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Apple picking fun, plus apple donuts, apple pie, apple cider, and wine

POSTED BY
Dina Weinstein

If you haven’t been to Carter Mountain for apple picking, you don’t know what you’re missing! It’s a festival every day on the mountain and it’s just a short drive up I-64 towards Charlottesville. They are open daily 9am – 6pm. Timed tickets required for entry as well as driving tours. Food, apples, and more are available for purchase.

Cqrter Mountain is an orchard within driving distance of Richmond where you can pick your own apples and sample cider and donuts.

The fresh air and beautiful mountain scenery from atop Carter Mountain is a lovely escape from the city. They are open 7 days a week for apple picking, or you can grab apples already picked. Visit the country store or head by the bakery. You’ll also find plenty of pumpkins in all shapes and sizes. There are plenty of activities every weekend during Apple Harvest Celebration including:

  • Pick Your Own Apples (the orchards are massive and fun!)
  • Hayrides
  • Lunch from the Mountain Grill
  • Wine Tastings
  • Apple Pie
  • Famous Apple Cider Donuts
  • Fresh-pressed Cider

Read the options on Carter Mountain’s website carefully. Planning ahead will make for the best apple season experience. Carter Mountain is located at 1435 Carters Mountain Trail, Charlottesville, VA 22902, tel: 434.977.1833

 
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Eight more apple orchards located a drive from Richmond:

•Bridled Arrow Farm, 16570 Old Ridge Rd. Montpelier, VA 23192: peaches, apples, and both Asian and European pears. Field report: GRANNY SMITH is ready. Great for baking, crisp, tart and delicious. $5 a basket. Porch pickup only. Cash or Venmo. Please comment and let us know how many baskets you would like and they will get them picked and bagged up for you. They will be ready to pick up Saturday morning after 9 a.m. (Look for the mailbox and house number directly on Old Ridge Rd. Google Maps will take you up a drive about a 1/4 mile away not to the drive to their house.)

 
•Chiles Peach orchard, 1351 Greenwood Rd. Crozet, VA 22932 Field report: Pick your own apples and ready-picked in their farm market + pumpkins. For updates on apple availability, visit https://chilesfamilyorchards.com/chiles-peach-orchard/fruit/.
 
•Drumheller’s Orchard, 1130 Drumheller Orchard Ln Lovingston, VA 22949 Orchard report: Fresh made Apple Cider donuts, fresh pressed apple cider (unpasteurized), fresh picked apples, apple butter…everything apples. 
 
•Fruit Hill Orchard, 2745 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy Palmyra, VA 22963  Orchard report: Open Monday-Saturday 10-6, closed Sunday’s. Pick your own apples – Fuji, Golden Delicious, Arkansas Black, and Gold Rush. Prepicked varieties include Granny Smith, Ambrosia, Crimson Crisp, Gala, Golden Delicious, Ida Red, Nittany, Virginia Beauty, Liberty, and Jonagold! , games, a small pumpkin patch, donuts, apple cider and more- plus plenty of space to picnic + pumpkins.
 
•Graves Mountain, 205 Graves Mountain Ln Syria, VA 22743  The Haunted Apple Packing Shed gets spooky starting at 6PM. Haunted Apple Shed – the Graves’ Ginormous Shed Gets the HURTS-OVER FOR SCARY. Transformed into the misty mystery you were told never to go to except in packs – for protection.

Sat, Oct. 23,30 and Sunday, Halloween $10.00 per person, children 8 & under FREE
 
•Henley’s Orchard, 2192 Holly Hill Farm Crozet, VA 22932 is a smaller, family-owned orchard in Crozet. Apples, apple cider, hard apple cider and wines, delicious apple cider donuts and other baked goods, pumpkins, hay rides, pony rides and petting zoo.
 
•Rinker Orchards, 1156 Marlboro Rd. Stephens City, VA 22655 – CLOSED FOR THE SEASON
 
•Showalters Orchard and Greenhouse, 17768 Honeyvile Rd. Timberville, VA 22853 Pick Your Own varieties for this weekend are Granny Smith, Stayman, and Golden Delicious  – 22nd Harvest Celebration on October 23 from 10a-5p: Homemade Apple Cider Donuts, Food Truck, Wicked Naturals Vendor, Smiley’s Ice Cream, Live music by Shay Garst & CJ Hise from Thieves of Burden from 2p-4p, Sweet Cider Slushies, Freshly Pressed Sweet Cider, Pick Your Own Apples, Freshly Picked Apples, Shop the Orchard Market, Old Hill Cider Tasting Room Open 11a-5p

You can explore more pick your own farms around the Richmond area from this useful website.

 

Be sure to subscribe to email updates, follow @rvacheap on Twitter or like RVA (Richmond) on the Cheap on Facebook to stay in the know about the latest freebies & deals.

Apple picking, apple pies, apple cider, apple cider donuts, and apple butter
When
September 24, 2021-November 30, 2021 @ 9:00 am-6:00 pm
What
Apple picking, apple pies, apple cider, apple cider donuts, and apple butter
Where
Carter Mountain Orchard and County Store
Cost
Add to Calendar: Google Outlook/iCal

Carter Mountain Orchard and County Store

1435 Carters Mountain Trail
Charlottesville, VA (434) 977-1833

Visit Website Get Directions

Henley’s Orchard

2192 Holly Hill Farm
Crozet, VA 22932
(434) 823-7848

Visit Website Get Directions

About Dina Weinstein

Dina Weinstein is a Richmond, Virginia based award-winning journalist who reports for numerous local and national outlets. Weinstein moved north from Miami, Florida where she worked mentoring young journalists as an advisor at the Miami Dade College student newspaper The Reporter. She is a Boston native and a proud graduate of Boston University School for the Arts and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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