It is still August, and summer should be in full swing. But the last few days—cloudy, cooler with that crisp in the air—triggered something different from expected… fall vibes. I can’t be the only one craving the pleasant temperatures with pumpkin spice in the air.

Autumn has always held a special place in my heart, and for good reason. The leaves changing color, the weather cooldown and outdoor activities are more feasible. The bugs are not as predominant. Football season kicks off. Lately, one other thing has been added to my list of Fall favorites: apple-picking.

Here’s the thing about this year, though. The apples are early. Henderson County’s extension director told WLOS in August that the heat “caused the apples to become mature earlier than normal,” and after a few brutal seasons—Hurricane Helene, late freezes, hail—growers up in the mountains are finally smiling again. “We’re in the best spot we’ve been in a few years,” he said.

Translation: don’t wait until mid-October like you did last year. And book ahead, because several of these places now sell timed tickets that sell out.

Apple picking is such a cool activity for all ages. Further, your entire family can join the fun. If you’re seeking an enjoyable afternoon with your loved ones, I’ve put together an updated selection of “nearby” orchards, perfect for a delightful apple-picking adventure.

So, why not grab a basket and prepare for a day of indulging in the world of apples?

When Is The Best Time for Apple Picking?

There are dozens of different types of apples, and they do not all ripen at once. That is the single most useful thing to understand before you get in the car.

The early varieties—Ginger Gold, Gala, Blondee, Ruby Mac—come off the trees in August and early September. The mid-season names most people actually want, like Honeycrisp and Golden Delicious, land in September. The late ones—Fuji, Granny Smith, Arkansas Black, Pink Lady—hold on into late October and November.

Of course, the best time to pick any apple is when it is fully ripe. This ensures that the apple will be sweet and juicy. For most varieties, this means waiting until the skin has turned a deep shade of red or yellow.

But hang on, there are some exceptions. Granny Smith apples actually taste best when they are still mostly green. So if you’re planning on going apple picking this fall, be sure to do your research and choose a variety that is ripe and in season.

One more wrinkle, and it is new: most orchards will not promise you a specific variety. You reserve a picking window, not a Honeycrisp. Whatever is ripe that morning is what you get.

Unfortunately, there are still no orchards close to Augusta. I checked. The nearest ones are a solid two-and-a-half hours out, and most are three to four. It is important to prepare for the trip.

Chattooga Belle Farm

This one is new to my list, and it might be the closest apple you can pick from Augusta.

Chattooga Belle Farm sits in Long Creek, South Carolina, way up in the corner of Oconee County near the Chattooga River—roughly two and a half hours from us. The farm spreads across a ridge with an open-air barn looking out at the mountains, and honestly the view alone justifies the drive.

The apple selection here is ridiculous. Ginger Gold, Gala, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Winesap, Mutsu, Arkansas Black, Fuji, Gold Rush, Yates, Liberty, Crimson Crisp—more than twenty varieties, which means something is almost always ready. U-pick apples run $1.50 a pound. They also have grapes, figs, Asian pears, and paw paws if you want to get adventurous.

Plan to finish picking by 4:45 p.m., and earlier if there is a wedding or event on the property that day. The farm store is open Monday through Thursday 9 to 4, Friday through Sunday 9 to 5.

Stay for lunch at Belle’s Bistro, open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 to 2. There is also a distillery on site—whiskey, vodka, gin—open Wednesday through Saturday. And if two and a half hours each way feels like a lot for a day trip, they rent tiny homes and RV sites right there on the farm.

Windy Hill Orchard and Cidery

The old faithful, and note the name change—it is Windy Hill Orchard & Cidery now, not Cider Mill.

The orchard is located in York, SC, about two and a half hours from Augusta. Before jumping in the car, check their website, because they are not open every day of the week.

Here is the part that has changed the most. U-pick at Windy Hill is now reservation-only, the window is genuinely small, and their calendar puts pick-your-own in the middle-to-late part of September. Reservations get posted on their site in late August, so set yourself a reminder. Their team also flagged this summer that they are watching drought conditions and hoping for minimal impact on the crop.

Also worth knowing: u-pick here is one variety, Stayman Winesap. It is a sweet heirloom that works for eating and cooking, but if you had your heart set on Honeycrisp, this is not your stop.

