The Georgia Apple Festival runs two weekends in October — Saturday and Sunday, October 10-11 and October 17-18, 2026 — at the Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds, and it’s the single busiest reason GA-515 backs up through Gilmer County that month. The festival itself is an arts-and-crafts show with a few hundred vendors, not a working orchard, so if picking your own apples is the point of the trip, you’ll want to pair it with a stop at one of Ellijay’s u-pick farms the same day.
This guide covers both halves of an Ellijay apple trip: the Georgia Apple Festival’s confirmed dates, admission, and parking situation, and the separate (and longer) apple-picking season at Gilmer County orchards like Hillcrest Orchards and B.J. Reece Orchards, plus nearby Mercier Orchards just over the county line in Blue Ridge. Dates and fees below are pulled directly from georgiaapplefestival.org and the orchards’ own sites — where a number wasn’t posted, we say so rather than guess.
Ellijay is about 75 miles north of Atlanta, roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours via GA-400 North to GA-515 in normal traffic. On festival Saturdays, add real time for the last few miles into town.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can you pick apples at the festival itself? | No. The fairgrounds event is an arts-and-crafts vendor show; u-pick happens at separate orchards a short drive away. |
| When is the best day and time to go? | Sunday morning right at opening is the lightest of the four festival days. Saturdays are heaviest, and the second weekend usually outdraws the first. |
| How long should you budget? | Half a day for the festival, or a full day if you add an orchard stop. |
| How far is it from Atlanta? | About 75 miles, roughly 1 hr 45 min to 2 hrs via GA-400 North to GA-515 — plus real extra time on festival Saturdays. |
| What does it cost? | Festival gate admission is not published; check georgiaapplefestival.org/faqs before you go. U-pick admission at B.J. Reece Orchards is listed at $8. |
| Are dogs allowed? | No. Pets are barred from the festival and from its shuttle buses, service animals excepted. The three orchards do not publish a pet policy, so call ahead. |
| Is it stroller-friendly? | Partly. Flat grass and gravel at the fairgrounds suits a big-wheeled stroller, but the orchard rows are uneven dirt and visitors ride wagons or tractors instead. |
Georgia Apple Festival at a Glance
| Detail | What to Know |
|---|---|
| 2026 dates | October 10-11 and October 17-18 (Sat-Sun both weekends), confirmed on the festival’s official FAQ page |
| Location | Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds, 1729 South Main Street, Ellijay, GA 30540 |
| Recurrence | Traditionally the second and third weekends of October, every year |
| Admission | Not posted publicly as of this writing — check the festival’s FAQ page for the current per-person gate price |
| Parking & shuttle | Shuttle buses run on busy days (pets not permitted on shuttles); exact lot locations and cost vary by year — check the festival’s site or Facebook page close to your visit date |
| Dogs | Not allowed at the festival; service animals only |
| Drive from Atlanta | About 75 miles, roughly 1 hr 45 min-2 hrs via GA-400 N and GA-515 |
When is the Georgia Apple Festival, and what are the hours?
The 2026 Georgia Apple Festival is confirmed for October 10-11 and October 17-18, Saturday and Sunday across both weekends, according to the official FAQ page at georgiaapplefestival.org. The festival’s own materials describe the recurring pattern as “the second and third weekends in October,” so if you’re reading this in a different year and don’t see a specific date announced yet, plan around that same two-weekend window and confirm on the official site once it posts.
Exact daily opening and closing hours aren’t listed in the portion of the FAQ page we could access at publish time. Arts-and-crafts festivals at the Lions Club Fairgrounds typically run standard daytime hours on both Saturday and Sunday — confirm the current year’s exact hours on the festival’s FAQ page before you leave home, since vendors do pack up before dark.
What does admission cost?
The festival’s FAQ page includes the question “How much does it cost to get in?”, but the exact figure wasn’t retrievable in our research pass. Check georgiaapplefestival.org/faqs directly before you go rather than assuming a price, since gate fees at community festivals change year to year and this guide won’t guess at a dollar amount we can’t verify.
What is confirmed: this is a vendor and craft festival, not an orchard. You won’t pick apples at the fairgrounds itself — you’ll buy them, along with fried pies, apple butter, and hundreds of handmade goods from the festival’s vendors. For the actual picking, head to one of the orchards covered below.
Where do you park, and is there a shuttle?
