[Updated August 15, 2023]
Virginia is one of the largest apple-producing states in the nation, with plenty of apple orchards scattered throughout the state.
Many apple orchards in VA sell their apples locally, along the east coast, and even nationally/internationally.
While you can visit these farms and pick up pre-picked bushels, many VA apple orchards also have opportunities to pick your own apples.
While you’re there, you can also enjoy other activities, including special events, festivals, and browsing farm markets that are stocked with delicious goodies.
To help you find the perfect apple orchards to explore, we’ve compiled a list of the 20 best places for Apple Picking in Virginia, with options in Charlottesville, Front Royal, Roanoke, Waynesboro, and more.
Each entry includes general information about the farm, as well as some of the different varieties of apples you can look forward to picking there!
READ MORE: The 10 Best Virginia State Parks in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Apple Picking in Virginia/VA Apple Orchards Guide
(Arranged geographically & alphabetically)
- Carter Mountain Orchard
- Fruit Hill Orchard
- Henley’s Orchard
- Morris Orchard
- Crooked Run Orchard
- Great Country Farms
- Graves Mountain Farms
- Hollin Farms
- Mackintosh Fruit Farm
- Marker-Miller Orchards Farm Market
- Showalter’s Orchard
- Stribling Orchard
- Valley View Farm
- Gross’ Orchard
- Ayers Orchard
- Levering Orchard
- Williams Farm
- Dickie Brothers Orchard
- Seamans’ Orchard
- Silver Creek Orchard
READ MORE: The 10 Best National Parks in Virginia
Apple Picking in Charlottesville VA
1. Carter Mountain Orchard
1435 Carters Mountain Trail, Charlottesville VA • 434-977-1833
Located just a few minutes from downtown Charlottesville VA, Carter Mountain Orchard is open all year-round.
It has spectacular views, as the Virginia orchard overlooks breathtaking vistas, rows of fruit trees, and vineyards.
In the spring, apple blossoms take over. You can either pick your own or buy ready-picked apples from mid-August through mid-December.
You can also buy fresh-pressed apple cider, apple cider donuts, or some delicious apple pies!
Carter Mountain Orchard grows a number of popular apple varieties, including Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Winesap, Granny Smith, Fuji, and Pink Lady.
You can also visit the Carter Mountain Wine Shop, where you can buy wine by the glass, tasting flight, or bottle!
READ MORE: The 20 Most Beautiful Wildflowers in Virginia (& Where to See Them)
2. Fruit Hill Orchard
2745 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Palmyra VA • 434-589-7215
This family-owned business in the small town of Palmyra VA was started by Robert Solenberger in 1929, when he planted 900 apple trees.
The operation grew gradually over the decades. Fruit Hill Orchard now has over 2,000 fruit trees and plants thousands of other vegetables each year.
In terms of apples, you can either pick your own or choose from a selection of pre-picked apples.
Examples of varieties they grow include Ida Red, Crispin, Arkansas Black, Enterprise, Honeycrisp, Gala, Blondie, and Crimson Crisp.
They typically have more of some varieties than others. So if you’re picky about your apples, be sure to call in advance to see what’s available.
Other offerings at this family-run farm include peaches, tomatoes, canned goods (jams, jellies, salsas, and fruit butters), honey, and cider.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Lakes in the Virginia Mountains to Visit
3. Henley’s Orchard
2192 Holly Hill Farm, Crozet VA • 434-823-7848
Henley’s Orchard has been family-owned for four generations and has been producing quality apples and peaches since 1932.
The orchard is just a 20-minute drive west of Charlottesville, surrounded by the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
The peak Virginia apple picking season here starts in July and runs through October. However, late-season apples are kept in a cold storage system and are usually available through April!
At Henley’s Orchard, you can also pick your own apples, and there are over 25 varieties to choose from.
Some varieties you can look forward to in the early months of their season include Lodi, Summer Rambo, Ginger Gold, Gala, Red Delicious, Honey Crisp, and Prima.
As the fall colors start to turn, they’ll have varieties like Virginia Gold, Rome, Winesap, Black Twig, and Henley Gold.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Things to Do in Waynesboro VA (Augusta County)
Apple Picking Near Lexington VA
4. Morris Orchards
226 Tobacco Row Ln, Monroe VA • 434-929-2401
Located at the foot of High Peak Mountain, Morris Orchards is a family-owned and operated farm about 35 miles east of Lexington VA.
