Known as the Peach State, Georgia is filled with peachy things to do — including trying our homegrown peaches at a peach orchard on your next North Georgia Mountain vacation with family or friends. When visiting North Georgia peach orchards above Atlanta, you can expect more than just buying peach goods or picking peaches in peach season.
Our top 5 peacheries often feature a variety of other fruits (namely apples — consider visiting Mercier Orchards), vegetables, jams and preserves, fried pies, fresh bread, local honey, chutneys, pickled peaches, ciders, and sometimes homemade peach ice cream. And don’t be surprised if there’s a fun event at the peach orchards in North Georgia!
While May through September is prime time for fresh Georgia peaches, feel free to stop by the fruit farms throughout the year to check out what’s in season besides yummy varieties of peaches on your next Blue Ridge vacation.
1. R & A Orchards | Ellijay
With the first peach trees planted in 1947, R & A Orchards in Ellijay, GA, is a farm dipped in local history. Today, there are rolling fruit and vegetable fields plus a large kitchen where yummy pies and other treats are made from scratch.
Growers tend to 10 acres of peaches and nectarines, and you can even take a tractor-led farm tour by appointment every weekend in September. Our peach favorite at this North Georgia orchard has to be the jalapeno peach jelly!
Location & Contact
R & A Orchards
5505 Highway 52 East
Ellijay, GA 30536
706.273.3821
2. Hillside Orchard Farms | Lakemont
Family owned and operated for 30+ years, Hillside Orchard Farms in Lakemont, GA, is a farm and retail store in one. While their main fruits are apples and blackberries, Hillside partners with many local farmers to bring you the best produce — including bushels of sweet Georgia peaches!
What else is there to do at this family farm in North Georgia? Feed the nanny goats, find treasures in the indoor gem mine, snack on fried apple pies, and take the kiddos to the playground. In fall, you can journey through the corn maze, hop on a hayride or train ride, and attend the Fall Harvest Festival on Halloween!
Location & Contact
Hillside Orchard Farms
18 Sorghum Mill Drive
Lakemont, GA 30552
706.782.2776
3. Jaemor Farms | Alto
Everything is peachy at Jaemor Farms in Alto, GA! This North Georgia peachery was established in 1912, practices sustainable agriculture today, and produces high-quality juicy peaches for YOU. They host U-Pick Peach Day each summer — this year on Saturday, July 8, 2023. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time online, and you’ll receive a bag that can fit a peck of peaches when you arrive! This peach farm in North Georgia also produces sweet strawberries and half-runner beans for sale.
When visiting Jaemor Farms in the fall, be sure to check out their 6-acre corn maze! You can take a tour around the farm or even schedule a field trip for your homeschool pod. Jaemor also offers gift boxes that feature fresh fruits, breakfast mixes, peach cobbler syrup, peach preserves, peach salsa, pickled peaches, and our favorite — peach candy twists! Don’t forget to pick up some pecans while there, too.
Location & Contact
Jaemor Farms
5340 Cornelia Highway
Alto, GA 30510
770.869.3999
4. Panorama Orchards & Farm Market | Ellijay
Nestled in Ellijay, GA, Panorama Orchards & Farm Market began selling homegrown apples in the 1920s. Today, they grow some of the best North Georgia peaches and fall vegetables, too! Not to mention, there is an on-site bakery that whips up flavorful breads and sweets.
When visiting Panorama Orchards, we recommend looking through the viewing window into the kitchen to see how their peach fried pies, apple cider donuts, seasonal pies, fruit cakes, and 12 flavors of fudge are made. You’ll also find jarred goods, candies, and fresh popcorn kernels at the market.
Location & Contact
Panorama Orchards & Farm Market
63 Talona Mountain Road
Ellijay, GA 30536
706.276.3813
5. Sugar Hill Berry Farm | Murrayville
Gardening started with Grandma at Sugar Hill Berry Farm in Murrayville, GA. This up-and-coming North Georgia peach orchard expanded in 2013 and plans to expand to a full U-pick farm in the future.
For now, Sugar Hill features a lovely peach orchard, a few acres of muscadines, 100s of blueberry bushes, and an expanded vegetable garden with okra and tomatoes. Plus, they even harvest and sell local honey!
Note for 2023: while the peach crop didn’t make it this year due to a frost in March, there are plenty of muscadines coming this fall. And honey is well in stock!
Location & Contact
Sugar Hill Berry Farm
6645 Jake Kemp Road
Murrayville, GA 30564
770.540.6952
Georgia Peaches — Taste the Difference
What makes Georgia peaches different? It’s our red clay soil! Combined with ideal weather conditions and moderate humidity, the Peach State produces some of the sweetest peaches you’ll ever taste. Georgia peach orchards often grow peaches that are super juicy with large pits and that classic fuzzy peel!
When to Visit Peach Orchards in Georgia
What is the best month for peaches? Arguably July. But early and late summer blossoms are equally delicious and serve different purposes! Georgia peach trees produce a variety of clingstones and semi-freestones for baking, canning, preserving, freezing, and pickling in early summer (mid-May – early June).
Peach picking usually opens for the public in July for freestones — those bite-right-off-the-tree peaches that are larger and packed with flavorful peach juice! You can also find Georgia peach varieties blooming in mid-August and even September depending on weather and climate changes that year.
Appalachian Peaches at the North Georgia Farmers Market
Missed the u-pick season for Georgia peaches in summertime? Don’t have time to visit a mountain peachery? Shop for juicy Appalachian peaches as well as local produce at the weekly North Georgia Farmers Market in Blue Ridge. They offer homemade treats, chutneys, crumbles, and jams. And you’ll often find handmade crafts, seasonal events, and pop-up restaurants.
Georgia Cabins for YOU
Making YOUR stay in the Blue Ridge Mountains peachy keen, Georgia Cabins for YOU offers cabins with all the conveniences of home plus entertaining amenities everyone can enjoy. After visiting North Georgia peach orchards, return to your cozy log cabin in Blue Ridge with your haul of fresh fruits, veggies, and treats.
You can find recipes over the high speed Wi-Fi and cook up a storm in the fully equipped kitchen. Once you’ve enjoyed a fresh meal together, unwind in front of the crackling fire in the fireplace. Later, you can roast marshmallows around the firepit, slip into the steamy hot tub with a mountain view, shoot pool or play arcade games, watch a movie on the big screen TV, and turn in for sweet dreams in your king suite. It’s up to YOU!
Book your Blue Ridge vacation online or at 1.800.580.5524 and plan for a nice outing at a North Georgia peach orchard with family and friends.
