Eight Decades of Apples: Inside Mercier Orchards, Blue Ridge's Family Farm

If Blue Ridge has a flavor, it’s a warm fried apple pie from Mercier Orchards. For more than 80 years, this family farm just outside downtown has grown from a 27-acre roadside apple stand into a 300-acre North Georgia institution — and one of the best reasons to visit Fannin County in any season.

From a roadside stand

Bill Mercier came to Blue Ridge in 1941 as the county agricultural agent. Two years later, he and his wife Adele bought a 27-acre orchard and the old apple house — still visible from the parking lot today — and began selling apples by the road. The farm passed down through the family; Tim Mercier returned to run it in 1972, and in 2023 Mercier marked its 80th anniversary, “80 years and four generations later.”

What to pick, what to eat

Mercier’s calendar follows the seasons: strawberries in spring, then blueberries, blackberries, and peaches through summer, and the big one — apples — in late summer and fall, with dozens of varieties available for u-pick. Even when nothing’s ripe for picking, the farm market and bakery are the draw: fried apple pies, apple cider donuts, fritters, fresh cider, apple butter, jams, and a deli, plus mountain views from the porch.

Plan your visit

Beyond picking, Mercier runs wagon and tractor tours of the 300-acre farm in the warmer months, plus blossom tours in spring when the orchard blooms. U-pick availability changes week to week with the weather and the harvest, so check the farm’s current calendar before you load up the car — especially on fall weekends, when the place is busy.

Timeline

Cover photo: fresh-picked apples (illustrative), by George Chernilevsky via Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Sources include Mercier Orchards, Explore Georgia, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.