Apple Orchard Alley
- Explore Georgia says most of Gilmer County's apple orchards are spread along the valley of State Highway 52, a route it lists as Apple Orchard Alley. Explore Georgia, Apple Orchard Alley
- The Chamber says Gilmer County orchards sell fresh apples, apple pies, jellies, jams, butters and ciders, and most offer a U-pick event. A sister site, ellijayapplepicking.com, covers individual orchards. Gilmer County Chamber, Apple Orchards
- The Gilmer Chamber says the county is home to 8 orchards that harvest more than 22 apple varieties from June to November. Gilmer County Chamber, Fall: Apple Orchards
- The Georgia Department of Agriculture says Ellijay, in Gilmer County, is known as the Apple Capital of Georgia and is home to over nine family-owned apple orchards. Georgia Department of Agriculture press release (Sept. 1, 2026), Georgia Grown Apple Season
Picking seasons, varieties and every orchard’s U-pick days are covered in depth by our sister guide Ellijay Apple Picking. This page sticks to the orchards closest to the festival and the hours they publish.
Apple houses and farms near the fairgrounds
Panorama Orchards & Farm Market
orchard and farm market
63 Talona Mountain Rd, Ellijay, GA 30536
The Stembridge family began growing apples at Ella Gap in the 1920s, and the business took the Panorama Orchards name in 1965; its present market, built in 1983, sells more than 20 varieties of apples plus peaches, fall vegetables and baked goods from its own kitchens. It calls its fried pies the signature product of its market kitchens and also sells fresh cider, apple cider donuts, homemade fudge and 12 flavors of homemade ice cream, with viewing windows into the kitchens and apple processing area.
About 6 min (2.9 mi) by car from the festival gate, computed with no traffic
Source: Panorama Orchards & Farm Market, checked 2026-10-19
Penland Orchards & Farm Market (Hwy 515 location)
orchard and farm market
41 Talona Mountain Rd, Ellijay, GA 30540
A fifth-generation family farm in business since 1936 and run by brothers John and Lee Penland, Penland grows over 30 varieties of apples plus peaches and nectarines. Its two markets sell fried apple and peach pies, apple fritters, apple cider donuts, fruit ciders, fried pork skins and a long list of jarred goods.
Mon–Sun 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
About 6 min (2.9 mi) by car from the festival gate, computed with no traffic
Source: Penland Orchards & Farm Market, checked 2026-10-19
Red Apple Barn
orchard, apple barn and farm market
3379 Tails Creek Rd, Ellijay, GA 30540
Marvin Pritchett planted his first 100 apple trees in 1965 and 500 more on Tails Creek in 1966; the family built the original 20-by-20-foot Red Apple Barn around 1971 and started U-pick in 2010. The farm market sells fried apple and peach pies, apple cider donuts, fritters and ciders, and the farm also has a pumpkin patch, playgrounds, picnic areas and a small covered bridge over the creek.
Mon–Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun 1 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
About 7 min (3.9 mi) by car from the festival gate, computed with no traffic
Source: Red Apple Barn, checked 2026-10-19
R & A Orchards
orchard, market, bakery and cafe
5505 Hwy 52 E, Ellijay, GA 30536
R & A Orchards traces to 1947, when Leonard and Della Payne planted their first apple trees in Gilmer County; Roger and Ann Futch joined in 1969 and opened the roadside market in 1972, and Andy and Jennifer Futch and their children now run the roughly 160-acre farm. Besides weekend U-pick apples and U-cut flowers, it has a year-round market, bakery and cafe, a tractor ride through the orchard and a cow train.
Mon–Sun 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m.
About 11 min (6.6 mi) by car from the festival gate, computed with no traffic
Source: R & A Orchards, checked 2026-10-19
Penland Orchards & Farm Market (Hwy 282 location)
orchard and farm market
7678 Tails Creek Rd, Ellijay, GA 30540
The Penland family's second market, on Tails Creek Road (Hwy 282). The website lists one product line for both stores, including fried apple and peach pies, apple fritters, apple cider donuts, fruit ciders and fried pork skins.
Mon–Sun 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
About 12 min (8.1 mi) by car from the festival gate, computed with no traffic
Source: Penland Orchards & Farm Market, checked 2026-10-19
Aaron Family Orchards
apple house and farm market
8350 Hwy 52 E, Ellijay, GA 30536
Founded in 1944 by Shafter Aaron as Aaron's Apple House and renamed Aaron Family Orchards for the 2014 season; Joshua and Kaylee Aaron, the fourth generation, took over in 2024 and have added a petting farm, U-cut flowers and, in 2025, a bakery. Its menu lists fried apple pies, apple cider donuts, apple dumplings and fritters, and the market sells fresh-pressed apple cider plus peach, muscadine, scuppernong and strawberry ciders.
Mon–Sun 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
About 15 min (9.4 mi) by car from the festival gate, computed with no traffic
Source: Aaron Family Orchards, checked 2026-10-19
Mack Aaron's Apple House
apple house
8955 Hwy 52 E, Ellijay, GA 30536
The Aaron family has grown apples in Gilmer County since 1944; Mack and Joyce Aaron built the current apple house in 1977, opening for the 1978 season, and their son and daughter-in-law Bill and Gina Aaron have run it day to day since 2008. The apple house says it always has at least 11 kinds of hand-made fried pies, and its country store sells produce, jams, jellies, preserves, ciders, honey and boiled peanuts.