The festival runs shuttle buses during its busiest hours, which is the clearest sign that fairgrounds parking alone can’t handle two-weekend crowds pulling in from across North Georgia. One confirmed detail: animals of any kind are not allowed on the shuttle buses, even though the festival is already a no-pets event. Shuttle pickup points, parking lot locations, and any parking fee are not consistently published year to year — check the festival’s FAQ page or Facebook page in the week before your visit for that year’s shuttle map.
Plan to arrive early on a festival Saturday. South Main Street and the fairgrounds lots fill fast once the shuttle lots start directing traffic, and GA-515 through East Ellijay carries festival traffic plus everyone else’s fall leaf-peeping and orchard trips on the same two weekends.
Which day and time should you go?
Sunday morning, right at opening, is the lightest window of the four festival days. Saturdays draw the heaviest crowds both weekends, and the second weekend (October 17-18) typically outdraws the first because it lands closer to peak fall foliage in the North Georgia mountains, pulling in day-trippers who are already driving up GA-515 for the leaves.
GA-515 itself is the bottleneck to plan around, not just the fairgrounds. Weekend mornings in October routinely see slow, stop-and-go traffic through Ellijay and East Ellijay as festival visitors, orchard visitors, and mountain-town tourists converge on the same two-lane stretches. Leaving Atlanta before 9 a.m. or after the lunch rush cuts down on the worst of it. If October crowds are the deciding factor, our guides to Dahlonega Gold Rush Days and Helen Oktoberfest cover the other two big North Georgia fall festivals.
| Orchard | Where | U-pick hours | Admission | Ride to the rows | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B.J. Reece Orchards | Ellijay | 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Sunday | $8, per the Gilmer County Chamber events calendar | Not published | The only one of the three with a posted admission price. Sunday picking does not start until 1 p.m. |
| Hillcrest Orchards | Ellijay | 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily in September and October; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in November | Not published | Wagon ride through the orchard | Runs a separate Apple Pickin Jubilee on selected fall weekends; the first 2026 weekend is September 5-6. |
| Mercier Orchards | Blue Ridge, about 20 minutes north of Ellijay | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekends | Not published | Tractor ride, and staff supply picking containers | More than 40 varieties, with a live week-to-week currently-picking list on its site. |
When can you actually pick apples near Ellijay?
The u-pick season around Ellijay runs far longer than the festival’s two weekends — most orchards open for picking in late summer and stay open into November, with different apple varieties ripening at different points along the way. Here’s what’s confirmed at three of the area’s best-known stops.
B.J. Reece Orchards (Ellijay)
B.J. Reece Orchards’ u-pick is listed on the Gilmer County Chamber’s own events calendar at $8 admission, open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. That Sunday-afternoon-only window matters if you’re building a day trip around a Sunday festival visit — plan the orchard stop for after 1 p.m., or pick on a different day.
Hillcrest Orchards (Ellijay)
Hillcrest Orchards posts daily hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in September and October, shifting to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in November on its own site. Hillcrest also runs a separate on-site event, the Apple Pickin’ Jubilee, on selected weekends through the fall; the Gilmer County Chamber’s calendar confirms the first 2026 weekend as September 5-6, with additional Jubilee weekends continuing later in the season. A wagon ride through the orchard is part of the visit, which does double duty as your kid-hauling option if you’d rather not push a stroller through orchard rows. Check hillcrestorchards.net directly for current-year Jubilee weekend dates and gate pricing, which weren’t posted in the pages we could access.
Mercier Orchards (Blue Ridge)
Mercier Orchards sits about 20 minutes north of Ellijay in Blue Ridge — worth the detour, and an easy add-on if you’re already headed that way for our guide to things to do in Blue Ridge, GA. Mercier’s u-pick hours run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, with picking typically available from August into October depending on the weather and what’s ripe. A tractor ride out to the orchard rows is included, and staff supply picking containers.
Mercier’s site lists a live, week-to-week “currently picking” variety list rather than a fixed ripening calendar — a snapshot during our research showed Cameo, Ambrosia, Crimson Crisp, Arkansas Black, Red Delicious, and Topaz all ready at once, out of the more than 40 varieties the orchard grows. That list changes through the season: earlier varieties like Gala and Ginger Gold typically go first in late summer, with classic baking apples like Rome and Granny Smith following as fall progresses. Check the current list on mercier-orchards.com the morning you plan to go rather than assuming a specific variety will be ready.
