For years, many of my friends and family talked about how much fun they had apple picking in Ellijay, Georgia. Ellijay is one of our favorite day trips but we had never visited the orchards. We decided to make the journey to Georgia’s Apple Capital and add the experience to our list of fun things to do in Ellijay.

Ellijay’s apple orchards

Ellijay has several apple orchards. We chose the Red Apple Barn on Tails Creek Road just outside of town. My mama’s favorite color was red so I am partial to anything with red in its name. To my knowledge, she never went apple picking in Ellijay but she did go to the annual Georgia Apple Festival and mentioned the “apple barn” to me more than once.

The price at Red Apple Barn is very reasonable. Admission is $11.95 plus tax. You then decide how many apples you want to pick. We chose to pick a quarter peck for $6 since it is just us. The prices range from $6 to $34, depending on how many you want to pick.

When you are finished picking your apples–or before if you like–you get a free cup of apple cider and an apple cider doughnut. If you aren’t picking apples and are just visiting the market, you can purchase them for $1 each.

The orchard

Our apple picking in Ellijay experience started with a short ride up to the orchards on a trailer pulled by a tractor. The ride up is very scenic. I tend to get carsick. This was my first time tractor-sick, lol. I had not ridden a tractor or been pulled by one ever. I was taking pictures on the ride up of the beautiful creekside and trails and that likely contributed to my nausea. Our drivers were excellent and we enjoyed chatting with them.

The orchard is gorgeous. The fields are separated by the types of apples so if you are a Granny Smith or a Rome apple fan, you can pick your favorites. You are given a quick tutorial on what the apples look and taste like before you head to the orchard.

Tips for apple picking in Ellijay

First, if you want to avoid the crowds, go in late August or early September. We went in September and found that there were plenty of apples on the trees. It’s probably more colorful in late October when the leaves turn in Northwest Georgia but it’s still beautiful then.

We also arrived shortly after the orchard opened at 10 a.m. Our ride up was us, another couple and a small family. We were only in the orchard for a short time before we started seeing full trailers coming up the hill on a regular basis. The orchard is huge so there is room for lots of people. But it was nice to kind of have it to ourselves for a while.

Be sure to wear comfortable, sturdy shoes. This isn’t the place to try to show off your cute new shoes, ladies. The orchard is hilly–I am sure others are, too. But it’s easily navigated with the right shoes. We also wore long pants to protect us from any briars or bugs. Just because the calendar says autumn in Georgia, it can still be hot and humid so keep that in mind.

We are not experts on apples so I don’t have any advice on how to choose the best ones. You will learn more about that when you arrive at the orchard. We looked for larger ones in sections that we liked and were happy with what we picked.

More fun at the apple orchard

With your admission, you also get to pick four flowers from this gorgeous flower garden. We visited on the day of the Georgia-Tennessee game so we made sure to pick some red and orange! We saw the pumpkin patch, which opens in late September or early October. I don’t like pumpkin–please don’t judge me–so I will stick to the apples.

Red Apple Barn had a small playground and lots of games for children below the orchards. I saw many parents distracting their children with games while the other parent filled out the forms needed to pick apples.

When you are finished picking apples, you can visit the Orchard Barn. When I went inside, I thought this would be an excellent place for a wedding. I learned they do host weddings, there.

We were told that cows visit and you can feed them apples but they didn’t show up while we were there. You will also find a tire swing and a cornhole game outside the barn.

If you don’t want to pick your own, you can buy apples inside the market. We also picked up some apple cider and a magnet for our refrigerator, of course.

Other things to do in Ellijay

Apple picking in Ellijay is one of the best-known experiences and you can find several orchards and places that sell apple products. We always stop at Panorama Orchards and Farm Market even if we are just passing through because we always need a fried pie (don’t tell my doctor).

This time we tried blueberry for the first time and I think I liked it better than the apple pies.

You will find many other things to do in Gilmer County. Downtown Ellijay is a great place to shop for antiques and have a great meal. I could spend hours in those antique stores.

To make up for the fried pie I knew I would eat later, I had an amazing meal at Cantaberry Restaurant located on the downtown square. It was healthy and very filling.

The Expedition Bigfoot: Sasquatch Museum is located about 15 minutes from downtown on Highway 515. For $9 you can learn about the legend of Bigfoot and decide for yourself if you think he is real or is just a myth. We actually saw him during our visit.

If you love the outdoors, Northwest Georgia is known for its hiking, fishing and water activities. We visited nearby Carters Lake, which has a beach! You can learn more about outdoor activities in Ellijay and Gilmer County here.

Share your story

We waited too long to go apple picking in Ellijay but it will likely become an annual event for us. We would love to hear your stories. Share them and your pictures in the comments or drop us a line to be featured on our Facebook account.