They operate with the goal of providing the highest quality and freshest produce possible, and providing good times for all their visitors.
During your visit, you can enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery and quaint farm atmosphere as well as apples, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, and pressed Apple Cider.
The apples are harvested from late July through mid-October, and include Ginger Gold, Gala, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Rome, and Arkansas Black, among other varieties.
Red Delicious are ripe in mid-September, while Granny Smith are ripe in early October. Both are available for U-pick.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Things to Do in Lexington VA & Natural Bridge VA
Apple Picking Near Leesburg VA
5. Crooked Run Orchard & Farm
37883 E Main St, Purcellville VA • 540-338-6642
This family-run farm in Purcellville VA has an array of different “you-pick” experiences, ranging from sour cherries and berries to peaches, pears, and (of course) apples.
Whatever you do, don’t leave without hitting up their farm stand to get your fill of fresh farm produce and other food products.
You’ll also find homemade soap, jams, jellies, and even Christmas decorations on sale there.
Since the apple-picking season can be fickle, it’s always best to call ahead to ask about the status before you drive on down to the farm.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Things to Do in Bristol TN/VA
6. Great Country Farms
34345 Snickersville Turnpike, Bluemont VA • 540-554-2073
Bluemont VA’s Great Country Farms helps you make a fun day of apple-picking.
You can start your morning by drinking coffee with apple cider doughnuts (and other flavorful Fall treats) before heading out to the orchard to pick your own apples.
The kids won’t get bored here. After the apple-picking fun is over, there are also wagon rides, giant slides, and a “Farm Ninja” obstacle course.
In September, their apple cider presses start working overtime to get ready for the Apple Harvest celebration.
You can learn a little about the constellations in stories from the Stars Corn Maze. This year’s maze theme celebrates “30 Years of GCF.”
READ MORE: The 10 Best Things to Do in Harrisonburg VA & Rockingham County
Apple Picking in Luray & Front Royal VA
7. Graves’ Mountain Farm & Lodges
205 Graves Mountain Lane, Syria VA • 540-923-4231
Located in Syria VA, Graves’ Mountain Orchard hosts a popular Fall Apple Harvest Festival every year, with live music, a hay maze, and 70 arts and crafts vendors.
Visitors can enjoy a full farm experience complete with hayrides, delicious apple cider, and even a little hard cider for the grown-ups.
This is a great place to stock up on apple preserves, apple butter, and apple donuts. And don’t leave without a bag of “you-pick” apples from their orchards!
If you feel like hanging out longer, you can book a weekend getaway at the Graves Mountain Farm Lodge.
Adventurous types can also enjoy a glamping experience, or just do some good old-fashioned camping.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Virginia Waterfalls for Hiking
8. Hollin Farms
1524 Snowden Road, Delaplane VA • 540-623-8854
Hollin Farms is a fourth-generation family farm located on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains, bordering Sky Meadows State Park.
They specialize in a number of pick-your-own fruits and vegetables, as well as Angus cattle and pasture-raised beef.
While you’re at the farm (depending on the season), you can pick your own kale, cabbage, broccoli, plums, peaches, squash, blackberries, blueberries, and more.
For VA apple picking, the best time to visit is in September and October, just before the fall colors start to peak.
They have a ton of different apple varieties to choose from. Some favorites include Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Mutsu Crispin, Idared, Cameo, Pink Wonder, and Wolf River.
READ MORE: The Top 25 Blue Ridge Mountain Towns in GA & NC
9. Mackintosh Fruit Farm
1608 Russell Rd, Berryville VA • 540-955-6225
Tucked away in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the Mackintosh Fruit Farm is a family-owned pick-your-own farm.
It started in 1988 with apple and peach trees, and since then has grown to include many more varieties of fruit trees, berries, and vegetables.
When you get to the farm, they’ll have everything you need to pick your own fruit, including containers and wagons. Note that apple picking is first-come, first-served, so no reservations are necessary.
Gala apples become available starting in August, while popular varieties like Honey Crisp, Golden Delicious, Queen’s Blush, and Fuji ripen in September and October.
They also have a restaurant on-site where you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, dessert, and drink items. Cheese, meats, and other items from local farmers can be purchased there as well.
READ MORE: 30 Fascinating Facts About the Appalachian Mountains for Trivia Buffs
10. Marker-Miller Orchards Farm Market
3035 Cedar Creek Grade, Winchester VA • 540-662-1391
The land on which Marker-Miller Orchards is located was bought back in 1908 by Amos Marker. The fourth and fifth generations of his family are still farming the land today.
