Marker-Miller Orchards

Best time to go is October/​early November. I got a mix of Red Staymins and Empires this year. They were delicious! What’s available all depends on when you go. Always fun to take the kids and grandkids apple picking. We go every year.
Lots to choose from in their market too.

If you’re in Virginia during the fall season, apple picking is one of the musts. The weather, the gorgeous views, leaves turning around you, and the fall atmosphere are just some of the enthralling aspects of apple picking. Marker-​Miller Orchards is about an hour and half from D.C. and provides an array of PYO (pick your own) options from raspberries, apples, pumpkins, to squash depending on the season.
Parking can get pretty crazy. They have an unpaved lot but it fills up quickly and by the 2−3pm, the only spots left are by the road.
Aside from PYO, Marker-​Miller has a market that offers an assortment of fruits, veggies, jams and jellies, cider, wines, and baked goods for sale. Fruits and veggies include but are not limited to apples, pears, squash, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and eggplant. Best of all, they sell apple cider donuts here. Naturally, the longest line is for apple cider donuts so there is a good 15 – 20 minute wait during the busy hours. Donuts are delicious. Seriously, the best part!
They have a PYO stand where you can buy bags (½ peck, 1 peck, 1 bushel), but you can also check out the market to buy bags too. I wish they advertised this because I asked my BF to go buy the apple cider donuts in the market while I waited in the PYO line to buy bags, not knowing that we could have both just stood in the market line and gotten both. PYO stops half an hour before closing time. They don’t allow any other bags, backpacks, or baskets into the PYO area. Only their bags/​containers are allowed. After you finish picking, they have someone mark off your bag before you depart the grounds.
Refer to their online fruit availability chart for when peaches, plums, and apples are available. When we went, there was Yatika Fuji, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Ida Red, Jonagold, Rome, Crispin, York, and Enterprise apples present.
They provide a map of the PYO area but it’s also well-​marked. They have over 300 acres of apples so there’s plenty of rows of apples to leaf through and pick. We went straight for the Fujis and the first row we came upon, we could have filled up our bag. The row stretches far beyond the eye can see too, so there are more than enough apples for everyone. The apples are good too; I rarely saw a rotten one. No ladders to help you reach the top branches though.
Dogs are welcomed everywhere except inside the market.

Went for the Apple festival. Apples were delicious and varied. I think we picked about 6 or 7 juicy types of apples. That was good, but the lines for everything were absolutely ridiculous. I spent about a half hour in a line for the restroom and then there were the crazy lines for food and to buy the bags to pick apples in before you can start picking. We weren’t even able to try the apple donuts because of those lines. I did appreciate that the orchard was dog friendly, but the festival itself it was pretty underwhelming and poorly run. Nothing special. I would not come back here again.

Lovely Day today apple picking with a friend of mine.
Although…we did have some issues. First we arrived around 12:30 or so and the place had opened I believe at 12:00 there was no parking when we arrived. We ended up parking outside on the side of the orchard in the grass.
Then when we finally got into the orchard area we then stood in a huge line just so we could obtain a bag to carry our apples. $ 16+ tax for. A bag for half a bushel of apples. In which the drawstring must close.
Lucky for us there were about 8 different variety of apples. Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Nittany, Fuji, Yoshima Fuji, Yellow Delicious Crispin, and Red Ida.
The trek to get apples wasn’t bad and it was pretty organized with signs telling you what apples were what.
Now before we started picking we decided to visit the farm market… in which we should’ve bought those darn cider donut holes… because they ended up running out quick. By the time we finished apple picking and went back there were none left there wasn’t even any doughnuts there was a line of 15+ people waiting for a dozen package or even donuts in general. Probably the craziest thing I’ve seen. The wait was about 15−20mins.
The market does offer fudge apple cider slushies and other jarred and pickled items. There was even moonshine jelly. Although I decide I shouldn’t pass up blackberry preserves so I bought a jar for $ 6.99.
Overall a fun experience. The farm also serves BBQ onsite has Apple butter cooking and a band that plays. The kids have a playground to hangout in they also offer wagon rides for $ 2 dollars. But it’s all about the Cider Donuts which are delicious light fluffy and airy that make you want a whole package. But let’s be honest when they are fresh out of the fryer your going to eat them all anyway there is no time for saving for later.

