Apple season is open in Gilmer County. The Red Apple Barn at 3379 Tails Creek Road is already running its farm market for the year, and U-pick apple picking is planned to start August 15, 2026, which puts the first Gala and Honeycrisp rows in reach before school routines and Hwy 52 weekend traffic settle in for the fall.
The barn's market hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. It stays open through December 23. Picking itself is planned on weekends into October or early November, and the farm is clear that all of that depends on the weather and how the crop comes in.
What ripens when
The single most useful thing for a local family is knowing which apple is actually on the tree the weekend you drive out. Red Apple Barn publishes approximate harvest windows by variety. Not every variety on the list is available for U-pick, and ripening dates shift year to year.
| Variety | Approx. window |
|---|---|
| Gala | Aug 15–30 |
| Honeycrisp | Aug 15–Sep 15 |
| Red Delicious | Aug 25–Sep 15 |
| Golden Delicious | Sep 1–15 |
| Jonagold | Sep 15–25 |
| Granny Smith | Sep 30–Oct 15 |
| Fuji | Oct 5–15 |
| Pink Lady | Oct 15–30 |
| Arkansas Black | Oct 25–30 |
If you want the late keepers, Yates and Arkansas Black land at the tail end of October. Plan that trip for after the festival weekends.
Who else is opening
Penland Orchards & Farm Market at 41 Talona Mountain Road lists U-pick starting in late August. Penland's has been growing in Gilmer since 1936 and also runs a second market on Tails Creek Road at 7678.
Over on the Hwy 52 East corridor, Hillcrest Orchards at 9696 Hwy 52 E. holds its Apple Pickin' Jubilee on Saturdays and Sundays through September and October. Admission is listed at $22 per person for walking age and up. That price covers the farm activities: picking your own, milking a cow, mini golf, live bands and cloggers, and the swimming pig races that generations of Gilmer kids have stood at the rail for.
B.J. Reece Orchards at 9131 Hwy 52 E. runs its picking season in September and October, seven days a week, alongside its bakery and petting farm. R&A Orchards at 5505 Hwy 52 E. adds tractor rides and farm tours in the fall. Mack Aaron's Apple House at 8955 Hwy 52 E. has been selling apples since 1944, and Aaron Family Orchards at 8350 Hwy 52 E. opens seasonally from September through December. Panorama Orchards & Farm Market at 63 Talona Mountain Road is open year round.
The Gilmer Chamber counts more than 22 varieties harvested here between June and November, which is how the county earned the "Apple Capital" title in the first place. Its full orchard directory is at gilmerchamber.com.
Then comes the festival
The 2026 Georgia Apple Festival takes the second and third weekends in October: the 10th and 11th, then the 17th and 18th, at the Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds, 1729 South Main Street. Gates are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10, and children 12 and under get in free.
It runs rain or shine. Pets are not allowed at the fairgrounds, and service animals have to be dropped at the gate before you go park, because animals can't ride the shuttle buses. Apple Arts on the downtown square runs the same days and hours and is pet friendly. This is the festival's 55th year. Details and vendor information are posted at georgiaapplefestival.org.
A word on the drive
Locals already know what September Saturdays do to Hwy 52 East between town and the orchard row. The practical move is the same one it has always been: go early, go on a weekday if you can, and treat Tails Creek and Talona Mountain as the less-crowded side of the season.
Orchard dates move. A cold snap, a hot stretch or a hard rain can shift a variety by a week in either direction, and most Gilmer growers post updates on their own pages before the weekend. Check before you load the car, especially for the August openings, when the crop is just coming on.
More apple season coverage, orchard updates and festival details are on the Ellijay Georgia Community Website as the fall calendar fills in. Got a favorite orchard, a parking tip or a report on how the Galas are eating this year? Join the conversation in our Community Forum, and read more events stories and lifestyle and entertainment stories from around Gilmer County.
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