Let’s kick this off with some great news- the state of South Carolina is a fantastic place to go apple picking. In fact, it’s one of the top 10 apple producing states in the US!
Apple trees can grow in most any part of the state, but when you go upstate you ‘ve got the most perfect conditions for growing apple trees – the perfect climate AND the perfect soil as well.
Coming Up
In this article, we’re delighted to share with you our carefully curated, hand-picked shortlist of the best apple picking spots in South Carolina where you can bring the kids, and have a fun family day out picking your own fruit.
We’ll give you the link for each spot so you can find out more information, and of course the locations and the details you need to start planning your trip.
For the purposes of this article, we’ve expanded our shortlist so that it provides the best fruit picking in South Carolina rather than only apple picking.
But although the apples are so good in South Carolina, surprisingly, there aren’t actually that many spots where you can pick your own. So for this reason, we’re going to treat you to some bonus sections in this article, including:
What If You Don’t Have Time To Pick Your Own?
Best Apple And Fruit Picking Spots In North Carolina
And without further ado, let’s get straight to it!
(The following apple picking spots aren’t listed in any particular order.)
Bryson’s apple orchard is THE most raved about apple picking spot in South Carolina on the net. And for good reason, too…
Situated in the beautiful Long Creek area of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Bryson’s apple orchard is one of the largest apple producing areas east of the Mississippi River, and it continues to grow larger year after year.
It’s been around since as far back as the late 1960s, when the Bryson family moved to the area and started planting trees.
Visitors get to pick their own apples there from mid August through to mid October, but if it’s peaches you’re after, you should go between the end of July to the beginning of September.
The available apples include: arkansas black, fuji, gala, golden delicious, granny smith, mutsu, rome beauty, sunshine, supreme gold, winesap, and yates.
Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic, and there are picnic tables there waiting for you.
At their farm stand, you can try free samples of their own pressed cider, or purchase some local jellies or honey. While you’re in the area, be sure to check out the nearby hiking trails!
Location: 454 Damascus Church Road in Long Creek, South Carolina
Chattooga Belle Farm is no ordinary farm, it’s a 198 acre working farm, where you can not only pick your fruit but also grab a bite to eat at Belle’s Bistro, have a drink at their distillery, play a round or two of disc golf or stay at their premier RV and campsites, where you can enjoy the breath-atking views at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
In addition to picking apples, you can also pick peaches, grapes, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and even uncommon fruits such as paw paws, and Asian pears.
There a wide variety of apples, including Arkansas Black,Crimson Crisp, Crimson Gold, Caudle Cameo, Freedom, Fuji, Gale Gala, Gibson Golden, ginger gold, golden delicious, Gold Rush, Granny Smith, Grimes Golden, Hardy Cumberland, Honey Crisp, Liberty, Mutsu, Pink Lady, Pristine, Royal Empire, Royal Gala, Ultima Gala, Winesap, and Yates.
Estimated harvest dates for pick-your-own can be found on their website.
Windy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill describes itself as York County’s original agritourism destination. It’s a family owned and operated apple orchard that is driven not only by family love but also a mission to produce the best hot apple cider doughnut.
Windy Hill Orchard is best known for their stayman winesap apples, which is an heirloom southern apple that’s sweet and aromatic, with just a slight hint of tartness.
You can eat them as is, or they’re also great for cooking because they retain their flavor when baked.
It’s also an excellent choice for making both hard and sweet ciders, so it should come as no surprise that Windy Hill Cider Mill offers award-winning hard ciders!
Picking availability is subject to change depending on weather, crowds, and availability of ripe fruit. Their PYO events and last-minute updates can be found on their Facebook page.
MacGregor Orchard is a family owned orchard situated in the shade of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It grows 11 different fruits with a staggering 111 different varieties.
There you will find the likes of apples, peaches, nectarines, pears, plums, prunes, figs, apricots, muscadines, pumpkins and persimmons.
Their apples include zestar, ginger gold, gala, honey crisp, shenshu, fuji, cortland, empire, red delicious, bramley, golden delicious, jonagold, winesap, grimes golden, mutsu, cameo, suncrisp, red rome, jonathan, stayman, york, pink lady, granny smith, goldrush, braeburn, and arkansas black.
