Reviews of Hillcrest Orchards (Fruit Store)

Emily Patterson

Best apple orchard in ellijay ga! So much to do! Fun for all ages

Espisito McClarty

Great for the kids and first timers.

Doug Payne

Ok if you've got the extra money at $12 per person regardless of age. Kids will enjoy inside activities but not worth it for adults. If you don't have kids don't go. You pay the $12 just to go inside. Then pay extra for picking apples. Bought apple fritter there that was hard and dry. On the way home stopped down the road from them at a great place that had much better quality food items. They seemed to be more concerned about quality and variety of fresh fruit and vegetables offered. Hillcrest is trying to capitalize on too many things and forgetting about the basics like quality and price.

Kyala Ahava

This is my favorite apple orchard. The weekdays are very chill. They have goats and great things for kids to do. There is also an observational beehive. I love their apple cider donuts and pork rinds. Pork rinds are better than the stores. My fiance and I go up there every year for the apple cider slushy and pecks of apples.

Marc Terry

My mom was put in Hospice 3 months ago for lung cancer. She has had some good days and we decided to take her to her "Happy Place" her camper in Ellijay. My Sister and I suggested taking her to a place where she might pet the animals and the 6 of us loaded up and went to Hillcrest. The parking attendant young man was very helpful in parking. (Mom is in a wheelchair) although a little rough getting from lot to door. They went their way shopping while I checked out the petting zoo and fun part .It is kinda hidden from view and looked like it might not be easy to push her .I asked the girl taking money (Jessica) if I could walk in and see if it would be worth paying $11 per person . It would not if we couldn't take mom .She said their have been wheelchairs before and if I wanted to look I would have to pay first. I explained about Mom and the new wheelchair to which she said if you want in this gate you are going to pay . I promptly asked her name. Thanked her for her help, found my family and asked them to put up their items and we left. So disappointed over such a small thing .

Marilyn Turk

We live in Florida, and we go to north GA once a year for apple season. Last year we visited Hillcrest for the first time and brought our grandson. It was a weekend, so there were lots of people and many things for the kids to do. We watched him as he participated in everything there. This year, however, we only had two days in Ellijay and spent the first day at the Apple Festival fairgrounds. We had our grandson who is nine now with us. He had a holiday, on Monday, so we went to Hillcrest because they had some children's activities like the petting zoo, which he really wanted to do, and a playground area. The place was practically deserted, but at $8 per person and nothing happening, we asked if he could go in alone and we'd wait in the store. The attendant said fine, we signed a waiver, and she put his bracelet on him and let him in. We moseyed around the store about an hour and a half, which was really boring with nothing going on on Mondays (I don't even know why they bother to open really), during which time my husband checked on our grandson a couple of times by looking in the fence and saw him playing with the animals. When we were ready to leave to drive back to Florida, my husband went to pick him up and found that he had been sent to the front when a lady who worked there discovered he was not with an adult. She basically chewed my husband out for leaving him alone, which we didn't do, and we had asked beforehand if it was okay to let him go in alone. There was no sign saying we couldn't. The area is fenced in and we were there the whole time, the place was not crowded at all, and we thought a fourth grader was capable of petting animals and playing on a playground by himself. We never left the premises. If Hillcrest wants an adult to be with every child, then they should post a sign saying so and at least give a discount, especially to senior citizens like ourselves who have nothing to do but watch. And there's not even a place to sit inside the store to wait, much less look outside. We were very dissatisfied with our time there and wish we'd just stopped at Panorama and gotten some fresh pies where we could sit down and enjoy them instead of wasting our time and money at Hillcrest. .

Misha Rebello

Awesome place to visit with kids.

RB

It's often hard to find activities for 5 and under in mountain regions. This place was awesome for the little ones!

Yu Lee

Place is good, a lot of fun. Entrance $10 each ,kids also $10 each. Apple's you cannot taste until you buy it for extra extra $12 ,- not fair. We pay $50 entrance fee, be good if they give at least one Free apple to each ticket purchaser.

Andrea Renée

Not a great place for handicap! We told the lady someone in our group was handicap and she didn’t care or offer any help. They should offer anyone handicap I ride back from the museum considering they told us they were not coming back to the area when we wanted to stay back. The older lady wasn’t friendly she was hateful and kinda rude!!