Their original Virginia apple orchards were planted back in the 1930s. Since then, the number of varieties of apples and other fruits has been diversified considerably.
Today you can find varieties like Gala, Empire, Ginger Gold, Honeycrisp, Idared, Lodi, and Rambo. To find out what apple varieties and other fruits/veggies are available, it’s best to call before your visit.
Before picking apples, go to the check-out area inside the market or the pick-your-own building to buy containers and get directions.
Marker-Miller Orchards also hosts a number of festivals throughout the year, including the Apple Harvest Festival (October 7-8, 2023) and the Pumpkin Festival (Oct 28, 2023).
READ MORE: Appalachian Folklore, Monsters and Superstitions
11. Showalter’s Orchard
17768 Honeyville Rd, Timberville VA • 540-896-7582
This family-owned orchard and event venue started in 1965, when Joe Showalter began farming the property. He also set up a fresh market for local customers, which is now home to their cidery.
Today, Shannon and Sarah Showalter (along with their kids, Ben and Ava) are continuing the family tradition of operating the Shenandoah Valley apple orchard, which features breathtaking mountain views.
They grow 30+ varieties of apples during the apple harvest season, which runs from mid-July through November. You can pick your own fruit for a fun day trip, or skip the work and grab some pre-picked options.
Their fruit is sold by volume (which is measured in bushels), so you can select a 1/2 peck, peck, 1/2 bushel, or bushel-sized container.
Some of the apple varieties you can look forward to include Gala, Ginger Gold, Granny Smith, Rome Beauty, York, and Sweet Lady.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Things to Do in Luray VA (Gateway to Shenandoah)
12. Stribling Orchard
11587 Poverty Hollow Ln, Markaham VA • 540-364-3040
At Stribling Orchard, you can enjoy a relaxing picnic, visit with the farm animals, and pick apples in the beautiful Virginia mountains.
The Stribling family has been farming this land for the last 200 years, and continues to welcome visitors from late July through early November.
Don’t miss the Harvest House, where you can purchase jams, jellies, salsas, local cheese, cookbooks, fresh baked goods, and more. It’s open at the same time the orchard is, but the bakery is only open on weekends.
When you visit the pick your own apple orchards, you can choose from a number of varieties. They include Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and lesser-known varieties such as Empire, Smokehouse, Rambo, Lodi, and Rome.
Farm tours are also available for schools, corporate team building, and other organizations, where you can see first-hand how apples are grown.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Blue Ridge Parkway Hotels & Cabin Rentals in NC & VA
13. Valley View Farm
1550 Leeds Manor Road, Delaplane VA • 540-592-1021
Situated in the northern Piedmont of Virginia, Valley View Farm has been run by five generations of the Strother Family.
It’s an educational farm and agritourism destination that is open to the public seasonally.
Their u-pick apple orchards include blueberries, peaches, blackberries, cherries, and of course apples, which are available in September and October.
Be sure to check out their Locavore Farm Market, which offers local artisan foods and beverages.
Extend your visit with pick-your-own pumpkins, a corn maze and tastings of their latest wines, hard ciders, and meads!
READ MORE: The 10 Best Hikes on the Appalachian Trail in VA
Apple Picking in Roanoke VA
14. Gross’ Orchard
6817 Wheats Valley Rd, Bedford VA • 540-586-2436
Located about 30 miles west of Roanoke VA, this beautiful orchard specializes in mountain-grown peaches and apples.
Throughout the fall season, you can choose from a selection of apples at the orchard’s store.
Varieties available in September include Red Delicious, Cortland, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, and Jonagold. Stayman Winesap, Arkansas Black, Fuji, Granny Smith, and York apples usually ripen in October.
Along with apples, you can also purchase honey, hams and bacon, jams and jellies, apple cider, syrups, and more.
During the apple harvesting season, they also offer field trips where you can enjoy a wagon ride around the apple orchard and pick a fresh apple to eat.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Things to Do in Roanoke VA
Apple Picking in Southwest Virginia
15. Ayers Orchard
6178 Wards Gap Road, Cana VA • 276-755-4126
Ayers Orchard in Cana VA has a list of apple varieties as long as your arm, from Golden and Red Delicious to Braeburn, Winesap, and Fujis (among many others).
This orchard offers great family fun in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, including chances to pick your own cherries, peaches, nectarines, and plums in season.
