The Best Pick Your Own Fruit Farms around RVA

It's pick your own season around Richmond, Virginia! Picking your own fruit is such a fun experience, especially with kids - we love it! My kiddos have so much fun seeing fruit grow, learning about new fruits, and sometimes, trying some new-to-them fruits too.

Central Virginia has the most beautiful farms that offer pick your own strawberries, blueberries, peaches and more. We've visited over 14 Virginia farms with kids under 5 years old, and I've rounded up the best ones we've visited plus my tips and tricks for farm visits with little ones.

Here are the best pick your own fruit farms around Richmond, Virginia to try in 2023:

1. Braehead Farm: This Fredericksburg farm has been family owned since 1937. Braehead Farm has pick your own produce fields for strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, sunflowers & more. The market has prepicked produce, goods and ice cream. There are also bathrooms in the market, Behind the barn is an amazing play area for children with farm animals ($5pp). Chickens roam freely! This farm is open from 9-6 daily.

It’s located about 50 minutes from Short Pump, and it’s right off 95 - perfect for a day trip. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

2023 Season: Braehead Farm expects strawberries to be ready May 1, 2023. Blueberries, blackberries and more will be ready to pick in June. Check here for pick-your-own schedule.

*Check here for my full review & here for details from our last day trip to Braehead!

2. Chesterfield Berry Farm: Located in Moseley, this farm is about 40 minutes from Short Pump. This farm has PYO strawberries, blackberries & pumpkins, and they are currently open for strawberry picking (starting Thursday, April 13 from 9-4). You drive passed the playground & barn to the grass parking lot. Once you’re at the fields, you will wash your hands & grab a bucket to pick strawberries. The fields aren’t too far from the parking lot, so there’s not too much walking for little ones. There are porta potties, too. 

Check their website for hours & to make sure the fields haven't been picked out.

2023 Season: Chesterfield Berry Farm is open Thursday, April 13 from 9am-4pm, Friday, April 14 from 9am-4pm, Saturday, April 15 from 9am-4pm, and Sunday, April 16 from 9am-4pm. Hayrides, kitchen, and games WILL NOT be open.

*Check here for my full review.

3. Carter Mountain Orchard: Owned by the Chiles family, Carter Mountain is one of the most popular orchards in central Virginia. It's located in Charlottesville, and you can pick apples, peaches and pumpkins. Peach picking begins is from June to August, and apple picking is from late August to November. It’s easily a full day adventure - you can purchase food, like the famous apple cider donuts, eat on the lawn with sweeping views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, enjoy Bold Rock Brewery & pick your own apples or peaches. This orchard also has bathrooms.

Carter Mountain Orchard also hosts Cultivating Curiosity on Mondays & Tuesdays in June, July and August. This educational program is for children 3-8, but all ages are welcome. This is a parent & me style class - no drop offs. We tried this when my littles were almost 1 and almost 3.

2023 Season: Peach picking is June through September. Apple picking is late August to November.

*Check here for my full review and check here for my full review of Cultivating Curiosity.

4.Chiles Peach Orchard: Located in Crozet, Chiles Peach Orchard is about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Short Pump. There’s a restaurant, bathrooms, an outdoor patio and open air store. At the peach orchard, you can pick your own strawberries in May (open now!), blueberries in June, veggies, flowers and peaches during the summer, and apples in late August through November. The Chiles family also owns Carter Mountain (peaches & apples) and Spring Valley Orchard (cherries). This orchard also has bathrooms.

Similar to Carter Mountain Orchard, Chiles Orchard also hosts a parent & me class: Come Grow with Us. It is on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in June, July and August. This educational program is for children 3-8, but all ages are welcome.

I prefer this orchard with little kids because the walk from the parking lot & the store is easier than Carter Mountain. The ground is flat, and an all terrain stroller or wagon works into the orchard.

2023 Season: Strawberry picking is mid-April through mid-June. Blueberry picking is in June. Peach picking is June through September. Vegetable picking is July though October. Apple picking is late August to November. Pumpkin picking is September to November.

*Check here for my full review & here for details on our last trip to Chiles.

5. Critzer Family Farm: Located in Afton, Critzer Family Farm has pumpkins, strawberries, peaches and apples. This PYO farm is free to visit - no admission cost, only pay for what you pick. The farm serves homemade ice cream, has a large picnic area & play space. The play area has trucks, a slide, seesaw, picnic tables & ducks! Porta potties are next to the play area. This farm is stroller friendly & easy to navigate with little kids!

2023 Season: Strawberry season starts on April 25 at 8am.

*Check here for my review.

6. Gallmeyer Farm's The Berry Patch: Located in Varina, this 100 year old family farm has a veggie stand, berry patch, & a pumpkin patch. Gallmeyer Farm is also famous for their sweet corn, too. In late April and May, the farm opens for strawberry season. The Berry Patch is at a different location than The Pumpkin Patch, so make sure to put the address below in your GPS before heading out.

2023 Season: The PYO strawberry season is scheduled for May.

*Check here for my review.

7. Hanover Peach Orchard: Located in Mechanicsville, Hanover Peaches is about 30 minutes from Short Pump. This family-owned orchard is 20 acres, and they grow peaches and nectarines in the summer and apples in the fall. Strollers & wagons work in the orchard. The ground is flat, and the paths are grass or dirt. This orchard also has bathrooms & a market.

2023 Season: Peach picking is June through September. Hanover Peach Orchard is usually only open on weekends. You can find farm updates on their Facebook page.

