November and December schedule from First Peak's Polk County Farmers Markets calendar:
| Saturday | Market | Location | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 17 | Columbus Farmers Market | Courthouse Street | Morning to noon |
| October 24 | Columbus Farmers Market, final day | Courthouse Street | Morning to noon |
| October 31 | None | ||
| November 7 | Columbus Winter Market | Iron Key Brewing, 135 Locust St. | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| November 14 | None | ||
| November 21 | Columbus Winter Market | Iron Key Brewing | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| November 28 | None | ||
| December 5 | Columbus Winter Market | Iron Key Brewing | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| December 12 | None | ||
| December 19 | Columbus Winter Market | Iron Key Brewing | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| December 26 | None |
That's four market Saturdays out of nine between Halloween and the end of December. Polk County's schedule runs the winter market through April.
East Mills Street gets quieter, too
The Ice Cream Shop at 406 E. Mills St. reopened with a ribbon-cutting on April 10, 2026, as the Tryon Daily Bulletin reported. First Peak's October 2026 restaurant guide already lists it as closed for the season.
That leaves the off-week Saturdays and the Sundays, when downtown has no market and the seasonal businesses are closed. For much of that time, the open places are in one parking lot.
One West Mills Street parking lot stays open all winter
Columbus Commons, at 155 W. Mills St., sits on a 3.25-acre site with 130 designated parking spaces, according to the property's leasing materials. It mixes restaurants, shops and services, and it doesn't close for the winter.
New businesses keep moving in. The Bulletin covered five openings there in three years. Good Morning Columbus opened in Suite 101 in July 2023, and Naruto Sushi Bar & Ramen opened in the same suite in May 2024. Sully's Place opened in April 2024 in Green River Tavern's former space. The Curious Cauldron opened on October 1, 2025, and Card Universe held its ribbon-cutting upstairs on April 17, 2026.
Here's who is there now, based on the most recent posted hours:
| Business | Suite | What it offers | Sunday | Monday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naruto Sushi Bar & Ramen | 101 | Sushi, ramen, sashimi, soups | Noon to 9:30 p.m. | Closed |
| Joy Wok II | 102 | Szechuan, Hunan, Cantonese | Noon to 8:30 p.m. | Closed |
| White Oak Medicine | 103 | Primary care and wellness practice | Not posted | Not posted |
| The Curious Cauldron | 108 | Herbs, incense, tarot decks, candles | Closed | Closed |
| Purrrfect Bark | 109 | Pet shop, nail trims | Not posted | Not posted |
| Sully's Place | 112 | Meals, beer, cocktails | Closed | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Card Universe | 202, upstairs | Trading cards, board games, game space | Sources conflict | Closed |
The table shows that the lot covers the whole week, but no single business does. The two restaurants with Sunday hours, Naruto and Joy Wok, are both closed Monday, which is when Sully's is open. Sully's Place is closed Sundays. Its own site lists Friday and Saturday hours until 10 p.m., while the October guide says 11 p.m. The Curious Cauldron keeps Tuesday through Saturday hours, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Card Universe is the hardest one to plan around. Its website lists Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Chamber of Commerce directory and the April Bulletin report both say Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. The site advertises weekly Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments and shows Columbus events on Saturdays. It doesn't post a day-by-day Columbus game schedule, so call the store before a Sunday visit or a tournament. First Peak notes that the store is on the top floor and has elevator access.
Planning around the two kinds of Saturday
On a market Saturday, the winter market at Iron Key ends at 1 p.m., and the Commons is a short drive west on Mills Street. Naruto opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Joy Wok opens at 11 a.m. on Saturdays, and Sully's opens at 11. So lunch is open as soon as the market closes.
The off-week Saturdays are October 31, November 14, November 28, December 12 and December 26. On those days there's no market, but the Commons still has its full Saturday hours. The Curious Cauldron is open until 6, and the card shop has its Saturday events.
The two vineyards near Columbus fill some of the gap in the next few weeks. Parker-Binns Vineyard, at 393 Lulu Lane in Mill Spring, has a third-Friday sunset party with Seth & Sara on October 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. It also has a Halloween event with DJ Kool Breez on October 30 from 6 to 10 p.m. The winery's own site says hours are subject to change. Overmountain Vineyards has food trucks scheduled on October 17, 23 and 31. It recommends reservations for its tasting room, where the regular seated tasting is $20.
The first indoor market is Saturday, November 7, at 10 a.m., in the back building at 135 Locust St.
At Team Drumgool, we track this kind of schedule because it shapes daily life in Columbus: which Saturdays have a market, which shops close for winter, and what's still open on a Monday night. If you're curious how your Columbus home might be valued this winter, ask us for a free home valuation. We're glad to talk it through over lunch after a market morning.
