Are you ready for apple picking near Columbia? It’s so much fun to pack a lunch, load up the kids and head up towards the cool(er) mountain air to a favorite orchard with apples to pick and farm games to enjoy.
There are many wonderful apple orchards near Columbia where you can pick your own apples. You’ll find them towards Upstate, SC, and into Western North Carolina and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Apple picking makes for an awesome day trip. Use our guide to pick the orchard that sounds fun for your family and then check out our other content to see what else there is nearby to do. Plan your amazing fall day trip adventure and be back home by bedtime. Happy picking!
If you need some tips, don’t miss our list of tips for picking apples with kids. Have fun!
Before you go apple picking, be sure to call ahead to check on hours and apple varieties available or check the orchard’s Facebook page for updates as many of the orchards will list upcoming events, changed hours, and list of fruits available.
Do you love fall? Check out our huge Fall Guide to Columbia, SC. It’s full of fall activities for the whole family, from farms to day trips to corn mazes and more.
Don’t forget to check out all the additional family fun available at many of these orchards. Visit with farm animals, pick out some jams and jellies at the farm store, or pick up some apple cider, pie, or pick another baked good or apple product to enjoy. Test out an apple cannon, ride a cow train, or just kick back and enjoy the view!
With over 20 different varieties of apples, you are bound to find a favorite at Grandad’s Apples N’ Such. They also have a bakery on-site that sells pies, donuts, caramel apples, and cider. Activities for kids include a corn maze, cow train, and a huge pumpkin patch where kids are bound to find their ideal pumpkin.
2022 season-opening date: July 29
Offers:
Offering U-Pick Apples as available—check Grandad’s Facebook page for updates
Pumpkin Patch
Farm Store and bakery
Corn Maze
Cow Train
Apple Cannons
2023 KABOOM Family Favorites Finalist: Outdoor Fun
2023 KABOOM Family Favorites Finalist: Farms
A KAG reader favorite, Sky Top Orchard offers mountain views, ponds with ducks and geese, farm animals, play structures, and apple and fruit trees. Don’t miss the amazing apple cider donuts. Last year there were some concerns about Sky Top getting too crowded so maybe try to go during the week if you prefer smaller crowds.
2022 season-opening date: August 1st
Offers:
U-pick apples
Farm Store with Cider donuts
Farm animals
Wagon Rides
Playground
Gold Rush Gem Mine (new for 2022!)
Bryson's Apple Orchard
864.647.9427 1011 Chattooga Ridge Road, Mountain Rest, SC
Just a few miles from the Chattooga River, Bryson’s Apple Orchard is also close to gorgeous waterfalls and many of the hiking places that KAG has recommended (so maybe hiking and apple donuts one day this fall?). The Long Creek area, according to their website, is one of the “largest apple producing areas east of the Mississippi River.”
2022 season-opening date: July for peaches, August 15 for apples; no u-pick apples this year but they will have prepicked apples available.
Offers:
Prepicked apples
Asian pears (Asian pear crop ruined by a late frost in 2021)
fresh peaches
Located in a picturesque part of Hendersonville with views of the mountains, Justus Orchard is the perfect place to go apple picking. Their apple cider donuts are also a treat not to be missed. This apple orchard in Hendersonville, NC was one of the first in the state to invite customers to not only buy apples already picked but allow visitors to go into the orchard and pick their own apples.
Open for 2022 season
Due to weather issues, check the Justus Orchard Facebook page for current u-pick status, before heading up.
OFFERS:
Blackberries – July thru August
Apples – Mid August thru Early November
Bakery
Apple cannon
Jumping pillow
Playground
Farm animals
Chattooga Belle Farm
864.647.9768 454 Damascus Church Road, Long Creek, SC
At the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains lies this gorgeous farm and orchard, which is not only a working farm but also a popular wedding venue.
Besides a pick-your-own experience, Chattooga Belle Farm also offers cabin rentals, a bistro for lunch and dinner, disc golf, and an amazing variety of exotic fruits like Asian pears, figs, pawpaws, and persimmons.
