The spring and summer "pick your own" season is one of our favorite times of the year! Luckily for us, there are some amazing farms around central Virginia that are perfect for picking your own strawberries, blueberries, peaches and apples... and they are easy to navigate with kids.
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."
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!
Here are the best "pick your own" fruit farms that I've visited with kids & a couple more that are on our list to visit this year.
1. Blue Eden Farm: Located in Mechanicsville, this 13 acre farm is the only certified organic blueberry & strawberry farm in Hanover County. Blue Eden Farm is also family-owned & operated, planting their first crop in 2015. We had so much fun picking our own strawberries, seeing the tractors & eating ice cream in the shade last year! They also have bathrooms.
This farm has PYO strawberries and blueberries. They open on Wednesday, May 4 for strawberry picking. They will be open on Wednesdays & Saturdays from 9am-3pm this season. Make sure you check their website or @blueedenfarm to stay up to date on picking conditions. Blueberry picking starts in June!
*Check here for my full review.
2. 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! It’s located about 50 minutes from Short Pump, and it’s right off 95 - perfect for a day trip.
This farm is currently open from 9-6 daily for PYO strawberries and some vegetables. Blueberries, blackberries and more will be ready to pick in June. Check here for pick-your-own schedule.
3. 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 Sunday, May 1 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. Also, so of their crop was damaged by the hail storm a couple weeks ago.
*Check here for my full review.
4. Carter Mountain Orchard: Owned by the Chiles family, Carter Mountain is one of the most popular orchards in central Virginia. 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.
*Check here for my full review and check here for my full review of Cultivating Curiosity.
5.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.
6 .College Run Farms: College Run Farms is small, family owned & operated farm located in Surry. It's about 30 minutes from Jamestown Beach, so the trip is extra special with the free ferry ride! Open since 1999, this farm grows blueberries, strawberries & pumpkins. They also sell homemade ice cream.
This PYO is scheduled to open mid-June with pick-your-own blueberries and homemade ice cream.
*Strawberries are unavailable this year.
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.
Hanover Peach Orchard is usually only open on weekends. You can find farm updates on their Facebook page.
*Check here for my review.
8. 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.
Save the date for Liberty Mills annual Strawberry Festival: Saturday, May 28 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!
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.
9.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!
The PYO fields opens in June with blueberries. You can also pick blackberries, peaches, plums, and apples throughout the summer and fall.
10. 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.
11. Skinquarter Farm Market: We usually love visiting this local farm, but they are not currently open for strawberry season because of a bad hail storm a couple weeks ago. Most of their crops did not survive.
You can still visit the market though! 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.
*Check here for my full review.
12. The Strawberry Patch at Quail Hill Orchard: Located in Hanover, the berry patch is open for the 2022 season! When you arrive at the farm, check in at the red shack. You need to bring your own container for the berries (think tupperwear). They accept cash, check and credit cards (small fee).
*There is not porta potty on site yet!
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!
Don't forget to tag @thewestendmom and #thewestendmom in your adventures! I love seeing all the fun your family has!