If you are planning on apple-picking at this farm, be sure to make an online reservation on their site.

The good news is you do not need a reservation for anything else. The Farm Stand, the Cider Bar, and the rest of the property are walk-up. Farm Stand hours are Thursday through Saturday 10 to 6, and Sunday noon to 6. The Cider Bar runs Friday noon to 7, Saturday 10 to 6, and Sunday noon to 6.

In addition to apple picking, Windy Hill Orchard & Cidery offers plenty of other reasons to show up. Live music runs Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 through the fall. Hayrides operate on select October and November weekends. The fire pits, though—those do not start until November 6 and run Friday through Sunday until just before Christmas. So if you are picturing a fire pit in September, adjust your expectations.

Their event calendar is worth a look before you go. Apple Butter Making Day on November 7 is exactly what it sounds like, made the old-fashioned way. There is a Pink Lady celebration in mid-November and a Pumpkin Donut Day the weekend before Thanksgiving.

As expected, they also have a country store on site, where you can purchase apple cider, jams, and other local goodies.

Sky Top Orchard

Located above Flat Rock, NC, in Zirconia, Sky Top Orchard is about three hours from Augusta. The orchard sits on top of Pinnacle Mountain with wide-open views of the Blue Ridge, and USA Today’s 10Best readers recently ranked it the third-best apple orchard in the country.

Read this next part carefully, because Sky Top changed its whole system this year.

U-pick is now a timed ticket. Thirty dollars gets you one picking bag shared by up to five people, and additional pickers are $4 each. New tickets drop Wednesdays at noon. They are non-refundable, though you can move your time slot up to 24 hours before your visit if another slot is open. Walk-up picking still exists, but only if there is fruit left—it is not guaranteed. If you are driving three hours, buy the ticket.

Two more rules that will save you a headache: your ticket guarantees a picking time, not a specific variety. And strollers, backpacks, purses, and bags are not allowed in the picking fields.

Tailored towards families with little ones, Sky Top offers a lot beyond the trees. There is an apple cannon, gem mining, hayrides, a bamboo forest to wander through, and the Buzz Buzz bee train pulled by a tractor. Pie in the Sky serves pizza, and the market has cider, doughnuts, and ice cream.

The farm animals roam the grounds year-round, and it is not unusual to run into peacocks, sheep, bunnies, and geese. They added two goats this year, Lucy and Bambi. Dogs are welcome, on a leash.

On the crop: Sky Top is carrying more than half of a typical harvest this year as they continue recovering from Helene. Owner David Butler told WLOS the encouraging part is that visitors have stopped worrying about whether the mountains are open: “People are not apprehensive about coming, which is a good thing.”

They are open daily 9 to 5, seven days a week, into early December.

Red Apple Barn

Red Apple Barn is in Ellijay, Georgia, roughly three and a half hours out, and it earns a spot on this list for one reason in particular: it is the most accessible orchard I found.

They run wagons with ramps for visitors with mobility needs, which is not something most orchards bother with. If you have a grandparent or a family member who uses a wheelchair, this is the one that will actually work.

The season runs from August all the way through December 23. The market is open Monday through Saturday 9 to 6, and Sunday 1 to 5:30—but pay attention here, because apple picking itself is weekends only. Saturdays 10 to 5 and Sundays 1 to 4.

Admission is $12.75 plus tax and fees, and kids under 2 are free. That covers the tractor ride out to the orchard, cider, a doughnut, and the activities on the property. Apples are priced separately, from $7 for a quarter peck up to $36 for a half bushel.

There is a playground, farm animals, food on site, and a u-pick flower patch. The pumpkin patch opens in late September or early October, depending on the year.

B. J. Reece Orchards

Also in Ellijay, about three and a half hours from Augusta. Their u-pick season opens August 29 this year, and runs through the end of October.

Aside from the picking, this orchard has some genuinely strange activities, and I mean that as a compliment. There is a corn box—same principle as a sandbox, but filled with corn. It is a weirdly satisfying sensory experience. There is a human hamster wheel, where you climb into an oversized tube and spin yourself down a track and back.