None of these three orchards publish per-pound or per-bag u-pick pricing on the pages we could access — budget for a per-pound charge at the scale on your way out, and check each orchard’s own site for the current rate before you go.
Can you use a stroller at the festival and the orchards?
A stroller works fine at the festival itself and at orchard markets and bakeries, but not for the actual picking. The fairgrounds are flat grass and gravel, so a jogging-style stroller with bigger wheels handles it better than a compact umbrella stroller. Out in the orchard rows, the ground is uneven dirt between tree lines, and both Hillcrest and Mercier move visitors through the orchard by wagon or tractor rather than on a paved path — plan to carry younger toddlers or let them ride the wagon rather than pushing a stroller down the rows.
Restroom facilities exist at the fairgrounds during the festival and at each orchard’s main building, but exact locations and any porta-john overflow during peak festival hours aren’t something the official sites detail — expect lines at midday on a festival Saturday.
Can you bring a dog to the festival or the orchards?
Leave the dog home for the festival: pets aren’t allowed at the Georgia Apple Festival, full stop, with service animals the only exception. That rule is stated plainly on the festival’s own site, and it extends to the shuttle buses too — even a service-animal exception on the shuttle isn’t mentioned, so don’t count on it.
The orchards are a different story, but not a clearly documented one. Neither B.J. Reece, Hillcrest, nor Mercier publishes a blanket dogs-welcome or no-dogs policy on the pages we reviewed. Given that these are working farms with tractors, wagons, other visitors’ small kids, and sometimes petting-farm animals in the mix, call ahead or check each orchard’s current site before bringing a pet along.
Where to Stay
Ellijay itself has limited lodging inventory that gets tight on festival weekends, so most visitors base out of a small town in the surrounding mountains. Our guide to the best small towns in North Georgia covers nearby options with more cabin rentals and restaurant variety if you’re turning the trip into an overnight rather than a day trip from Atlanta. Our North Georgia mountain road trip itinerary maps a longer loop through the same mountains.
What to Skip / Common Mistakes
- Don’t assume the festival has u-pick apples. It’s a craft and vendor show at the fairgrounds; the actual orchards are separate stops a short drive away.
- Don’t skip checking the current-year dates. This is an evergreen guide — always confirm against georgiaapplefestival.org/faqs before you plan around “second and third weekends in October,” since the exact dates shift slightly year to year.
- Don’t bring the dog to the festival. There’s no pet exception besides service animals, and you’ll need to arrange a plan for a pet left in the car — which isn’t advisable on a warm October afternoon either.
- Don’t plan a tight schedule around GA-515. Build in real slack for backups through Ellijay on both festival weekends, especially the second weekend when leaf-peeping traffic overlaps.
- Don’t show up at B.J. Reece on Sunday morning expecting to pick. Sunday hours there don’t start until 1 p.m.
Weather and Rain Policy
The festival’s FAQ page includes “What happens if it rains?” as a listed question, which signals the event does plan to operate through light rain like most outdoor craft festivals — but the specific policy text wasn’t accessible in our research pass. Check the FAQ page directly if rain is in the forecast for your visit. At the orchards, u-pick access can pause during genuinely heavy rain or lightning for safety, and muddy rows are a real possibility after a wet week — closed-toe shoes are the safer call over sandals either way.
How should you plan around crowds, kids, and the dog?
| If you… | Do this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Only have half a day | Do the fairgrounds festival alone, Sunday morning at opening, and skip the orchard leg | Sunday morning at opening is the lightest of the four festival days, and half a day is the right budget for the festival on its own. Adding an orchard makes it a full day. |
| Mainly want to pick apples | Skip both festival weekends and pick on an ordinary weekday instead | The fairgrounds event is an arts-and-crafts vendor show with no u-pick, and Gilmer County orchards pick from late summer into November – so the same drive is far calmer off-festival. |
| Are driving up from Atlanta and back in a day | Leave before 9 a.m. or after the lunch rush | Ellijay is about 75 miles out, roughly 1 hr 45 min to 2 hrs via GA-400 North to GA-515, and October weekend mornings run stop-and-go through Ellijay and East Ellijay. |
| Are picking on a Sunday | Schedule B.J. Reece Orchards for after 1 p.m. | Its Sunday u-pick window is 1 p.m.-6 p.m., not the 9 a.m.-6 p.m. it runs Monday through Saturday. Admission there is listed at $8. |
| Have a toddler and a stroller | Use a big-wheeled jogging stroller at the fairgrounds, then switch to the wagon at Hillcrest Orchards or the tractor at Mercier Orchards | The fairgrounds are flat grass and gravel, but the orchard rows are uneven dirt between tree lines and both orchards move visitors out to the rows by wagon or tractor. |
| Are bringing the dog | Leave the dog home, and call the orchard before assuming it is welcome there either | Pets are not allowed at the Georgia Apple Festival, service animals excepted, and animals of any kind are barred from the shuttle buses. None of the three orchards publishes a pet policy. |
| Get rained on | Wear closed-toe shoes and check the festival FAQ page before you drive | U-pick access can pause during heavy rain or lightning and the rows turn muddy after a wet week. The festival lists a rain question on its FAQ page, so confirm the current policy there. |
FAQ
When is the Georgia Apple Festival in 2026?
