Our family enjoy the Appleseason. The view at the top of the orchard is breathtaking and beautiful. It's a yearly tradition. A must is the Apple cinnamon doughnuts are always hot and fresh. Everyone is always warm and welcoming.
Pinky Garcia
Beautiful cool place to get your drinks and take pictures! The only thing I didn't like is that it's not baby friendly ? since they have no baby changing station.
Sanchita G.
We got the apple cider and the apple donuts and they were so good!! both were tasting so fresh and you can just taste how organic and authetnic it tasted! the service was so good, the people who worked there were so so so sweet and made us feel at home!! :) the absolutely both breath taking views at this orchard with view of the rocky mountains and the gorgeous cville below, i would highly recommend! :)
Keegan Z.
Carter Mountain Orchard is a stellar spot to be autumnal! Bring your family, friends, dates, whoever likes beautiful views and doing fun seasonal stuff! Visited recently with a visiting friend and we loved it here. Despite how busy it was, they had plenty of room to accommodate those needing to park. Apparently they do ticketing on their busiest days though my visit did not fall in that time period. We went straight for the food and enjoyed an apple cider donut ice cream sandwich and two hot apple ciders, which were absolutely delicious and lovely to enjoy at one of their picnic tables facing downtown Charlottesville. After we enjoyed our seasonal treat, it was apple picking time! The way this works here is you buy a bag of your desired size (we got the smallest bag for $13, which was enough to hold 12-13 apples) and walk out to the area currently open for apple picking which changes based on the day. They had pink ladies available for us on this particular day, which is perfect since they are one of my favorite apple varietals. It was a bit of a walk to the orchard over uneven ground, and while we were fine with the effort, it might be a bit tough for those with young kids/strollers/wagons. As for the trees, they are planted in a sort of tiered structure going down the mountain, which means some climbing is needed, and we needed to stretch to reach many of our preferred apples. While I enjoyed the challenge, it might be tougher for some folks to reach their preferred apples without an apple picking tool. I saw one person with one but couldn't tell if they brought it from here or got it from the orchard somehow. Once we came back, we briefly perused their large gift shop but were happy with our apple selection. It's very rewarding to use fresh-picked fruit in cooking, and I did exactly that with a home-baked apple pie a few days later which turned out incredibly well. I strongly recommend you have a fun plan for your apples as well! Thanks Carter Mountain, this made for a fun fall time! Overall: 4.5 stars --- Pros: - Fun apple picking experience (with some caveats below) - Delicious apple cider donuts, apple cider, and... well, apples! Turned mine into an apple pie and it was one of the best desserts I have ever had. - Plenty of parking and space to take in the beautiful views. Lots of great photo opportunities here! Cons: - The long walk and steep parts of the slope might deter some younger/older participants. There's a liability disclaimer at the entrance for a reason!
Evan B.
Deliciousness - 3/5 Happiness - 4.5/5 Let's start with the good. This is a gorgeous orchard up in the mountains. Apples galore and boasts a cider-tasting room and a wine tasting room. You can sip while sitting on a terrace overlooking the beautiful pastoral scenery. They also have a large country store full of all sorts of fruit, pastries, and other homey foods and decor. That said, the wine and ciders were not very good. All were very sweet, and neither left a particularly memorable impression. It's rare when I don't get a bottle from a small independent winery, but I didn't do it here. The people working the cider room weren't particularly helpful, declining to give me any recommendations (saying that the flavor profiles were on the menu and "what you'll like depends on your taste" - obviously that's true, but you can still tell me what you think is good). So while I enjoyed the location, the wine and ciders didn't impress and the service wasn't the best.
Lena M.