2022 season-opening date: Open Year Round – Check the Chattooga Belle Farm Website U-Pick Page for daily updates on available options.
U pick apples begins mid August
Offers:
Restaurant serving lunch and dinner
Cabin rental
Event Venue
Disc Golf
Distillery
U-pick apples, table grapes, wine grapes, peaches, and more.
Farm Store
Windy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill
803.684.0690 1860 Black Highway, York, SC
The owners of the Windy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill got their start 20 years ago when they wanted to create the perfect apple cider (they apparently succeeded). Their main apple variety is the Stayman Winesapp and u-pick opens up in late August. The orchard asks that everyone 2 years of age and older have their own pre-purchased bag before heading into the orchard. They also have weekend events that include live music.
2022 season-opening date: August 18
Offers:
U-pick Apples
Farm Store with baked apple goods
Hard Cider Tastings
Cider donuts
Apple cider slushies
Coston Farm and Apple House
828.685.8352 3748 Chimney Rock Road, Hendersonville, NC
Apple picking is a delight at Coston Farm with the mountains as a backdrop to the orchard. Like other orchards, they also offer delicious baked goods and apples already picked for sale.
2022 season-opening date: August 19th
Offers:
U-pick apple orchard from August – October
(See their apple ripening calendar for different varieties)
Farm Store with pre-picked apples, pumpkins, and fall decor
Twisted Apple Farm
828.712.1919 4039 Chimney Road Road, Hendersonville, NC
Twisted apple is an organic farm and retail outlet. They offer baked goods and a variety of apples to purchase.
Check their Facebook page for updates. No u-pick for 2022 due to a cold snap earlier this year.
2022 season begins on August 20th
Offers:
Organically and conventionally grown apples
Baked goods
Apple beverages
Retail farm products.
Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard
828.685.9083 170 Stepp Orchard Drive, Hendersonville, NC
- Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard Website
- Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard Facebook
- Kidding Around Review of Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard
Open 50 years, Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard are experts on organizing their orchard for u-pick. They begin their family fun and farm activities in mid-August and invite you to bring a lunch and spend the day at the orchard.
Open for 2022 season. Check their Facebook page for up-to-date info on what’s available for picking.
Offers:
U-pick Apples
Grapes
Sunflowers
Farm Store
Picnic Space
Corn Maze
Jump Pads (on weekends)
Apple Cannon and Wagon Rides (on weekends)
Jeter Mountain Farm
828.513.0404 1126 Jeter Mountain Road, Hendersonville, NC
Jeter Mountain Farm is the result of more than 150 years of farming history in the Hunsader family. Located on 411 acres near Hendersonville and Brevard, this farm offers Choose N’ Cut Christmas Trees, plus u-pick includes berries, peaches, pumpkins, grapes, and over 20 varieties of apples. Be sure to check the Jeter Mountain Farm Harvest Calendar to see what’s ready for picking. Important to note for the tractor enthusiasts in your family, orchards are accessed via tractor ride!
2022 season-opening date: August 13th
Offers:
U-pick Apples & other fruits according to season
Market with pre-picked apples, apple cider, apple cider donuts, and other goods
Hard Cider Tap Room
1813 Smokehouse
Covered play area including hay bales and corn boxes ($5 fee)
Map of Apple Orchards Closest to Columbia, SC
We have also put together a Google map listing these U-Pick apple orchards.
Apple Cider Donut Tour
Looking for something different? Make the rounds and visit several orchards while sampling apple cider donuts on our Apple Cider Donut Tour. We can’t think of a more perfect and delicious fall day.
Make it a Day Trip!
Heading up to Western North Carolina for apples? Do not miss these awesome things to do in Hendersonville, NC!
Heading to Charlotte, NC or York County, SC for apples at Windy Hil Orchard?
We Want More Farm Fun
What about pumpkins and corn mazes?
We have all that, too! Just use the orange box below to hop on over to those KACOLA guides.
Farms, pumpkins and corn mazes
Where is your family’s favorite place to pick apples?