The 2026 Georgia Apple Festival runs October 10-11 and October 17-18, both Saturday-Sunday weekends, at the Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds. This is confirmed on the festival’s official FAQ page. In other years, expect the same pattern: the second and third weekends of October.
Can you pick apples at the Georgia Apple Festival?
No. The festival is an arts-and-crafts vendor event at the fairgrounds, not a working orchard. For u-pick apples, visit a separate orchard like Hillcrest Orchards, B.J. Reece Orchards, or Mercier Orchards, all within a short drive of Ellijay.
How much does it cost to get into the Georgia Apple Festival?
The current admission price isn’t published in the portion of the festival’s FAQ page we could access. Check georgiaapplefestival.org/faqs shortly before your visit for the current gate fee.
Are dogs allowed at the Georgia Apple Festival?
No, pets are not allowed at the festival; only service animals are permitted. Pets also are not allowed on the festival’s shuttle buses.
When do apples ripen in Ellijay?
Local orchards typically start u-pick in August with earlier varieties and continue into October and November as later varieties ripen. Check each orchard’s current “now picking” list on its own website the day before you go, since exact ripening shifts with the year’s weather.
How far is Ellijay from Atlanta?
Ellijay is about 75 miles north of Atlanta, roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours via GA-400 North to GA-515 in normal traffic. Add extra time on festival Saturdays and during peak fall foliage weekends in October.
Should we go the first weekend or the second?
Go the first weekend, October 10-11, if you want the smaller crowd. The second weekend, October 17-18, typically outdraws it because it lands closer to peak fall foliage in the North Georgia mountains, which pulls in day-trippers already driving GA-515 for the leaves. Either weekend, Sunday morning at opening is the lightest window.
Is the trip worth it from Atlanta if you mainly want to pick apples?
Yes, but skip the festival weekends. The fairgrounds show has no u-pick, and on October 10-11 and 17-18 the same GA-515 stretch carries festival traffic, orchard traffic, and leaf-peepers at once. Gilmer County orchards pick from late summer into November, so the same 1 hr 45 min drive is far calmer on an ordinary weekday.
What should you do if you only have half a day?
Do the festival alone and skip the orchard leg. Half a day is the right budget for the fairgrounds show, and Sunday morning at opening is the lightest of the four festival days. Adding a u-pick stop turns it into a full day – and if that day is a Sunday, B.J. Reece picking does not start until 1 p.m.
What should you do differently at the orchards with a toddler?
Let them ride rather than pushing a stroller down the rows. Hillcrest Orchards includes a wagon ride through the orchard and Mercier Orchards a tractor ride with picking containers supplied, while the rows themselves are uneven dirt between tree lines. Save the stroller for the fairgrounds, which are flat grass and gravel, and wear closed-toe shoes.
How we checked this guide: Dates, hours, admission and parking prices, and access details were verified against the official sources listed below on . Operators change schedules and raise prices without notice, so confirm anything time-sensitive before you drive. The figures in this guide also feed our Georgia Attraction Transparency Index and Family Day-Out Cost Index.
Sources
- Georgia Apple Festival – Official Site
- Georgia Apple Festival – FAQs (Dates, Pets)
- Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce
- Gilmer County Chamber – Events Calendar (Orchard U-Pick Listings)
- Hillcrest Orchards
- Mercier Orchards – Apple U-Pick
Hank Whitlock is the pen name of the It's Georgia editor. Every guide is built around the questions a busy family actually asks before a trip: how long is the drive, what does parking cost, can the stroller make it, are dogs allowed. Details are checked against official park, city, and venue sources, and each guide shows the date it was last updated.