Mon–Sun 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
About 16 min (10.1 mi) by car from the festival gate, computed with no traffic
Source: Mack Aaron's Apple House, checked 2026-10-19
B.J. Reece Orchards and Farm Market
orchard, farm market and bakery
9131 Hwy 52 E, Ellijay, GA 30536
B.J. Reece Orchards began in the 1960s and is run by John and Rachel Reece; the farm has more than 200 acres of apples and 30 acres of peaches. Its bakery sells what it calls world famous fried pies along with apple cider donuts and whole pies, and fall farm activities include a petting zoo, wagon rides, a corn box and farm slide, with cow milking, pig races, a cow train and a corn maze scavenger hunt on weekends.
Mon–Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun 1 p.m.–6 p.m.
About 16 min (10.2 mi) by car from the festival gate, computed with no traffic
Source: B.J. Reece Orchards, checked 2026-10-19
Hillcrest Orchards
orchard, farm market and agritourism farm
9696 Hwy 52 E, Ellijay, GA 30536
Hayward Reece began growing apples here in 1946 after returning from World War II, where he was a prisoner of war; his daughter Janice, her husband Lynn Hale, daughter Kristin Smith and a fourth generation now run the farm. Paid admission covers farm activities such as a petting farm, wagon rides, pig races and cow milking, and the weekend lineup adds mini golf, an apple museum, a moonshine museum and posted clogging and bluegrass shows.
Mon–Sun 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
About 17 min (10.7 mi) by car from the festival gate, computed with no traffic
Source: Hillcrest Orchards, checked 2026-10-19
Mercier Orchards
orchard, market, bakery and hard cidery
8660 Blue Ridge Dr, Blue Ridge, GA 30513
Founded in 1943 by Bill and Adele Mercier as a roadside apple stand, Mercier is now a fourth-generation, family- and veteran-owned orchard in Blue Ridge with a market, a bakery known for apple cider donuts and fried pies, and a hard cider and wine tasting room. It says it is the only apple orchard in Georgia that grows, presses, ferments and cans its own hard cider. It is in Blue Ridge (Fannin County), north of Gilmer County.
Mon–Thu 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; Fri–Sun 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
About 29 min (20.2 mi) by car from the festival gate, computed with no traffic
Source: Mercier Orchards, checked 2026-10-19
Weekend events at the orchards
- Hillcrest Orchards, at 9696 Highway 52 East, holds its Apple Pickin' Jubilee on weekends from Sept. 5 to Nov. 1, 2026. Admission is $22 per person for walking age and up. Hillcrest Orchards, Weekends
- The Chamber says Jubilee weekends at Hillcrest include picking your own apples, cow milking, swimming pig races, mini golf, live bands and cloggers. Gilmer County Chamber, Apple Orchards
Questions
Can I buy apples at the Georgia Apple Festival?
You can buy apple treats there, but bags of fresh apples are not promised. Food vendors sell items such as apple dumplings, fried pies and hot cider, and the Chamber's 2026 listing mentioned "apple goodies," but organizer pages do not say whole apples are sold at the fairgrounds. For fresh apples, the Chamber points visitors to Gilmer County's orchards.
Source: Gilmer County Chamber events calendar, 2026 Georgia Apple Festival; Georgia Apple Festival 2026 Vendor List; Chamber, Apple Orchards
Why is Ellijay called the Apple Capital of Georgia?
The Georgia Department of Agriculture says Ellijay, in Gilmer County, is known as the Apple Capital of Georgia. Georgia Grown says more than 85% of the state's apples come from Gilmer and Fannin counties, and the New Georgia Encyclopedia says Gilmer grows more than 600,000 bushels a year, more than any other Georgia county.
How big is Georgia's apple industry?
The Georgia Department of Agriculture estimates there are 360,000 apple-producing trees in the state, mostly in the North Georgia mountains. It says Georgia's apples are mainly sold fresh and that the industry's farm-gate value was more than $12 million in 2024. The state's apple season can run from July through December.
Source: Georgia Department of Agriculture press release (Sept. 1, 2026), Georgia Grown Apple Season
When is apple season in Ellijay?
The Georgia Department of Agriculture says the state's apple season can run from July through December, and it proclaimed September 2026 the start of Georgia Grown Apple Season. The Gilmer Chamber says local orchards harvest more than 22 varieties from June to November. Picking dates vary by orchard and by variety, so check with each farm.
What are the best orchards near the Georgia Apple Festival?
Orchards differ in hours, U-pick and activities, so check each farm before you go. The Chamber says Gilmer orchards sell fresh apples, pies, jams and ciders, and Explore Georgia says most sit along State Highway 52. In 2026, Hillcrest Orchards on Highway 52 East held Apple Pickin' Jubilee weekends. Our sister site, ellijayapplepicking.com, covers orchards in detail.
What is the Apple Pickin' Jubilee?
It is a weekend fall festival at Hillcrest Orchards, 9696 Highway 52 East. In 2026 the Jubilee ran on weekends from Sept. 5 to Nov. 1, with admission of $22 per person for walking age and up. The Chamber says it includes picking your own apples, cow milking, swimming pig races, mini golf, live bands and cloggers.
Source: Hillcrest Orchards, Weekends; Gilmer County Chamber, Apple Orchards
What other events happen on Georgia Apple Festival weekends?
In 2026 the free Apple Arts Festival was scheduled downtown on the same weekends, Hillcrest Orchards held Apple Pickin' Jubilee weekends from Sept. 5 to Nov. 1, Cress Creeks Farm ran a fall corn maze through Nov. 1, and the Chamber listed a weekend fall festival at Cartecay Vineyards. The Chamber's community calendar lists other local events.
Source: Gilmer County Chamber; Hillcrest Orchards; Cress Creeks Farm
Dates, rules and hours can change. The organizers have the final word: Georgia Apple Festival (official site)