Athir M Jassim

Love this spot and kids friendly.

Doug Todd

A slightly larger apple house than others in the area, with apples and much more. They are very family oriented, offering a "petting zoo" of farm animals, an old tractor with a talking farmer mannequin, pictures of history, and occasional tours of the place. Inside you will find a great variety of apples, sauces, jams, jellies, relishes, fruit tarts and pies, apple cider---and warm, welcoming country folks who are glad to see you and help you. We never miss Hillcrest Orchards when we are in the area for any reason.

Brandon Morris

Amazing fresh/warm donuts. Love it!

Annastasia Rodgers

We had a blast! We picked apples at the end and shuttled up to to the last parking area. :)

Tomi Ostendorf

It was fun for the kids but they literally only let you hold the animals like the baby chick and kitten for about 20 seconds and then you move on. We went on a tour.

Benny Griffis

Took my Daughter and 2 y/o Granddaughter. Had a blast!! Well worth the time and money.

Tatianna Aponte

Absolutely LOVE this place, we go every year for the apple festival. Pick your own apples, tractor rides, fun and games for kids of all ages.

Irma Williams

I enjoyed taking my daycare group and the apples were amazing!

Hank Martin

Enjoyable market area and food stalls. The kid activities looked to be enjoyed by the younger children. The down sides were that the market was 15° hotter than the outside, signage for apple types was too sparse, signs for wagon ride queues were non-existent, and unlike some orchards they obviously do not pick up fallen apples to feed livestock. If you want an apple picking experience with knowledgeable orchard hands pointing you in the right direction, have only older kids, or group members offended by the vinegary smell of rotting apples you may want to go elsewhere. Smaller kids, old folks, and/or nose blind? This is your place.

Dale Sheeley

Second year we've gone. Very kid friendly. Decent amount of attractions to keep the children occupied. Friendly atmosphere and staff. Gets pretty crowded after 2pm.

Madison .Chilvers

Definitely worth the drive from Atlanta! My son had so much fun. He smiled and laughed the entire time we were there! There are so many fun things for children to play with. Great selection of apples. Very disappointed the Apple Cider was out. (especially since we came on a weekday and were 2 of 6 people there...)

Mindy Dawn Friedman

Best family tradition. Pig races!

Chris Jacobs

My children had such a wonderful time visiting Hillcrest Orchards!

Michael Beckler

Hillcrest has a lot to do, but everything there is quite pricey and some of the activities they offer border on gimmicky. You have to purchase an admission ticket, and then pay an additional price to pick apples. Their apples are pretty good, but the experience of picking apples is not really worth the premium in my opinion.

Denise Hemerlein

Wonderful place to visit, but going during the actual apple season is extremely hot, uncomfortable, and a bit miserable. Hillcrest needs more places for shade, especially the popular kids areas and it isn’t accommodating for older folks; rough terrain and very little seating. Besides the heat and lack of shade, there is SO much to do here! Impossible to fit it all in in a day. Memories for a lifetime!

Lana Severinsky

Very family friendly, tons if stuff for kids to do including petting zoo, zip line, tractor and wagon rides, bouncing patch, slides, swings, bicycle rides and many more. The farm shop has a great selection of homemade jams. We were there on Sunday around noon and it was quite crowded. The place looks a bit shabby and the playgrounds could use some renovation. Found it a bit overpriced ($12 per person including kids), especially when we already couldn’t enjoy the apple picking.

Blake Branch

Lots of activities for children.

Pamela Barrett

Great place for kids and families to have fun!

Andrew Magazu

Had a good time. Lots of stuff for the kiddos. Apples were delicious, but OMG the crowds! Best to go early and get out early!

Jessica Hull

This is a touristy place mainly for kids but a great place to pick apples, try apple products (pie, fritter, donuts, cider), watch pig races, petting zoo, play games, go through mazes (apple and corn) plus jump on a bubble.

Lena D

Very nice for kids, actually for the whole family. I would definitely go back again. Donuts are yummy, and the apples are OMG sooo good!!

Clifford Wooden, Jr

Great time for family and great food.