It’s my status on Unilocal: «I don’t even like apples.» But after years in Washington state apple country and then more years in Virginia, I’ll make an exception for this one orchard. This place is fantastic! It’s perfect for taking children, out-​of-​towners, or especially out-​of-​state guests to; there are full, well-​maintained, well-​groomed orchards, a wide variety of fruits and gourds, and the store is nothing short of its own bazaar, featuring yummy baked goods, smoothies, breads, jams, and more. Everything is fairly reasonably priced. 25 lbs of apples was something like $ 13 for us, and the kids got to pick them — no wax, no dry storage, no weird lingering lack of crunch; just a wide variety of very fresh flavors. Bonus: awesome playground equipment, and plenty of picnic space. What’s not to love?

I stopped in on the Sunday of Labor Day on my way through. It had lots of kid activities (I don’t have any, but I assume people w/​kids will really groove on this place) and there were a ton of families there, but also adults sans kids. I picked up some Virginia ham and had the BBQ that’s outside, which was a nice break from the chain restaurants while I was traveling. The orchards were beautiful and their market was spacious. I think I’m spoiled living so close to Lancaster County in Pennsylvania b/​c they have amazing farm stands and orchards everywhere, but there wasn’t as much variety of produce as I thought there would be. I thought it was odd they were an orchard and only had one kind of apple pre-​picked in the store, too. It seems like it’s 95% U-​pick. I also couldn’t find any info on their use (or lack) of pesticides, which leads me to think it’s very not organic. It’s a beautiful orchard, though, and looks like it would be a great family outing.

When we lived in Arlington, we used to go to orchards in the Markham area, but now that we’re in the Boyce area, we’ve been coming to Marker-​Miller even though Markham is closer to us. They are a nice balance of commercial and rustic, as some places have either no amenities or are so superficial they’re basically nothing more than a glorified farm stand. You can pick your own or choose from a wide variety inside from the bins of all sorts of different varieties of apples and other fruits. The fruit itself is a great price and the bakery items are really good, however some of the staples are more expensive than in town.

My husband had a conference to go to at a nearby college, so I was on the lookout for things to do with our five children. We had a blast at this place and all we really did was play on the playground and check out the store. The kids had so much fun on all their cool playground equipment (a wooden pirate ship, castle, and tractor, and also a sandbox, among other things). The store was large with lots of fresh fruits and veggies on one side and a bakery and gift items on the other. We went in August (sort of an in between time, I think) and the only thing they were having u-​pick for was blackberries. The kids were having so much fun playing and we didn’t really care to pick blackberries, so we didn’t pick that visit. Was able to score a huge box of slightly bruised apples for only $ 5 that turned out to be delicious! Upon getting them home, I realized the bruising was only on the outside and, below the peel, the apple was fine (no brown spots in the flesh of the apple). They were so, so good! The lady working there was friendly and helpful and gave me and my kids samples of some of their peaches! Great stop if you are in the area, especially if you need a cheap place to let the kids get out some energy or are looking for fresh produce or unique gift ideas!

Beautiful scenery and farm/​orchard! Lots of apple trees, raspberries, and other pick your own foods. We enjoyed the drive to and from as well as picking berries/​apples.
Then finished it off with purchasing several other items from their store — ham biscuit, pies, jams, fruit, veggies! You can’t go wrong. Bring the kids on the weekends to enjoy more fun and cookouts. Ready to go again!

The only reason I’m docking a star is for parking. There isn’t much by way of parking control so if you come early (like we did) you may get blocked in (like we did). It would have been nice had they set up cones so they could keep exit lanes clear. We were able to get out with little hassle, it just took longer and we had to go a non sanctioned route.
Okay– to the important things! Yes, it was super crowded at 1:30pm on a Sunday. But there was still plenty of fruit to be had. They give you a helpful map and off you go. Some of the cashiers are friendlier than others, but what can you do?
I’d suggest coming early, grabbing a 12 pack of donuts, stashing those in the car and then heading back out to pick. You may not get any cider donuts if you wait.
You can purchase your picking bags in the barn or at the stand at the entrance to the orchard. Pretty reasonable the bigger you go– $ 8/​half peck, $ 11/​full peck, $ 15/​half bushel. A half bushel is a lot of apples.
This is a must visit spot.