Carter Mountain feels like Virginia's top apple picking spot. It might just be because where I live, but it's always talked about during fall-time. It's a top spot for a reason. They have a great operation going here. During busier times, you'll need to get a $8.99 ticket to enter. You can check their website for more details. I met up with a Cville friend on my recent trip. Do know that the mountain is very steep. My sedan was able to make it up so don't be intimidated by it. There was a lot of parking spots available. When you enter during busier times, you show the ticket you got in advance for a wristband. There was one non-apple vendor for lunch. I got a delicious Mediterranean chicken platter for $18. My friend and I decided to get medium sized bags to apple pick. We chose not to do pink lady's because those medium bags were $30 versus the $21.21 we paid to pick just granny smith's, winesaps, and staymans. Our medium bag held about 15 apples. Do know that apple picking here is a bit of a workout. We came on a very hot day so were sweating on the steep hills. This is a mountain afterall. All the trees we picked from were on steep hills which made grabbing apples a bit tough and angled. We still had a fun time. After our apple picking workout, we headed to the long (but totally worth it) apple dessert line. I ordered an apple cider slushie float with a donut on top. It was divine. The apple cider slush with soft serve vanilla ice cream on stop was phenomenal, not to mention the donut with it. I may have overdosed on sweetness, but it was totally worth it. I'd highly recommend ordering this on a warmer day. Carter Mountain Orchard is a must during fall in Virginia. I think everyone should visit it at least once.
Emma H.
Was looking for a place similar to the New Hampshire farms I grew up going to. This definitely has the vibe. We didn't mind paying admission to get in on a weekend. However, the lines for everything take forever. We just wanted cider and donuts, and a bag of pre picked apples. We waited over 30 minutes for donuts and cider, which were good but not worth the admission or wait. Donuts are fantastic and served hot, but a little small. Then we waited 20 minutes for apples. They need to either triple the amount of cashiers, or to limit customers each hour by about 100 people. We thought all the pricing was reasonable. But this is definitely a tourist trap and college kid central. If you want a more authentic experience with no crowd, or wait, a smaller farm is a better choice. Overall, we enjoyed and would come back next time we're visiting, but not on a weekend.
David B.
Used to love this place, but they've gone for the money grab. $8 per person to get in (with a $1 processing fee on top of that, lol). And now they make you pay for the bags first. No longer do they weigh your apples. No lie, 12 apples for about $12. So altogether today we paid $42 for 6 donuts and about 18 apples. And btw, even with limiting customers by forcing them to buy times entry tickets, it was more crowded today than I've ever seen it. We use to love this place but Unfortunately, we will never be coming back.
Kp L.
Went 10/13/2023, on a Friday afternoon. You must get "tickets" ahead of time on their website. Beautiful mountain-top view. Lots of trees which provided all the apples we needed. They make apple cider doughnuts on-site and fresh-made...awesome. Would go again.
Irene T.
Very disappointed. After speaking with someone weeks ago, they mentioned tickets were not needed to buy fresh donuts or shop at the store. Apparently that's not the case. We would have to buy $8 tickets per person to buy donuts, slushees, and walk the store to buy items. We didn't want to go apple picking but apparently tickets were still required. We ended up doing the drive thru for "fresh hot donuts" more like defrosted donuts. Couldn't use the bathroom or shop the store or take in the views like have before in the past. Hope this isn't how things are going to be from now on. So sad and very upsetting. Foil me once Carter Mountain, but never again.
why buy insurance for this location when it doesn't pay off? attempted to attend at destination at the appointment time but was denied entry.
Henrique Gomes
Big tourist trap scam. You pay 8 per person to have the “privilege” to spend money on their shops. If you want to pick apples, you pay 12 for a small bag and one container for every 2 to 3 people. Come if you want, just be aware of the price tag to pick yourself the apples. They won’t allow any bags in, not even diaper bags, if you have a baby, go somewhere else. No strollers either.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Jason Fischer
Been going here for about 8 years now. It’s grown quite a bit over the past couple’s years. We usually come in the summer for peach picking and it’s always a great time. Views are amazing, cider and donuts are delicious.This year we came in October for apple picking.It was a holiday and extremely crowded. They also charged a fee per person to get in plus a min of 1 bag per 2 people to pick apples. This was a bit of a surprise since this is not the case during peach season. Staff said it due to being a holiday during season.I would definitely recommend peach picking on a summer weekend but and if you want to pick apples go on a weekday. Way to crowded and avoid the extra fees.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Jonathan
The apple cider donuts were delicious. The views of the surrounding valleys and landscape are beautiful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jenny G.
Although our time was very brief at the orchard, we enjoyed our time there. We did not pick apples, but we enjoyed some of their sweets. The apple cidar donut was delicious. Not too sweet and actually warm. We picked the peach ice cream which was peachy. The texture was not so much a soft sweve but in between an icy. It was very delightful on a hot day. We walked out the benches for a sit down and enjoyed a beautiful view of the valley. They had a big gift shop with all kinds of kitchen decors and more pies, cidars and donuts to buy to go. Definitely visit when you are visiting Charlotte.