Rudy Weber

One of the better farms I've ever been to. Lots and lots of activities for a reasonable price relative to other farms. Among the things to do include milking a cow, picking apples, petting zoo, watching pig races, great playground with fun slides, eat fresh ice cream, and watch how they get honey from bees. I went on a day where it was terrible weather and we still left amazed at all the activities we were able to enjoy. I'll be going back regularly.

J Taylor Moore

We had a great visit. Helpful and friendly staff. Lots of fun for the kids. You should definitely make time to see the pig races.

Sara C

Kind of expensive for a bag of apples. The kids seemed to have fun though.

Charles O'Donnell

Sprawling, crowded, and filled with an odd assortment of activities. I would say great for children under about 10. The entrance fee does include a lot of different shows and activities, but given the price I would think you should get a few apples as a sample.

Elaine Gecowets

This used to be my go to place but it has gotten so commercial.I still go because my favorite varieties of apples are there..I weave through the tremendous crowds to buy my apples and fresh made apple cider donuts

Vikas Sharma

With 14 for entry and same for a bag, $28 is pricey for the visit. They list number of activities but most are either for kids only or free in other orchids. Who charges for wagon rides or pig races:) kinda clever marketing. Anyways what set us off is that we were party of 13 people, spent more than $300 there and they confiscated our pickings just because someone among us was tasting the picks before exiting. If adults can’t taste do they pay 28 just to take a walk and collect couple of dollars of apples!! There are plenty of other orchids around with relax policy and adults don’t have to pay for kids activities.

Haena Choi

Best dates I've ever had! The place is truly southern in the best ways. My boyfriend and I were able to go apple picking and have sweet conversations with strangers, drink homemade sweet tea and fresh pork rinds, listen to quality live bluegrass and country music, play with baby goats, cows, chickens, and cats! There's so much to taste and do there with the family. Yes, it's crowded but nothing that I couldn't handle with my best friend by my side! The apple picking areas are most spread out than you think so don't be afraid to explore! If it weren't so far away, I'd come by every year:)

Pam Covington

Lots of fruit and preserves. Petting zoo for kids. Nice people, great place to visit.

Bernardo Sanchez

Not a good place to pick apples To expensive they charge you $8.00 small bag and $14.00 for the big But fits about 10 apples on the big bag Plus $12.00 for person admission

The30isnew20 .

This is my 3rd year going to this Apple farm and the first two years was worth the drive and the apples were fresh. This year the apples were rotten and there were hundreds of bees everywhere. I couldn't enjoy myself and not to mention it was a horrible smell, it smelled like dead animals it was just terrible! They clearly are not putting there money back into the farm and they went up on there prices of the food. Plus they charge you for everything I left with a small bag of apples that I couldn't even fill up because the apples were that bad. This is for sure my last year coming to this farm. It was a complete waste of time & money! They most definitely need new farm managers.

Robert Goodrich

It was so fun

Nikki Ussery

Very family friendly. Tons of things for kids to do. Lots of food options. Live entertainment. Baby goats. Mini golf. Tractor rides. Huge variety of Yummy apples to pick and eat

Jim Pazda

Brought Mom to the last pig race of the season ( w/bonus duck and chicken race )AND got the best apple fritters ever !

Pete Alden

Attended Orchard Church and people there were amazing, on way back home visited a roadside stand for boiled peanuts and hot sauce, husband and wife an absolute joy and so kind and generous. Could feel the love in that area so much! God bless.

Linda Holland

Awesome place too eat and have fun. But the prices are a little high but other than that I love the place.

Shante James

Love the attractions. Picking apples with my family was amazing. I recommend going at least once a year. Fun for the entire family.

Abbie Szalbirak

It's ok for little kids it's pricey so plan on spending a full day there they won't let you just apple pick so I wouldn't go there for picking.

kimberleyander .

My children look forward every year to coming here. I thought this year we would avoid the crowds and go on Friday. So for the $8 per person (including kids) we could use the play areas, the petting zoo, ride the tractor and the nature trail (strange nursery rhyme display) and that was it. No apple picking or any other kids activities, even the tricycles racing. So it was very disappointing for the kids. Positives the apple are delicious. Also note the place is not wheelchair or walker friendly.