Their farm stand also stocks preserves, honey, and freshly pressed raw apple cider.
OK, time to level with you – Fisher’s Orchard is actually way better for peach picking than for apple picking – but it does have a Pick-Your-Own Farm, where you and your family can enjoy picking your very own delicious peaches.
It’s been around since 1930 and it sells the best peaches in the area. It offers a staggering 21 different varieties of peaches for you to take your pick of, with harvest time stretching from June through September.
We recommend checking their Facebook page for precise dates and times and to find out what they have in stock.
This lovely family-owned farm has been around for over 150 years! And to level with you once again, it’s a great farm for fruit picking, but not for apple picking per se.
You and your family and friends are more than welcome to come over and pick whatever fruit is in season, including strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, and pumpkins. You can also come pick flowers too.
While there, why not grab an extra treat from their lovely on-site cafe.
It serves apple cider donuts, strawberry donuts hotdogs, quesadillas, ice cream, sweet potato pie, pecan pie, apple pies, and apple turnovers. They accept card or cash payments.
Bonus Section One: What If You Don’t Have Time To Pick Your Own?
Sometimes you might be hungry for apples for specific recipes, but you just don’t want the hassle of wandering around looking for the best apples (or other fruits) available.
Well, actually, that’s not a problem. Not only do all of the apple picking spots listed above have their own farm stands you can select from, but there are also several other farms and orchards in the area that you can buy fruit from.
Here’s a quick run down of our favorites:
Hollifield’s Orchard Right off of Highway 76 in Long Creek, South Carolina
Gnat Hill Orchard Farms at 133 Robin Rd, Westminster, SC 29693
Blue Haven Orchards at 12500 Long Creek Hwy, Long Creek, SC 29658
Hinnant Farms at 205 Hinnant Rd, Eutawville, SC 29048
Ragan Orchards at 2239 SC-292, Inman, SC 29349
Owens Orchard at 2055 SC-161, York, SC 29745
English Farms and Peach Orchards at 104 Shields Rd, Chesnee, SC 29323
Mcladke Orchards at 350 Old Oak Dr, Seneca, SC 29678
Ables Orchard at 14161 Hwy 76 E, Mountain Rest, SC 29664
Three Star Vineyard and Orchard at 172 Holmes Pond Rd, Johnston, SC 29832
Carolina Orchards at 154 York Southern Rd, Fort Mill, SC 29715
Bonus Section Two: Best Apple And Fruit Picking Spots In North Carolina
The following fruit picking spots aren’t actually in South Carolina, but they are all within a short drive from South Carolina’s capital city of Columbia.
(The following apple picking spots aren’t listed in any particular order.)
Twisted Apple Farm at 4039 Chimney Road Road, Hendersonville, NC
Grandad’s Apples N’ Such at 2951 Chimney Rock Road, Hendersonville, NC
Coston Farm and Apple House at 3748 Chimney Rock Road, Hendersonville, NC
Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard at Stepp Orchard Drive, Hendersonville, NC
Justus Orchards at 187 Garren Road, Hendersonville, NC
Jeter Mountain Farm at 1126 Jeter Mountain Road, Hendersonville, NC
Sky Top Orchard at 3403 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock, NC
Apple House & Owenby Orchards at 3807 Chimney Rock Rd, Hendersonville, NC 28792
Coston Farm & Apple House at 3748 Chimney Rock Rd, Hendersonville, NC 28792
Wrap Up
And that’s a wrap people – whatever plans you make on reading this, we’d like to wish you happy fruit and apple picking, eating, and drinking!
Hi, my name is Amelia Haslehurt and I am a food blogger. As you can guess, I am passionate about what I eat, but what is most important to me when reviewing is high quality, fresh, organic, delicious ingredients.
I wanted to create an online space where others could sample some of my favorite recipes, and share in my passion for home-grown produce.
Whether you are looking for vegan recipes, easy recipes, healthy recipes or your favorite yummy snacks to brighten your day, I can help you out here at LocallyGrownGardens.com
