Apple Picking at Sky Top Orchard in Flat Rock, North Carolina

If you’re looking for a fun Fall activity for your family. Apple picking has officially made it to the top of our list.

Our family took a long drive to Flat Rock, NC in search of the juiciest apples at Sky Top Orchard. While, Mike had been apple picking as a kid, it was a first for me and Silas.

We’ve spent the last couple of years talking about apple picking, but I didn’t know what to expect. I wondered if it would be worth the long drive since all of the orchards around us are an hour, or more, away. We ultimately decided on Sky Top and added it to our calendar.

Luckily, we picked the right day because we made it just before apple-picking season closed. There were still plenty of apples left, but it’s a good idea to go earlier in the season for more variety.

As soon as we got close to the turnoff, we knew it was going to be packed and we were right. Thankfully, there was still a decent amount of parking left and it wasn’t too far of a walk to the main entrance.

We did have to cross the street which made me a little nervous with our son, but traffic wasn’t an issue. When we made it to the entrance, I knew this trip was going to be worth the drive.

There were cute little bee mobiles for kids to sit in. Silas played for a little bit before we headed into the pavilion to grab our bag. The price took me out for a second, but the bag was large enough to get over the initial shock and the memories are more than worth it.

We had so much fun. We grabbed a bag of buttery kettle corn, tickets for a hay ride, and Mike got a cold Hard Cider. It was a short walk to the first row of trees, but they were pretty bare. A couple of rows down we found a ton of Granny Smiths.

As we made our way deeper into the orchard, we came across a set of stairs that led to a lookout. The view of the 100-acre farm was stunning with a perfect view of mountains in the distance. We even got a really great selfie of the three of us while standing- something that is no easy feat with our height difference.

We spent an entire afternoon picking and searching for more apples. I think we already had half a bag when Silas was instructing us to turn back. At this point, I should have realized how steep it was before I challenged him to a race. While it was really fun running down hill, the walk back up had us huffing and puffing.

We snuck between an empty row of apple trees and relaxed in the grass watching groups of people casually stroll by. After a few minutes we set out on our journey back through the orchard.

As we were walking, someone lost their grip on their apples and they went tumbling by. We took a moment to help gather them up and were back on our way to find Mike’s red apple.

It didn’t take us much longer to find them, but they were higher than I could reach, so he was on his own this time. Silas had fun climbing the trees anyway.

At this point, our bag might have weighed as much as our child. We decided we had more than enough apples and headed to the hay ride. As we waited, we got to watch the apple cannon in action. I completely forgot they had one, or we would have definitely shot a few apples.

It wasn’t long before the farmhand pulled up and we filed into the wagon. Silas was so excited, and Mike and I enjoyed the moment to relax. The ride lasted the perfect length of time before we got to relax even more at the playground. But, first we had to grab some apple cider donuts. Coming from someone who isn’t a big fan of donuts, these were delicious.

Silas played at the cutest playground I’ve ever seen. They have two little playhouses: one shaped and painted like an apple, and another like a pumpkin separated by a little bridge with a slide. He had a blast playing with so many kids and we had fun watching him for a good long while before it was time to head home.

Just before we left, we had to snap a picture of Silas’ height. I can’t wait to see how tall he is the next time we visit.

On our way out, we stopped at their photo-stand to get some cute pictures. Then, in the parking lot we noticed a giant spider made of hay and Silas had to ride it. Every part of this adventure was cute and cozy, and I’m so glad we made it out to Sky Top. I can’t recommend this place enough.

While, I forgot to count how many apples we got, we ended up with way more than I thought we’d have. We shared some with our friends and made lots of yummy treats.

If you need some ideas for what to do with leftover apples, here’s what we made with ours:

• Apple pie
• Spiced apple butter
• Apple cheddar ham pizza
• Apple nachos
• Caramel apples

If you make it to Sky Top, we’d love to see your family’s photos. Tag us on social to share the fun!