Murphy to Manteo: Finding new adventures, historic detours, and the soul of North Carolina on the state’s longest highway: U.S. Route 64. Read the series.

I’m bobbing and weaving through a crowd as I chase after my toddler, who is surprisingly quick, despite his general lack of coordination or understanding of gravity. He’s currently speed-waddling in his overalls past the outdoor vendors at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh, and honestly, it would be adorable if he wasn’t so hard to keep up with.

Suddenly, something catches my eye: No, not my son, but heaping cartons of some of the season’s first strawberries. Big, bright red, and so sweet and ripe I can smell them from 10 feet away. Perfect. My grocery list is long today, but these are at the top, because my grandmother’s pound cake, covered in powdered sugar, is waiting at home for us and … oh, dear. I’ll be back for you, berries! I think as I take a longing look over my shoulder and hustle to scoop up my son.

I’ve discovered that a child can transform the most mundane of outings into the most remarkable. The prescription I need to fill, the greeting card I need to pick out, and the groceries I need to shop for become opportunities — in two distinctly different ways.

Before I was a mom, I never dreamed my husband asking me, “Do you want to run by the store while I stay here with the baby?” would become its own love language. I never knew that a solo trip to Food Lion could be a form of self-care or that a silent car ride could be a luxury.

Keep your eyes peeled for in-season produce from the vendors at the market, from ripe strawberries to tidy bundles of asparagus. photograph by Charles Harris

But I also didn’t expect the joy and wonder I experience every time I bring James along. Whenever he giggles with a checkout clerk or squeals with excitement in a shopping cart or stares in wonder at a bird in a parking lot, it’s a delightful surprise.

Occasionally, the surprising part of running an errand with a toddler is a tantrum that takes a year off your life — but let’s focus on the positive! Luckily, James and I are already two steps (and 10 waddles) ahead on this particular trip. And this is not any old grocery store.

• • •

When the State Farmers Market was established in Raleigh in 1955, it marked a welcome change for local growers, who for years prior had not had a central location to display and sell their produce. By 1979, the 17-acre market was so packed that it had to move to a dairy farm — just off U.S. Highway 64 and Interstate 40 — for more space. Today, it’s open seven days a week all year round, and is home to hundreds of vendors from several neighboring counties, permanent indoor shops selling everything from soap to cheese to preserves, a garden center, and three restaurants, all spread across 75 acres.

In other words, this is no ordinary farmers market — one reason, of many, being the biscuits.

The State Farmers Market Restaurant features a country breakfast — fuel for the shopping trip ahead. photograph by Charles Harris

James and I started our morning at the State Farmers Market Restaurant — also established in 1955 — with, dare I say, the fluffiest, most buttery scratch-made biscuits I’ve ever had (and definitely the best James has ever had), plus country-style ham, scrambled eggs, cheesy grits, and chocolate-chip pancakes. It was a down-home feast at an old-fashioned place that specializes in country breakfasts and meat-and-threes made with NC produce. As our waitress — also dressed in overalls — earned giggles from James, the wonder unfolding was readily apparent.

After breakfast, we stopped by the indoor Market Bakery, established in 1989, to pick up warm cinnamon rolls to take home to Dad, plus a fresh-squeezed orangeade — my favorite — to sip as we strolled. Outside, I passed buckets of beautiful bouquets as James watched, entranced. Wonder, secured.

But I admit, the situation became just a tiny bit more hectic when we entered the 30,000-square-foot open-air market and I realized that without a shopping cart seat, James is a loose cannon. Everywhere we look, there are people and dogs and plants. There are banners fluttering in the breeze and signs raised high for vendors like Beth Moore’s Produce from Newton Grove and Lee’s Produce from Dunn and Wise Farms from Mount Olive and Ronnie Moore’s Fruits & Veggies from Meadow. And there are tables and bins and coolers overflowing with a rainbow of fruits and vegetables.

Many visitors stop by the Market Bakery to pick out a cinnamon roll. photograph by Charles Harris

It’s a wonderland, and if this were a solo Saturday outing, I’d say bring it on. But trying to figure out where to start on my list while also chasing James feels more like a stress dream than a daydream. As he wiggles and protests his capture, I keep holding on tight … and plotting my escape to the car. Tantrum incoming —

“Bewwy,” he says instead, his face suddenly angelic and full of wonder. “BEWWY!” he squeals.

I let out a breath and grin in surprise — the good kind. “Berries,” I say, buying the closest bucket. “Thank goodness for berries.” And the pound cake they’ll top. And ice-cold orangeade. And farmers market magic. And a little boy waddling in overalls and dripping in strawberry juice. And that he made me a mom.

State Farmers Market
1201 Agriculture Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
(919) 733-7417
facebook.com/statefarmersmarket

More to Explore: Make a day of your trip to the market. Find our guide to the area at ourstate.com/market-day-raleigh.