Day Trip · Gwinnett to the Mountains
Apple picking at B.J. Reece Orchards: a day trip from Gwinnett.
B.J. Reece Orchards sits at 9131 Highway 52 East in Ellijay, Gilmer County, about 60 miles north of Atlanta and a 90-minute to two-hour drive from most of Gwinnett County depending on where you start and the traffic. It is the heart of Georgia's apple country, and one honest, full-day trip covers it.
From Gwinnett
About 90 minutes to 2 hours, depending on start and traffic
Time to allow
A full day, 8 to 10 hours door to door
Best season
Late August through the end of October
Suggested start
Leave between 7:30 and 8:00 am
Plan the whole outing as a full day, around 8 to 10 hours including drive time, and leave Gwinnett between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. to arrive near opening. On Georgia Apple Festival weekends (October 10-11 and October 17-18, 2026) leave even earlier: the shuttles start at 8:30 a.m. and the area fills fast.
Hours and season
Open seven days a week through October
The orchard is open Monday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. U-pick admission closes at 5:00 p.m. daily, so the last picking window each day runs about an hour shorter than the market hours.
U-pick season generally runs from late August through the end of October, with more than 20 apple varieties and over 200 acres of orchards. Go early in the day for the best selection and lighter crowds; the first hour the gates open is the calmest one.
What it costs
Budget for admission, a bag, and lunch
Prices below are the orchard's published ranges, rounded, and change from year to year. Confirm current prices on the orchard's own pricing page before you go.
Admission
$8 to $26
A farm-fun package, depending on weekday or weekend and which activities are included. Apple picking is included with the packages.
Picking bags
$10 / $20 / $40
A half-peck bag runs about $10, a peck about $20, and a half bushel about $40. Everyone picking buys both admission and a bag.
Extras and the festival
About $5 each
A la carte additions like the farm tour, apple cannons, and pony rides run about $5 each. The Georgia Apple Festival itself charges about $10 for adults, kids 12 and under free.
At minimum, budget for admission, one picking bag, and food or snacks. The market and bakery counters are the easy lunch if you would rather stay on the farm.
Getting oriented
Finding your way around a 200-acre property
B.J. Reece is a large place, roughly 200 acres, and its pieces sit apart: the parking lot, the main farm store and market, the u-pick rows, the tasting house, and the weekend activity areas are spread across the property, and it is easy to get turned around once you are past the entrance.
Treat parking and the main farm store and market as your natural starting point. From there the u-pick rows and the weekend activities fan out over the grounds, so snap a photo of the paper map at the entrance, or screenshot the posted layout, before you wander. It saves the backtracking on a busy fall day.
From most of Gwinnett the drive runs roughly 90 minutes on the normal route; verify the time for your own address with the directions link before you leave. The orchard's address is 9131 Highway 52 East, Ellijay, GA 30536.
B.J. Reece Orchards, 9131 Highway 52 East, Ellijay, GA 30536. Use the expand control on the map for the full view.
Weekend activities
Farm fun for the whole crew
The farm-fun side of the orchard is the reason many families choose a weekend for this trip. The petting zoo is open all week during the season, so it is the easiest activity to catch. The special lineup, the pig races included, runs on Saturday and Sunday.
The pig races are the farm's signature, and they are real: a short course, set race times through the weekend, and the orchard is known for them. Most of the rest of the lineup runs on the same weekend schedule, so the races and the rides move together through the middle of the day.
The Saturday and Sunday lineup
- Wagon rides and farm tours
- Cow milking
- The giant farm slide
- The jumping pillow
- Cow train rides
- Pony rides
- The corn maze scavenger hunt
Give the apple cannon line extra time
The apple cannon costs about $5 per bucket, and the line is the real cost. On a busy fall weekend it can take a while, so budget time for it and treat it as a mid-morning stop, not a quick one. The races work the same way: check the posted schedule when you arrive and plan the middle of the day around it.
Plan the whole visit around the weekend-only activities. U-pick and the petting zoo are available more broadly, so a weekday trip trades the specials for shorter lines and a calmer orchard. The u-pick season runs late August through the end of October, long enough that most families get several weekend windows to choose from.
