Wardensville Garden Market is an on-farm market + bakery + general store — part of a broader social-enterprise/ nonprofit project run by Farms Work Wonders. Through it you can buy produce from their organic farm, baked goods from their in-house bakery, pantry items, artisan crafts (including glass art from a glass-studio), meats/eggs from their farm, jams, sauces, and other locally or regionally made goods. The market sits on a historic 100-acre farm (originally the Frye Farm) in Wardensville, WV — land bordered by the Cacapon River. It launched in 2016 as a small farm stand — by responding to community interest, it grew into a full market in a restored farmhouse, with bakery and expansion over time. The Garden Market sells goods produced by Mack’s Bingo Bakery — like cinnamon rolls, breads, pies, cookies, pepperoni rolls — all of which I tried, and they were delicious. All profits from the market (and associated enterprises: bakery, farm, kitchen, glass studio) are reinvested into local youth programming, giving jobs, training, and scholarship opportunities to Appalachian youth. Grade: A

Mack's Bingo Kitchen is a farm-to-table restaurant. It’s part of Farms Work Wonders, a nonprofit. The restaurant operates as a “living classroom” for local Appalachian youth (ages ~16-21), called the “Junior Crew,” giving them real work experience in hospitality: cooking, serving, hosting, etc. The restaurant interior highlights local materials: barnwood, local metalwork, and locally made glass pieces. There’s a warm, cozy feel: high ceilings (16 ft), a big wood-fired hearth, a bar, and a porch area. Their cuisine blends Appalachian inspiration with Italian and Greek influences. Style: They have a wood-fired hearth / grill, which gives a rustic, smoky quality to many dishes. We started with sourdough focaccia, which had winter squash, sage & sumac. The bread from Mack’s Bingo Bakery (the bakery associated with Mack’s Bingo Kitchen) is next level. The caramelized bits on top and then the soft, airy interior - delish. I ordered coal roasted beets with ricotta, sunflower seeds and black walnut vinaigrette. The black walnut vinaigrette leaned slightly sour, nudging the whole dish into sharper territory than expected. The ricotta helped soften that acidity, adding a cool, creamy counterweight, while the sunflower seeds brought a welcome nutty crunch. For dessert - the s'mores tart, which had smoked chocolate & sorghum marshmallow. A bit more bitter than I personally enjoy. A scoop of ice cream topped off the whole meal. Instead of tips, guests are encouraged to leave a donation to support their mission of youth training through Farms Work Wonders. Have you been? Grade: A

Wrdensville is a cool little town with a handful of amazing, locally owned shops and restaurants. Drifters Cafe is one of those - and a hidden gem, as it is literally on the backside of a building with a bookstore so you need to walk around to get to the entrance. This open space offers food and coffee in a relaxing, fast-casual environment. I opted for a blended hot cocoa and breakfast quesadilla with a side of avocado ranch. A frozen hot chocolate is maybe one of my most favorite drinks. It may be partly because of the paradox, but I know I just enjoy it. It is sweet, has that icytexture and has just a tiny touch of bitterness from the cocoa, making it not too sweet. The breakfast quesadilla was huge. It could have fed too easily. I enjoy the concept here, but I do wish that there was some more melted cheese and salsa. The ranch just didn't hit like salsa would. Overall, though, I did enjoy this combo and would be happy to stop here again to try some more menu items. Grade: B

Star Mercantile is an antique shop, local goods store and restaurant all wrapped up into one.

They even have the shop across the road which has even more goodie inside.

But I stopped by quickly to get some snacks for my upcoming train ride later in the day.

You order at the counter, find a seat, then they bring your food.

The menu features hearty breakfasts, broasted chicken, hot dogs, burgers, and sandwiches.

For something portable, I went for "The Patwich," -- Not your ordinary grilled cheese. Made with potato bread, cheese, butter & love.


While waiting for it to cook, I looked around at the local products, antiques and more. This was perfect for my trip!

Here's a quick snap of the Trough, where we saw three eagles!



And the last state park I had to check off my list.

The Lost River Trading Post is a unique spot that combines art, local goods and tasty snacks.

With the trademark red cow out front, this shop truly has a little bit of everything, and I was excited to explore it.

While looking around, I found antiques, jewelry, blankets and more.

There's even a fine art gallery.

At the cafe portion, they have frittatas, coffee, biscuits, sweets and even falafel.

The latter sounded perfect for my scenic train ride later in the day.

And, it's a little unexpected and unique! What's your favorite item here?

I headed over to the Lost River area to check off the last state park on my list.

And while in the area, of course I wanted to check out some local fare.

One place that I recently heard of was the Wardensville Garden Market + Bakery.

The Wardensville Garden Market + Bakery is a nonprofit farm that employs local youth, encouraging their entrepreneurial spirit through small-scale sustainable farming in an education-rich environment. Our goal is to enhance the knowledge of local youth by teaching them how to run and sustain a successful small business, and by offering opportunities to pursue new career paths, through classes and scholarships.  We reinvest 100% of every purchase and donation made back into the program to hire and inspire even more young people (ABOUT).

How cool is that? The bakery is really cute and known for these gigantic cinnamon rolls. They even had free samples of cookies!


As I was getting ready to leave, I saw the entire other half of the place - the market!



It's such a cute space with some great local products.


Have you been here yet? What's your favorite item?

It's not so much of a restaurant (and doesn't sell many food products), but Lucky Johnson General Store does sell coffee and some snacks. So, that's good enough for me.

This shop is the cutest with tons of West Virginia themed goodies to snag. And their coffee is locally roasted, organic and fair trade and can be purchased by the bag and brewed fresh. And, if you're lucky, you might snag a vegetarian/vegan snack.

Grab a delicious coffee, browse this sweet shop and get a cool piece to take home.