Here are 4 ‘U-pick’ apple orchards to visit in upstate SC this fall
With fall festivities kicking into high gear as the season changes, apple picking is a fall-favorite many enjoy.
While orchards are known to be in neighboring states such as North Carolina and Tennessee, due to their cooler temperatures, residents in the Palmetto State should know that there are apple orchards around the Upstate region of South Carolina as well.
Here are four “U-pick” apple orchards to visit in South Carolina this fall.
Windy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill
Windy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill dubs themselves as the “home of everything apples.” The “boutique apple orchard” and hard cider producer is located in the upstate region of South Carolina in York. Windy Hill is open to the public yearly from mid-August until Christmas.
Visitors get to experience “award-winning hard ciders, pick your own apples, fresh pressed apple cider, fresh made apple products and much much more,” Windy Hill’s website states.
Included in the freshmade apple products is the popular fall-favorite hot apple cider doughnut. The 29th Annual Apple Harvest Festival is Saturday, but tickets have already sold out. In the meantime, The Farm Stand and Cider Bar will only be open to those with tickets for the festival and regular hours will resume on Sunday morning. Regular hours for The Farm Stand and Cider Bar can be viewed online at http://windyhillorchard.com/hours-directions/.
Pre-picked apples are available at The Farm Stand and reservations are available for the U-pick apples option at http://windyhillorchard.com/pick-your-own/. A calendar of events and updates can be viewed on their Facebook page, and a posted calendar can be viewed at http://windyhillorchard.com/events/. Windy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill is located in York at 1860 Black Highway.
Bryson’s Apple Orchard
Bryson’s Apple Orchard is in upstate South Carolina in the Long Creek area of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Just 3 miles from the Chattooga River, Bryson’s is in Mountain Rest, which is an unincorporated community in northwestern Oconee County.
Visitors who choose to pick apples at Bryson’s should make haste. The U-Pick apple sales for the orchard are only open through the middle of October. Visitors may also occupy any of the picnic tables that are available for anyone who wants to bring a picnic lunch.
The orchard presses their own cider and offers free samples, as well as having an assortment of jams, jellies, honey, canned goods, syrup, local vegetables and a large variety of different apples. The apple orchard even claims that Long Creek had become “one of the largest apple producing areas east of the Mississippi River.” Bryson’s Apple Orchard is open daily from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. at 1011 Chattooga Ridge Road. For all inquiries, call 864-647-9427.
Chattooga Belle Farm
Chattooga Belle Farm is in Long Creek in the upstate region. The farm offers a multitude of selections including “U-pick,” Farm Store, a bistro, distillery, weddings and other event options.
Farm Store at Chattooga Belle Farm is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through the holidays and then by appointment. For picking apples, the farm asks that all apples be bagged prior to bringing them to the register for check-out by 4:45 p.m.
For apples, pricing for “U-pick” is $1.50 per pound. There are several apple varieties available as well as a large selection of apples available for purchase in the Farm Store. Visitors are reminded that sections of the farm may be restricted during wedding ceremonies. For any inquiries or reservations, visitors may call 864-647-9768 or email info@chattoogabellefarm.com.
MacGregor Orchard
MacGregor Orchard is an orchard in upstate South Carolina offering a variety of selections during the fall season, including apple butter, apple cider, apple sauce, fruit preserves and honey. Although the “U-pick” option at the orchard is unavailable for the rest of the year due to multitudes of rain early in the season, thus requiring a quick picking schedule, the orchard is still letting visitors walk through it.
Fall decorations are present and available for anyone who wishes to take family photos. They are open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, visit the orchard’s Facebook page, call 864-320-2778 or email MacGregorOrchard@gmail.com. MacGregor Orchard can be found in Travelers Rest at 2400 SC Highway 11.