Shaes Kitchen

For the last 3 years I have made a point to take the long trip up to hillcrest because my friends and our kids always have a great time. Unfortunately, this year we did not enjoy ourselves at all. We got attacked by bees as soon as we entered and the smell of the rotting apples and animals were horrible. I understand you can't control nature and the issue of it being 80 degrees in mid Oct but staff could be hired to pick up apples in the non orchard areas to keep the bees from being an issue in those areas. Also, the prices have gone up and the apples were mostly bruised. It just was not a good experience this time. I feel like I wasted a lot of money and now I have to find another orchard to go to.

A

Cool place to pick your own apples and brings the family to. Several kids activities such as:animal petting, slides, Apple picking, etc. Very crowded during peak season. I suggest you get there in the morning rather than afternoon due to crowds and parking.

Sean Cleveland

Great fun for the family. A little pricey but if your plan ahead it is well worth the time & money

Katryna Rushton

Nice selection of apples that I never heard of and the prettiest sweet potatoes I have ever seen and they taste scrumptious. Going back to get some to make my Thanksgiving pies!! You have to also get the Muscadine cider. The ladies here were really helpful and nice.

Elizabeth Aker

Drove up from St Petersburg, Florida because my boyfriend and I were interested in some you-pick apples. Apparently this place is a Georgia is THE solution - and so rightly so!! SUCH a good experience - From the actual apple picking (gives you the options for bag sizes for how many apples you'll be wanting!) to the hot apple cider - everything was above what I had been expecting! Made the 8hr trip from St Petersurg WELL WORTH IT - and a memorable experience! You can barely sit still on the "country drive" there, everything is so beautiful! The orchards are very well maintained, all by a very kind, courteous staff, and just a beautifully taken care of facility. Love their store too - in case you didn't want to "pick" any apples, they sell them individually and by baskets..... AND again, above and beyond on the staff's customer service... our cashier was being friendly and polite and mentioned our gallon of apple cider we had purchased....and mentioned it needed to be refrigerated. We at first were sad thinking we had to leave without gallon....and then our attendant offered to give us a frozen gallon of cider to help make the drive back to Florida!!! AAAAA++++++++ ALL AROUND! SO IMPRESSED WITH THIS ORCHARD!

Erin Mobbs

First time will go again, was great

Xavier Thomas

These fools ain’t have not ONE apple when we got here.

Tatiana Bo

Great experience, fun games and pretty big petting zoo... only thing I wasn't a huge fan of was that it was super crowded!!

Deborah Ward

Fresh fruits and vegetables,friendly merchants

ronnie cronnon

Fresh apples, jams & jellies. All things apples. They have a petting zoo, entertainment, etc. My favorite is the Apple doughnuts.

Katherine Herdt

We went with our homeschool group and we were really disappointed. We were rushed, didn't get to do everything we were supposed to do and the majority of the employees weren't friendly. The kids had a great time but our group won't be coming back

Mark Alan

Best freshly ground corn meal around.

Jennifer Simpson

Something for everyone!!! We bought apples apple doughnuts and some wonderful peach steak sauce

Kimberly Simmons

School field trip! Awesome place for kids. My son loved the mini zip line. The petting zoo was neat. Lots of history, very educational. Thanks!

Eric Stamm

Don't waste your time. They expect you to pay $12 just to walk into the orchard, then pay for the full price to pick apples.

Karen Glaze

Awesome experience when visiting, go early, the people are super nice and the apples are delicious, apple cider is very good, the setup was fantastic.

Greg Gardner

Great for kids $ 8 dollars for three 3 yr olds was a bit much had great pies

Vmudgil

Good place to hang out with kids. Although various reasons for it could've been better. 1. Very bad smell throughout the orchard. 2. Expensive. Charged full amount $12 for infant entry too. Separate $12 for full bag to pick apples. Separate fee for Bungy for kids. 3. Apple orchard hardly had any good apples to pick from. Although lots of activities for kids to have fun for entire day. Hayride, Circular rides, Maze, Pet Farm, Local Family Band playing Live on Stage, Milking Buttercup (Cow), Big Jumpy Pillow, and lots more to play.

Nick Colvin

Amazing apple fritters. Fresh no preservative apple cider. Long lines and very crowded.