But of course Autumn is apple season. And if picking isn’t your thing, you can also buy ready-picked fruit here.
The folks down at Ayers love to have visitors, and hope that you’ll stick around and enjoy their hiking trails or stay for a picnic lunch.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Caves and Caverns in Virginia
16. Levering Orchard
163 Levering Lane, Arat VA • 276-730-4722
The Levering Orchard was founded by Ralph and Clara Levering in 1908. It was just like any other basic apple orchard in VA until the 1970s, when cherries were introduced.
Today the family-owned business remains true to its origins as an apple orchard, but it continues to produce cherries along with peaches, nectarines, and even pears.
You can pick a variety of your own fruit at Levering Orchard, including apples during the fall season. Just be sure to call ahead to make sure they’re ready to harvest.
Their season runs from Labor Day through mid-October. But sales of pre-picked apples (such as Golden Delicious, Fuji, Mutsu, and York) will continue into November.
After your visit, stop by the Blue Ridge Music Center near Galax for traditional Bluegrass music!
READ MORE: The 15 Best Things to Do in SWVA (Southwest Virginia)
17. Williams Farm
5175 West Lee Highway, Wytheville VA • 276 686-4851
Wytheville’s Williams Farm has everything you could possibly need to make fantastic Fall memories.
They have different fruits, canned jellies and preserves for sale all summer long. But come Autumn, it’s all about the apples!
Be sure not to miss out on their fresh-pressed apple cider. You can also find all of your Fall decoration needs, mums, and some pumpkins as well.
Their Fall Festival gets underway in October, with every weekend of the month offering fun things to do.
Visitors can try to navigate the corn maze, hop on a hayride, and/or take aim at targets with the pumpkin chunker and the apple shooter.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Things to Do in Staunton VA
Apple Picking in Waynesboro VA
19. Dickie Brothers Orchard
2685 Dickie Rd, Roseland VA • 434-277-5516
Located in the tiny mountain town of Roseland VA, the Dickie Brothers Orchard has been in the Dickie family since England’s King George II sold three tracts of land to James Dickie in 1752, 1758, and 1760.
“Grandpa James” was required to begin working the land within 3 years, and the family has been farming the land ever since. Now, this historic Virginia orchard produces 70,000 bushels of apples per year!
They grow 20 varieties of apples, including Gala, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Empire, Granny Smith, Rome, and Pink Lady. They also grow 7 varieties of peaches, plums, blackberries, pumpkins, corn, and more.
Customers are encouraged to pick their own apples at various times throughout the harvesting season, which gives you a chance to soak in the incredible views and family-friendly atmosphere.
While you’re there, you can also enjoy some fresh apple cider, apple turnovers, and fresh-roasted Virginia chestnuts.
READ MORE: Tips for Tackling the McAfee Knob Hike Near Roanoke, Virginia
19. Seamans’ Orchard
415 Dark Hollow Rd, Roseland VA • 434-277-8130
Seamans’ Orchard is another family-owned and operated business.
Richard Seaman (the grandson of the orchard’s original founder) oversees farm operations with the help of Carter Parr, Brian Kidd, and Anne Seaman Kidd.
Along with apples, pumpkins, cherries, strawberries, and blueberries are all grown at the orchard. They also raise cattle for beef.
Throughout the property, you will find “pocket orchards” filled with trees producing Gala, Golden Delicious, Empire, Fuji, Jonagold, Red Delicious, Honey Crisp, and Pink Lady apples.
In 2023, pick your own apples will be available on September 16th and 17th. Containers are provided for guests to pick Red and Golden Delicious, September Wonder, Empire, and Jonagold apples.
READ MORE: Things to Do at Wintergreen Resort in Summer (Near Waynesboro VA)
20. Silver Creek Orchard
3679 Pharsalia Road, Tyro VA • 434-277-5865
Sitting at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Waynesboro VA, Silver Creek Orchard is a 7th-generation family farm.
The Flippin family has been growing apples since the mid-1800s, and continues to impress visitors with their high-quality, fresh fruit.
You have two opportunities to pick your own apples at Silver Creek Orchard.
The first comes on the second weekend in September, when you can pick Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, September Wonder, Jonagold, Virginia Gold, and Mutzu.
The second pick your own opportunity is on the second weekend in October, when you can pick Fuji, Rome, Granny Smith, Pippin, and Arkansas Black. -by Christina Maggitas & Emma Gallagher
