20 Best Apple Picking Farms Across the Country

Come every autumn, Los Rios Rancho (the oldest and largest apple farm in Southern California) presents a harvest where families can make memories U-Picking 11 species of apples and pressing their own apple cider. There's even activities like horseback, tractor, and carriage rides as well as a petting zoo and nature trails. Owned and operated by the same family since 1906, Los Rios also features a year-round eatery where you can grab apple strudel and chicken apple sausage sandwiches. Plus, they offer weekly events, including live music, historic entertainment, and living history field trips.

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It doesn’t have to be fall to enjoy a visit to Chattooga Belle Farm. Operating in warm South Carolina, the 198-acre working farm and event barn offers a host of activities all year round. That means something is always in season! In summer and fall your can pick produce including apples, peaches, table grapes, berries, exotic fruit, and more. Once you’re done, head to the bistro for lunch and enjoy views of the blue ridge mountains then play a game of disc golf with the family. Don’t forget to pick up apple-barrel-aged whiskey from the distillery before heading out!

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Since 1943, Mercier Orchards has operated as the largest apple orchard in the Southeast. Yup, they're celebrating 80 years in the business! This one is located just a 20-minute drive from Ellijay, “Georgia’s Apple Capital," and their U-Pick season runs from August through October. The fourth-generation, family and veteran-owned orchard also features a winery with hard cider tastings, a "candy kitchen" with fresh baked goods, tractor tours, and ponds for fishing.

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A father-son duo opened Sky Top Orchard in the 1960s, and they now offer more than 20 apple varieties ripe for the picking from August through October. The farm stretches over 100 picture-perfect acres right atop Mount McAlpine in North Carolina. Just look at it! Along with their gorgeous mountain views, Sky Top features all the classic farm attractions from hayrides to barnyard animals and fresh-made apple cider doughnuts. You can do an apple-picking-hop, and stop by the dozen other orchards in the area.

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Five generations have farmed Marker-Miller Orchards Farm since its inception in 1908. Their self-declared "family experience" includes picnic grounds, a playground, wagon rides, a cow train, and of course, pick-your-own fruit. And if you don't feel like baking the apples you picked, stop by the bakery for delicious goodies! Then sit back and relax in their porch rocking chairs while enjoying Gaia and Ginger Gold apples in August, or other varieties in September.

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Conveniently located less than an hour from Boston, Parlee Farms boasts 19 acres of dwarf trees which bear more than 20 varieties of apples. The season usually runs from late August through October and includes a hayride to and from the orchard on weekends and fall holidays. Kids will also get a kick out of the animal barns, tractor ride, hay maze, and more at the farm.

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They provide the basket, you do the harvesting at this small family orchard that is open for U-Pick apples Saturdays and Sundays September through October. At Alldredge Orchards, adults will also enjoy the barn store with locally-produced goods, while the kids will want to take a hayride, romp in the play area, and feed the farm animals.

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With four orchards containing 20,000 trees producing 30 varieties of apples on 160 acres of farmland, you're sure to find your favorite fruit at Royal Oak Farm Orchard. The season begins in August, but even if the kiddos don't feel like picking, there are other adventures waiting at the orchard. Try out the apple tree maze, the carousel, the petting zoo, and even the Royal Oak Express, a replica of a 19th-century train that young and old alike are welcome to ride.

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Thanks to a history that stretches back to 1857, the Jollay family knows just about everything about apples. They're willing to share the fruits of that knowledge every September when Jollay Orchards' U-Pick season opens. Pick your own apples and then enjoy the rest of Harvest Festival through October, with activities like a haunted house, hayrides, a corn maze, an animal farm, and more.

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What began in 1922 as a 40-acre farm has blossomed into a 600-acre spread, 20 of which are used to grow about 19 varieties of apples. Kercher's Sunrise Orchards offers U-Pick apples beginning in early September though about early November. Don't miss the popular fall hayrides and activity area for the littles.

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With a name like Apple Holler, you know the picking has got to be good—and indeed it is at this 78-acre orchard filled with 30,000 dwarf trees. Prices vary by bag size, but packages also include a tractor-drawn wagon ride and a nature walk though the farm's hardwood forest. Other onsite fun includes live entertainment, a country store and bakery and the Kids Korral Play Area. Apple picking begins in August and runs through November.

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You'll discover more than 40 varieties of apples at Applecrest Farm Orchard, New Hampshire's oldest and largest apple orchard. Sold by the peck and half-bushel, they begin maturing in August, with varieties like Cortland, Idared, and Hampshire ripening as late as the end of October. Applecrest's Fall Festival, which runs weekends in September and October, features tractor rides, live music, a corn maze, and more.

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Despite its name, Afton Apple Orchard dishes out more than everyone's favorite fruit. Other goodies on the 250-acre farm include a 15-acre corn maze, which opens in September, hayrides, and a playground. But for apple aficionados the fun truly begins in August, when the picking season starts. Visit weekdays for special U-Pick pricing.

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Located in the beautiful village of Cooperstown, New York, home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Middlefield Orchard boasts more than 10,000 apple and other fruit trees. Pick-your-own apple season opens is early August and includes everything from Honeycrisp apples to Fuji varieties, plus the always-popular Granny Smith. Hayrides, a corn maze, and a pumpkin patch hunt are just some of the activities families will find at the orchard.

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Believe it or not, Arizona is home to at least one orchard: Apple Annie's in Wilcox, which also features peach and pear trees. There are 10 apple varieties to be found at the orchard, from Akane, an early Jonathan strain that is small but flavorful and usually ready to be harvested in late July, to the tart and crisp Pink Lady, which can be picked mid-to-late October.

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The prices are reasonable and the season is long at Libby & Son U-Picks, which also grows blueberries, raspberries, plums, and peaches for the plucking. Look for apple picking to run from mid-August all the way in to November. Prices start at $19.99 for one peck (10 to 12 pounds), which allows up to three people into the picking fields. Fun amenities like live music, shuttle rides, and more are provided at no additional charge.

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This 571-acre property of Scott Farm, founded in 1791, produces more than 130 varieties of apples, most of which are heirlooms. Pick-your-own season for them begins around Labor Day and runs into October. The farm features two U-Pick apple orchards: the Western Block Orchard is loaded with larger trees, which might require a fruit picker to harvest, while the Eastern Block Orchard is planted with dwarf trees for easier picking.

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A perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of inner Kansas City, Cider Hill Family Orchard serves up pastoral pleasures like hay rides, a kiddie-sized train ride, and a fishing pond in addition to apple picking. The first fruit on the orchard's 1,500 apple trees ripen in July, a process which ends in November. U-Pick prices range from $5.50 for a children's bag, on up to $42.00 for a full bushel (40 pounds of apples).

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A fifth-generation family farm, Evans Orchard and Cider Mill opens its apple season with the sweet, juicy and crisp Golden Delicious variety in mid-September. By early November, when the tart and spicy Arkansas Black is ripe for the picking, the orchard will have offered about 14 kinds of apples to its U-Pick customers. When visiting Evans Orchard with littles, just be sure to leave plenty of time for them to explore the play area, barnyard, and petting zoo.

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Sitting on 45 acres, this family-run orchard grows more than 25 varieties of apples. Typically around a half-dozen are available for picking, including Haralson, Cortland, and Chieftain. They're usually ready around mid-September, but even after you've harvested to your heart's content you're going to want to come back to Deal's in October for their Fall Festival. Featuring live music, a family fun zone, pony rides, a petting zoo and more, it draws thousands each year.

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