First time going to Marker-​Miller Orchards with my family and it was great! My boys loved the apple picking and it was easy to fill our bags quickly. Plus their apple cider and apple cider doughnuts are AWESOME! Will definitely go back!

We had a great time picking apples and watching the kids play in the large playground. The cow train was the cherry on top, got some great pictures from that!

This place was a great orchard to go to pick your own apples. They opened at 12 on a Sunday so we played in their huge playground for a while. We got some pork bbq sandwiches from the food truck there which were decent. They were giving free rides on the kiddy «cow train». We also took a longer tractor ride for only $ 3. They have 3 sizes of pick-​your-​own bags, all reasonably priced. I got the apple cider slushy which was really good too. They have baked goods inside and fudge and other country store type of things. There was a lot of picnic table space and the whole ambiance was very festive. It seems like a local favorite, and I can see why. They also had craft vendors out front and I was able to get a wooden puzzle of a giraffe for only $ 5.

Very neat Farm Market. Prices are good.

It’s an awesome place with friendly folks, and fun stuff for children! You need to try the apple cider dougnut… heaven. No joke. lol. prices for U-​pick are decent and the fruit are big right now. It wasn’t a mad house either but weather was good and there was even live music. The band was good with a nice variety of song types. There was also bbq. lol.
I’m definitely going back later for apple picking :)

This has to be one of my favorite places in Winchester. EVERYTHING is fresh! The food is priced well and the staff is super helpful. It is on a beautiful piece of land and when the season is right you can pick your own fruit/​vegetables. I have spent many a saturday with friends having fun in the fields and then heading home to bake something great!
If you go — GET THE APPLE CIDER DONUTS. It is a taste you will remember for years to come.

Great family fun. It’s close to my home and everyone is very friendly.
It can get crowded but it’s so big you’ll never feel crowded.
Their bakes goods can’t be beat.

We got here just in the nick of time as they were closing up shop at 4PM — thank goodness! I’ve heard a lot about their fresh apple cider donuts, so I was really excited to see that they still had some available. I got one as well as their fudge swirl from their fudge shop. The apple cider donut was delicious — it was more of like Dunkin Donuts consistency as it was more cake-​like than airy. I’m not sure if I tasted the apple cider, but it was still good (cinnamon-​ish). The lady who helped us was really nice and was really patient when I was deciding which fudge to get. There were also some products made by using produce grown on the orchards, so that was cool. The market itself was bigger than I thought, and they carried a variety of things. It seems as if it’s a cool place to go apple-​picking during the season as their orchards are huge! I’m not sure if I would trek back here again, but I am glad that I was able to try out their famous apple cider donuts! A nice little drive to get here as you see other residential farmlands along the way.
+apple cider donut: D
+fudge offerings: D

Ok… not saying I wouldn’t go back here, but this place was a little too big and ‘commercial’ feeling for my liking. Nonetheless, this is a very popular spot; they have a whole huge market with all kinds of things to buy, a playground for the kids, and tons of apples to pick. Prices for apples seemed similar to elsewhere in the area; if you’re looking for more to do than just pick apples, this place is a good bet. The parking lot gets very busy in the early afternoon on weekends.

This place is great. If you go on a weekend, expect a mad house like Chuck Cheese on a Saturday but the activities, food, and apples are well worth it. I have gone here once each of the last two years and this time I took the half day off work to go on a weekday. Worth every bit of it.
The apples here are great but check their calendar to be sure your favorites are available or maybe be over picked. All apples are truly amazing and last a long time once picked. We usually get enough for two months (3 large bags stuffed).
The pumpkins are over priced, the cider is wicked sweet, but the ice cream is beyond amazing (try the apple pie), and the donuts may not be hot but are really good (apple cider ones of course). My wife loves the banana bread and the syrups are top shelf.
There is a great playground for the kids and more activities on the weekend (more vendors, hay rides, etc) if you are will to deal with your closet 500 friends.
I love this place and highly recommend the Mon-​Fri visit. Weekends are great if that is all you have available. And I balance all of this with the 100 mile drive each way!