William Parks

Great selection of fresh apples. Yummy

Georgia Holley

This is by far the best apple orchard in the area. It offers it all and is very reasonably priced. There is not another apple orchard that offers more than this one. It is only $10 pp and includes a huge list of things to do that eill keep you and your family entertained for hours. It is great for the entire family from 0-100 and there really is something for everyone here. The apple cider donuts & apple cider are absolutely amazing too!! It is a yearly tradition for us to visit and we can't wait to bring our little one here next year after he is born.

Amy Sprenkle

Fantastic touristy spot. Lots of different varieties of apples. Jams, preserves, canned goodies, fried pies, apple cider donuts. And t-shirts. Great day trip in the fall.

Emily Griswold

Good fun for families with lots to do and we'll maintained grounds. However there aren't enough signs indicating the variety of apples. Spent a lot of aimless wandering looking for the right ones. A map and more signs on each row of trees would help a lot.

Susan Head

We look forward to going every year! Apple fritters, Apple slushy, Apple cider! All delicious!

Melisa Searcy

The nicest people and they have such awesome goats! Had a wonderful time learning about the farm.

Monica Guerra

Came here for a last minute trip while on our way to see the falls and we're sure glad we did. The wagon ride and petting zoo were my favorite. I even got to interact and feed the cow. The people working were super nice. Will be coming back!

Joyce 31202

First visit that showed the American past and how people lived in early 1900's. Each portion of the apple house contained rooms with functional items of that time period. Interesting facts about various apples and how the peach state of Georgia is actually the apple state. Good apples and apple products abound. There was a complete tour of the whole orchard. The entrance fee of $25 was for a full tour of the apple house and orchard, complete with apple cider and ice cream social at the end of the tour. Upon arrival, we could buy apple products at the store. The smell of animal matter was the only disagreeable part of the orchard tour.

Glenn Wilder

Among the other apple orchards in the area, average - but it also includes a petting zoo and an area for kids' activities that charges admission.

M Steel

Nice but small place.

Kenny Tomlin

This place is in Ellijay Georgia is an apple farm you can pick yourself or purchase out of the barn it has baked goods there apple turnover from really good it also has some can goods at all so that I found very good bought a jar of pickled okra didn't last the night I ate it all it has a Petting Farm in a miniature golf course and Amphitheatre very pleasant

Katherine H.

Love Love Love this apple Orchard! I only go on the weekdays so I can't tell you about all the awesome stuff they have there on the weekends, but on the weekdays you can still visit the petting farm, they have the sweetest animals and a cute goat that does a neat trick. Plenty of space and play areas. It is like a kids dream! Giant slides, corn maze, an awesome sandbox (it is shaded to!) We stay for hours and then picnic at the nearby sunflower fields a few miles away. It is our favorite apple orchard!!!!

Jason Speed

Busy place, we visited several apple stores, this one was okay.. nice walk through the orchards and friendly staff. We came on a weekend that was a beautiful day, but not much to do as we were told everything was the previous week, spent $32 (@ $8 ×4) for a tractor ride and to pet a Goat...

Kevin LeCureux

Lots of fun activities for young children. There's a petting zoo, core train, play areas, had rides and exhibits. Most of the activities are included in admission.

Erik Benner

Great place for kids to play, see some farm animals and watch adults pick apples fresh from the trees.

Nicole Rivas

Having relocated from New England our standards are pretty high, and the farm itself is really nice. The apples we brought home were delicious and the cider donuts are to die for. But the cost outweighed the quality of their products. The entrance fee covers activities including a tractor ride, jumping pillow, mini golf, a playground and several others. While the $12 per person isn't totally ridiculous for all that is included, you cannot pick apples without paying the entrance fee. And then you still have to purchase a bag to pick apples. We hadn't intended on spending so much for a bag of farm fresh apples.

Andrea Smith

Wonderful place for the kids!

Cassandra Self

2nd year going. Will probably continue to return every year. Lots to do for the price. A full day of family fun.

Ayush Jha

Good place for a family outing. However $12 blanket ticket everyone from 1 year old to 100 is kind of expensive..could have done half and full model! Apple picking and animal patting was fun. Totally worth it. Wagon ride is also.good. however the people working in restaurants and stores have some opportunities..the lines move way too slow and I couldn't wait as the line wasnt moving for.15 minutes..same experience in their store..slow processing...so mixed experience thats why rating it.as 3!!!!