*Check here for my review.

8. Historic Greenbrier Farms: Located in Chesapeake, this pick your own farm has strawberries, tulips, peaches, wildflowers, sunflowers, pumpkins & Christmas trees on 300 acres. Greenbrier Farms also has a nursery, play area, event space and a restsurant. While visiting a nearby museum, we added this spot to our trip before heading home. We spent about an hour picking tulips & exploring.

2023 Season: The strawberry crops are ready now! You can also pick your own tulips in March/April while the crop is there!

*Check here for my full review of Greenbrier Farms.

9. Liberty Mills Farm: Located in Orange, Liberty Mills Farm opens in May for pick your own strawberries. Besides picking your own strawberries, little ones can play in the outdoor play space that has a large wooden tractor play structure, a slide, natural stepping stones and more! Don't forget to grab some tractor-made ice cream (yep - they make their own ice-cream with a tractor!) as a sweet treat to finish off your adventure.

If you're looking for an entire day adventure, you could pick your own strawberries at Liberty Mills Farm, grab lunch at BBQ Exchange, and then tour James Madison’s Montpelier.

2023 Season: They could open before the end of April, but they will definitely be open in May.

Save the date for Liberty Mills annual Strawberry Festival: Saturday, May 27 from 9:30-3. The festival has free parking and free admission. There will be strawberry picking, vendors, Firefly on the Fly food truck, and a Berry Best Dressed Baby Contest!

*Check here for my review of Liberty Mills Farm.

10. Market at Grelen: This property is a 600 acres with a nursery, PYO fields, a gift shop, 5 miles of trails that connect to Montpelier, and a casual cafe (with bathrooms). It’s located in Orange County, about an hour from Richmond. This is one of our favorite day trips because the property is so beautiful, even if we can't pick any fruit!

2023 Season: The PYO fields opens in June with blueberries. You can also pick blackberries, peaches, plums, and apples throughout the summer and fall.

*Check here for my full review and check here for details on our peach picking experience.

11. Mount Olympus Farm: Located in Ruther Glen, this pick your own strawberry farm is about 35 minutes from Richmond. It is a family owned farm with strawberries (open now), blueberries (June & July) and pumpkins (September & October). They also have a market with vegetables, fruit, and snacks & a garden center with plants. There is also a bathroom (it says for emergency use only, but the employees said it was okay for us to use it). Call the market at 804-448-0395 to check the current picking conditions.

This farm is extremely easy to navigate with little kids. While you check in at the white barn that's at the farm's entrance, parking for the strawberry fields is directly across from the fields. It's maybe a 30 second walk once you park. This is the first farm we've visited this year, and they have a very strong crop. We were able to find so many ripe strawberries with very little walking.

2023 Season: The strawberry crops will be ready May 1.

12. Skinquarter Farm Market: This is a family owned farm and produce stand is located in Moseley. They sells local produce, Montana Gold Bread, plants, and more. One of the highlights of visiting this farm is Jimer's! Jimer's currently only accepts cash, and they are closed on Tuesdays & Wednesdays.

2023 Season: Waiting on strawberry details!

*Check here for my full review.

13. The Strawberry Patch at Quail Hill Orchard: This family-owned farm is open for strawberry picking! The Strawberry Patch at Quail Hill Orchard is quaint, free to visit & easy with kids. Everything is located in close proximity, so we didn’t need our stroller. The owners are very kind too - they greet you as you arrive & will help you find the best rows to pick from. They even showed the kids how to tell which berries are ready to be picked. We picked a pound in 30 minutes, but we were there for about an hour.

2023 Season: The strawberry crops are ready now!

*Check here for my review.

14. Windy Knoll Farm: Located in Mechanicsville, this family friendly farm has been open to the community since 1877. It started as a Christmas Tree Farm, and the family has added flowers, berries, and animals since it's inception. They also offer barn yard experiences where children can touch, feed and hold chicks, bunnies, ducks, goats, a horse and a calf. While the farm doesn't have an admission cost for pick-your-own fruits, it costs $15 per kiddo for the animal experiences. Adults are free.

2023 Season: Blueberry picking is in June, sunflowers are July, pumpkins are end-September through October, and Christmas trees are in December.

Quick Tips & Facts:

1) When we visit farms, I always bring our sunscreen, bug spray, hats and snacks. You just never know when the market will be closed or if it will be extra hot that day! Almost all produce grows in full sun, too.

2) Almost every farm and orchard has uneven terrain - vines in the patches & the field. Strollers usually don't work. Bring a baby carrier or plan on using your stroller as a "home base" around the farm. Here's my favorite all terrain stroller.

3) These are working farms. Dress accordingly. We always wear closed toed shoes.

4) Most PYO farms do not allow backpacks or large bags in the fields. Because we use a backpack as a diaper bag and we need it all the time, I've had our backpack checked before.

5) Some farms don't have bathrooms, and some only have porta potties. We always bring our car potty because it's just easier for little kids. Click here for the one we use and love.

6) If it has rained recently, the farms, including the parking lot, fields & play areas will be very wet and muddy.

7) The picking supply can change at anytime. Make sure to contact the local farm or check its Facebook page for the most up to date information!

Did your favorite Virginia pick your own farm make this list? If it didn't, send me an email at megan@thewestendmom.com , so we can check it out!

For more things to do with kids in Richmond, follow all of our adventures on @thewestendmom !