Our family enjoy the Appleseason. The view at the top of the orchard is breathtaking and beautiful. It's a yearly tradition. A must is the Apple cinnamon doughnuts are always hot and fresh. Everyone is always warm and welcoming.
Beautiful cool place to get your drinks and take pictures! The only thing I didn't like is that it's not baby friendly ? since they have no baby changing station.
We got the apple cider and the apple donuts and they were so good!! both were tasting so fresh and you can just taste how organic and authetnic it tasted! the service was so good, the people who worked there were so so so sweet and made us feel at home!! :) the absolutely both breath taking views at this orchard with view of the rocky mountains and the gorgeous cville below, i would highly recommend! :)
Carter Mountain Orchard is a stellar spot to be autumnal! Bring your family, friends, dates, whoever likes beautiful views and doing fun seasonal stuff! Visited recently with a visiting friend and we loved it here. Despite how busy it was, they had plenty of room to accommodate those needing to park. Apparently they do ticketing on their busiest days though my visit did not fall in that time period. We went straight for the food and enjoyed an apple cider donut ice cream sandwich and two hot apple ciders, which were absolutely delicious and lovely to enjoy at one of their picnic tables facing downtown Charlottesville. After we enjoyed our seasonal treat, it was apple picking time! The way this works here is you buy a bag of your desired size (we got the smallest bag for $13, which was enough to hold 12-13 apples) and walk out to the area currently open for apple picking which changes based on the day. They had pink ladies available for us on this particular day, which is perfect since they are one of my favorite apple varietals. It was a bit of a walk to the orchard over uneven ground, and while we were fine with the effort, it might be a bit tough for those with young kids/strollers/wagons. As for the trees, they are planted in a sort of tiered structure going down the mountain, which means some climbing is needed, and we needed to stretch to reach many of our preferred apples. While I enjoyed the challenge, it might be tougher for some folks to reach their preferred apples without an apple picking tool. I saw one person with one but couldn't tell if they brought it from here or got it from the orchard somehow. Once we came back, we briefly perused their large gift shop but were happy with our apple selection. It's very rewarding to use fresh-picked fruit in cooking, and I did exactly that with a home-baked apple pie a few days later which turned out incredibly well. I strongly recommend you have a fun plan for your apples as well! Thanks Carter Mountain, this made for a fun fall time! Overall: 4.5 stars --- Pros: - Fun apple picking experience (with some caveats below) - Delicious apple cider donuts, apple cider, and... well, apples! Turned mine into an apple pie and it was one of the best desserts I have ever had. - Plenty of parking and space to take in the beautiful views. Lots of great photo opportunities here! Cons: - The long walk and steep parts of the slope might deter some younger/older participants. There's a liability disclaimer at the entrance for a reason!
Deliciousness - 3/5 Happiness - 4.5/5 Let's start with the good. This is a gorgeous orchard up in the mountains. Apples galore and boasts a cider-tasting room and a wine tasting room. You can sip while sitting on a terrace overlooking the beautiful pastoral scenery. They also have a large country store full of all sorts of fruit, pastries, and other homey foods and decor. That said, the wine and ciders were not very good. All were very sweet, and neither left a particularly memorable impression. It's rare when I don't get a bottle from a small independent winery, but I didn't do it here. The people working the cider room weren't particularly helpful, declining to give me any recommendations (saying that the flavor profiles were on the menu and "what you'll like depends on your taste" - obviously that's true, but you can still tell me what you think is good). So while I enjoyed the location, the wine and ciders didn't impress and the service wasn't the best.
