There’s nothing to get you in the autumn spirit quite like picking apples. Whether it’s a fun way to spend a Saturday with your kids, an excuse to hang out with your friends or the key to making that perfect apple pie, going to an orchard to pick your own apples is a beloved tradition. But it’s one that doesn’t stick around for long—apple picking season typically starts in late August and extends into late October.
There are plenty of apple orchards and farms that let you pick your own fruit all around the Mid-Atlantic region.
Maryland
Larriland Farm
2415 Woodbine Road, Woodbine, MD 21797
Larriland Farm’s apple orchard is populated with 26 different types of apples, and the kind available for picking depends on the time of the season. Each variety is ripe for about two weeks — at the time of writing, the current variety available is Jonagold apples, a hybrid of Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples.
The farm also has flowers and herbs, including basil and parsley, available for picking in their flower garden.
If you miss the apple-picking season, the farm offers several other crops throughout the year: including tomatoes, raspberries, sweet and sour cherries and onions.
Outside of their harvesting options, Larriland Farm also offers hayrides and hosts a straw maze and a not-too-scary haunted house for children at an extra cost.
Milburn Orchards
1495 Appleton Road, Elkton, MD 21921
Milburn Orchards have been owned and operated by the Milburn family for over 120 years, with the current owners being the fourth generation to do so.
The orchards require advance registration for prospective apple-picking. If you’re hosting a large event, like a party or a family event, you can register over 20 people for a group apple-picking event, which are available on weekends in September and October.
Like many apple orchards, Milburn Orchards houses a farmer’s market and bake shoppe where they sell products made from their crops. It also has its own restaurant: The Deck, which serves up pizzas, soft pretzels and the famous “Shake-Up” apple cider slushie with vanilla soft serve ice cream.
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Labor Day through Nov. 3, the orchards host Fall Festival Weekends. These include hayrides, a petting zoo and several farm-themed adventure activities.
Baugher’s Orchards and Farms
1015 Baugher Road, Westminster, MD 21158
Locals might be more familiar with Baugher’s because of its retail location in Westminster, with a fruit market, bakery and restaurant. But the farm itself also has a variety of pick-your-own crops.
In addition to apples, pick-your-own participants can also take home pumpkins and sunflowers.
Younger children and animal-lovers can visit the on-site petting zoo, which is completely free and features cows, rabbits, peacocks and more. It’s a fairly large area with plenty to explore, and the farm also sells food for people who want to feed the livestock.
In the mood for a sweet treat? Visit Mrs. B’s Ice Cream Window, which sells slushies, ice cream and apple cider donuts all made with farm-grown fruit.
Weber’s Cider Mill Farm Inc. – PeachBerry Farm
11409 Harford Road, Glen Arm, MD 21234
Weber’s Cider Mill Farm is most well-known for its cider, but the company also operates a separate orchard where people can pick fruit. PeachBerry Farm offers strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, black raspberries, peaches, apples and flowers throughout the year, with the latter two available during the autumn season.
The main market location on Proctor Road in Parkville also hosts Fall Harvest Day festivals throughout the season, which feature live music, food trucks, slides and duck races. These occur every day from Sept. 14 through Nov. 3, though weekends include additional activities.
If you’re at the farm later in the season, you can pick up one of their farm-fresh turkeys for your Thanksgiving dinner.
Virginia
Great Country Farms
18780 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont, VA 20135
Great Country Farms is one of two orchards on this list that’s dog-friendly — though dog owners are advised to keep their dogs on leashes and to clean up after their pets throughout the day. People interested in picking fruits and veggies can take a wagon ride down to the orchards, where apples and pumpkins are available during the fall season.
If you’re looking for something a little more adults-only, the Henway Hard Cider Company also operates out of the Great Country Farms campus. They serve flights of house-made ciders in fun flavors, including blueberry lavender, tangerine vanilla and apple cider donut. They even offer hard cider-flavored soft serve ice cream.
Great Country Farms hosts several fall festivals throughout the season, but one of the most notable is the Dino Fest, where the farmland is overtaken by more than 20 life-sized dinosaurs from late October to early November.
Hartland Orchard
3064 Hartland Lane, Markham, VA 22643
If you want an apple-picking experience without any of the bells and whistles of hayrides and seasonal festivals, Hartland Orchard is for you. This Markham orchard is almost solely focused on pick-your-own fruits, including different varieties of apples during the summer, fall and winter.
The orchard’s owners make their own apple cider during the fall season—and notably, they also make their own honey from the bees that live on the orchard, which they sell throughout the year.
If you’re on the farm closer to Christmas, they also sell “My Brother Hank’s Christmas Trees,” a variety of different pine, spruce and cypress trees for home use. Homemade wreaths and caramel apples are also available.
Carter Mountain Orchard and Country Store
1435 Carters Mountain Trail, Charlottesville, VA 22902
The Chiles family operates three different orchards, with Carter Mountain Orchard offering Jonagold apples ripe for the picking. One of their other farms, Chiles Peach Orchard, lets attendees pick their own pumpkins, sunflowers and zinnias during the fall.
After you’ve worn yourself out picking apples, stop by the Country Store and Bakery for specialty-made ingredients, sweet treats and eclectic souvenirs and merch.
Outside of what it has to offer guests, Carter Mountain Orchard is notable for its dedication to sustainability. The farm sources most of its power from a large solar array, which its owners use to harvest crops, churn ice cream and bake sweets. The orchards’ website estimates that in one year, the solar array at Chiles Peach Orchard alone produces enough clean energy to make 3,048,000 scoops of ice cream.
chilesfamilyorchards.com/carter-mountain-orchard/
Mackintosh Fruit Farm
1608 Russell Road, Berryville, VA 22611
One of the most interesting things about Mackintosh Fruit Farm is the fact that it served as inspiration for a children’s picture book, “Good Night Farm,” which they sell copies of in their market. Of course, this is alongside their own fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as meats and cheeses sourced from other area farms.
The orchard has its own cider room, with locally-made fruit cider, imported wine and bar food appetizers. They even have live music on Fridays!
Mackintosh Fruit Farm has one of the largest selections of fruits and vegetables that they harvest and allow guests to pick during September and October. They have not only apples and pumpkins, but rarer finds like Asian pears, okra and zucchini.
This farm is also dog-friendly!