To me, the most interesting one is still the pig races. That’s great family fun. You pick your competitor, someone from your group heads down to the track, and they chase the pig to the finish line. Races run at 11, 1, 3, and 5 on Saturdays, and at 3 and 5 on Sundays, starting August 29.

Admission is tiered now, so decide before you get there. Weekday general admission is $8 and covers u-pick, the farm slide, petting zoo, corn box, and duck races. Weekend general admission is $13 and adds the wagon ride, pig races, and cow milking. The $18 Super package throws in the jumping pillow and cow train, and the $26 Mega package adds the apple cannon, scavenger hunt, pony rides, and mega slide.

Apple bags are separate: $10 for a half peck, $20 for a peck, $40 for a half bushel. Kids under 2 get in free, and note there is a 3% surcharge on credit cards.

They are open Monday through Saturday 9 to 6 and Sunday 1 to 6, with last admission at 5. U-pick runs rain or shine, but they shut activities down if there is lightning in the area.

Be sure to check out B.J. Reece’s website for their current schedule.

Mercier Orchards

Let’s drive the other way now. The fourth generation of farmers and veterans, Mercier Orchards is located in Blue Ridge, Georgia—about four hours from Augusta.

With thousands of Google reviews, this farm is one of the fans’ favorites. The orchard grows a wide variety of apples, along with peaches, nectarines, and plums. Apple u-pick runs August through October, and as of mid-August they were picking Blondee, September Wonder, Ruby Mac, and Summerset.

Here is the thing to plan around: u-pick admission at Mercier can only be bought on-site. There are no advance tickets. It is first come, first served, and only available while there is still fruit in the fields. If you are making a four-hour drive, get there early in the day. U-pick hours are Monday through Thursday 10 to 4, and Friday through Sunday 9 to 5. The market itself opens at 9 and closes at 5 on weekdays, 6 on weekends.

Mercier is the only orchard in Georgia that grows, presses, ferments, and cans its own hard cider, and the tasting room is open to walk-ins—no reservation needed. The country store is enormous, with produce, baked goods, and apparel.

One caution: no pets in the orchards or the market, service animals excepted. And they suspend u-pick and tractor tours in bad weather, so check the forecast.

A Few More Worth Knowing About

If you make the drive to Ellijay, you are in the middle of Georgia’s apple country and there is no reason to stop at one orchard. R&A Orchards on Highway 52 is open seven days a week, 8:30 to 6, year-round—160 acres with tractor rides, a cow train, u-cut zinnias and sunflowers, and a market, bakery, and cafe that stay open all year. Hillcrest Orchards runs u-pick through September and October.

Same goes for Sky Top. Henderson County, North Carolina, is packed with orchards within a few miles of each other. Justus Orchard is a fifth-generation farm with a bakery turning out cider donuts and fried pies, plus a taproom they added a couple years back. Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard has more than twenty varieties, a five-acre corn maze, wagon rides, and free entry—you only pay for what you pick. Coston Farm, Jeter Mountain Farm, Mountain Fresh Orchards, and Grandad’s Apples n’ Such are all right there too.

One correction from the last version of this post: I had recommended The Folk Collaborative in McCaysville. They have shifted focus toward a coffeehouse, bakery, apothecary, and workshop model, and their own website no longer advertises apple picking. A couple of tourism directories still list them as u-pick. If it is on your list, call first.

Conclusion

These orchards offer very distinct experiences. Chattooga Belle for the views and the sheer variety. Windy Hill for cider and a short, specific window. Sky Top for the full mountaintop production. Red Apple Barn if accessibility matters. B.J. Reece if you have kids who need to be entertained. Mercier if you want the biggest operation of the bunch.

A few things to keep in mind before you go:

Buy your Sky Top ticket on a Wednesday at noon. That is when they release. Watch Windy Hill’s site in late August for their reservation posting. Get to Mercier early in the day, since admission is on-site only and ends when the fruit runs out.

And if you are heading to the North Georgia mountains, remember that at certain times of the year the traffic is a nightmare. It is something to consider, especially for a day trip.

Call ahead. Crops shift, weather closes things, and this year in particular the fruit is running ahead of schedule. A two-minute phone call beats a three-hour drive to a locked gate.