How to dress
Mountain weather moves through the day
- Layers. Mountain mornings start cool and warm through the day.
- Comfortable closed-toe shoes or boots that can handle orchard dirt and grass.
- A hat and sunscreen for the open rows.
- Long pants for walking between the trees.
What to bring
Packed before the drive, not at the gate
- Water bottles for the walk through the rows.
- Cash as a backup, since some stands prefer it.
- A cooler for apples on the drive home.
- Bags or a wagon for hauling apples and kids.
- Hand wipes for sticky fingers.
- A phone for photos, fully charged.
Leave pets at home unless the orchard confirms otherwise, and keep picked apples cool and not stacked too deep; they travel noticeably better that way.
The day, timed
A Gwinnett itinerary that fits the road
I'll tell you what I'd do if it were my house: do u-pick first while the morning is cool, then let the farm and the market fill the rest of the morning. Total time at the orchard and the immediate area, 4 to 6 hours.
7:30 to 8:00 am
Leave Gwinnett
Coffee before you go. The first hour is freeway, and an early start is the whole trick on fall weekends.
9:00 to 9:30 am
Arrive at the orchard
Park, grab a bag, and head for the rows. The morning is the calmest hour of the day.
9:30 to 11:30 am
U-pick, while the morning is cool
Pick your variety first while the light is low and the fruit is at its best. More than 20 varieties over 200 acres of orchards.
11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Farm activities and the market
The cannons, the tours, the animals, then the bakery and farm market. The market is warmest at midday.
1:00 to 2:00 pm
Lunch
At the orchard or back in downtown Ellijay, a few minutes down Highway 52.
2:00 to 4:00 pm
Downtown Ellijay or a local stop
The square's shops, a cider slushie, or the Cartecay River area. Keep it loose.
4:00 to 5:00 pm
Head home
Leave mid-to-late afternoon to beat the heaviest return traffic.
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Back in Gwinnett
A long, full day. Put the apples somewhere cool and they will keep for weeks.
Tasting room stop
Cider, not wine, while the kids finish picking
Beyond the u-pick rows, the orchard property includes a tasting house where adults can try cider flights and apple-based drinks: a grown-up break while the kids finish picking. It is cider, not wine. The exact on-site offerings and hours change through the season, so verify them with the orchard before the trip.
The same stretch of highway holds one more easy stop. Reece's Cider Company at 9110 Highway 52 East serves craft cider in the same area. Confirm its hours and offerings before visiting. Back at the market, the apple cider slushies are a favorite for all ages.
What else is in the area
Apple country is bigger than one orchard
Hillcrest and R&A Orchards
Neighbors on the same corridor east of Ellijay, each with its own pick-your-own fields and market. R&A sits closest to the square, Hillcrest at the far end of the road.
Downtown Ellijay
A small mountain square with shops, lunch tables, and apple cider slushies that show up every fall.
The Cartecay River area
Riverside stops just out of town for a quiet stretch and slow water on a warm afternoon.
Highway 52 East
The drive itself is the scenery: orchard stands, mountain fields, and the Blue Ridge ridge line ahead of you.
The Georgia Apple Festival
At the Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds on the second and third weekends of October, October 10-11 and October 17-18 in 2026. Admission runs about $10 for adults, kids 12 and under free.
Know before you go
A short checklist for the drive north
- Confirm the day’s hours before you go, especially in late October.
- Check the weather in Ellijay, not Gwinnett; the mountains run cooler.
- Bring layers and comfortable shoes.
- Arrive early on Apple Festival weekends; shuttles start at 8:30 am and the area fills fast.
- Confirm pick-your-own availability for the day before making the drive.
Related
- The Ellijay apple country corridor, stop by stop The full GA-52 East drive guide, covering every orchard on the road.
- The events calendar Apple Festival weekends and the rest of the region's fall slate.
- The Ellijay city guide The apple capital's full living guide: the square, the rivers, the orchards, and the mountains.
Hours, season, and prices come from the orchard's published pages and change from year to year; confirm them before you go, especially in late October. Distances and drive times are estimates from published route sources and vary with traffic, weather, and construction. This is an editorial page of CityGuideGA, not a listings site. Updated September 17, 2026.