Carter Mountain feels like Virginia's top apple picking spot. It might just be because where I live, but it's always talked about during fall-time. It's a top spot for a reason. They have a great operation going here. During busier times, you'll need to get a $8.99 ticket to enter. You can check their website for more details. I met up with a Cville friend on my recent trip. Do know that the mountain is very steep. My sedan was able to make it up so don't be intimidated by it. There was a lot of parking spots available. When you enter during busier times, you show the ticket you got in advance for a wristband. There was one non-apple vendor for lunch. I got a delicious Mediterranean chicken platter for $18. My friend and I decided to get medium sized bags to apple pick. We chose not to do pink lady's because those medium bags were $30 versus the $21.21 we paid to pick just granny smith's, winesaps, and staymans. Our medium bag held about 15 apples. Do know that apple picking here is a bit of a workout. We came on a very hot day so were sweating on the steep hills. This is a mountain afterall. All the trees we picked from were on steep hills which made grabbing apples a bit tough and angled. We still had a fun time. After our apple picking workout, we headed to the long (but totally worth it) apple dessert line. I ordered an apple cider slushie float with a donut on top. It was divine. The apple cider slush with soft serve vanilla ice cream on stop was phenomenal, not to mention the donut with it. I may have overdosed on sweetness, but it was totally worth it. I'd highly recommend ordering this on a warmer day. Carter Mountain Orchard is a must during fall in Virginia. I think everyone should visit it at least once.
Was looking for a place similar to the New Hampshire farms I grew up going to. This definitely has the vibe. We didn't mind paying admission to get in on a weekend. However, the lines for everything take forever. We just wanted cider and donuts, and a bag of pre picked apples. We waited over 30 minutes for donuts and cider, which were good but not worth the admission or wait. Donuts are fantastic and served hot, but a little small. Then we waited 20 minutes for apples. They need to either triple the amount of cashiers, or to limit customers each hour by about 100 people. We thought all the pricing was reasonable. But this is definitely a tourist trap and college kid central. If you want a more authentic experience with no crowd, or wait, a smaller farm is a better choice. Overall, we enjoyed and would come back next time we're visiting, but not on a weekend.
Used to love this place, but they've gone for the money grab. $8 per person to get in (with a $1 processing fee on top of that, lol). And now they make you pay for the bags first. No longer do they weigh your apples. No lie, 12 apples for about $12. So altogether today we paid $42 for 6 donuts and about 18 apples. And btw, even with limiting customers by forcing them to buy times entry tickets, it was more crowded today than I've ever seen it. We use to love this place but Unfortunately, we will never be coming back.
Went 10/13/2023, on a Friday afternoon. You must get "tickets" ahead of time on their website. Beautiful mountain-top view. Lots of trees which provided all the apples we needed. They make apple cider doughnuts on-site and fresh-made...awesome. Would go again.
Very disappointed. After speaking with someone weeks ago, they mentioned tickets were not needed to buy fresh donuts or shop at the store. Apparently that's not the case. We would have to buy $8 tickets per person to buy donuts, slushees, and walk the store to buy items. We didn't want to go apple picking but apparently tickets were still required. We ended up doing the drive thru for "fresh hot donuts" more like defrosted donuts. Couldn't use the bathroom or shop the store or take in the views like have before in the past. Hope this isn't how things are going to be from now on. So sad and very upsetting. Foil me once Carter Mountain, but never again.
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why buy insurance for this location when it doesn't pay off? attempted to attend at destination at the appointment time but was denied entry.
Big tourist trap scam. You pay 8 per person to have the “privilege” to spend money on their shops. If you want to pick apples, you pay 12 for a small bag and one container for every 2 to 3 people. Come if you want, just be aware of the price tag to pick yourself the apples. They won’t allow any bags in, not even diaper bags, if you have a baby, go somewhere else. No strollers either.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Been going here for about 8 years now. It’s grown quite a bit over the past couple’s years. We usually come in the summer for peach picking and it’s always a great time. Views are amazing, cider and donuts are delicious.This year we came in October for apple picking.It was a holiday and extremely crowded. They also charged a fee per person to get in plus a min of 1 bag per 2 people to pick apples. This was a bit of a surprise since this is not the case during peach season. Staff said it due to being a holiday during season.I would definitely recommend peach picking on a summer weekend but and if you want to pick apples go on a weekday. Way to crowded and avoid the extra fees.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
The apple cider donuts were delicious. The views of the surrounding valleys and landscape are beautiful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Although our time was very brief at the orchard, we enjoyed our time there. We did not pick apples, but we enjoyed some of their sweets. The apple cidar donut was delicious. Not too sweet and actually warm. We picked the peach ice cream which was peachy. The texture was not so much a soft sweve but in between an icy. It was very delightful on a hot day. We walked out the benches for a sit down and enjoyed a beautiful view of the valley. They had a big gift shop with all kinds of kitchen decors and more pies, cidars and donuts to buy to go. Definitely visit when you are visiting Charlotte.