Apple season

It is officially apple season, and I love all things apple. From apple pie to caramel apple lattes to cinnamon apple-scented candles to apple cider, there are many ways to experience apples and enjoy the spirit and flavors of fall.

Apples are often considered the fruit of the fall, which is probably why National Apple Day lands amid autumn, and it also happens to be on my birthday. The holiday is “dedicated to promoting the rich cultural and historical significance of apples, as well as the importance of orchards and apple-related products in agriculture and heritage.” Tennessee and the Appalachian region have a rich history in apples and apple preservation. The mountains are the ideal climate for growing tasty apples. The South was home to “The Apple Boom” where millions of apples were produced and distributed across the country from 1880 to 1910. Some popular varieties of apple types grown in Tennessee are Jonagold, Fuji, Red Delicious, Winesap, Arkansas Black and Granny Smith. The Black Twig is an heirloom apple uncovered on Major Rankin Toole’s farm near Fayetteville, Tennessee in 1830.

There are many ways to celebrate apples, but these are a few of the popular places east Tennessee locals frequent each year:

Carver’s Apple Orchard and Applehouse Restaurant
Carver’s Apple Orchard began in the 1940s in Cosby, Tennessee. Every year long-time local and apple enthusiast, Ann Yadwisiak, visits the orchard for its Carousel apples. “The apple trees were at [the University of Tennessee at Knoxville], and they probably were just going to throw them away but orchard owner Kyle Carver bought them.” She explains that Carver’s is the only place in Tennessee where you can get Carousel apples as far as she knows. They become available around mid-October. Other varieties offered at the produce store are Fuji, Stayman Winesap and Pink Lady. The store also sells freshly baked apple pies, squashes, jams, sweet potatoes, peppers and plenty of other locally grown and made products. The site also features a seasonal candy store and a restaurant offering Southern comfort foods.

The Apple Barn Cider Mill and Store
This is a favorite attraction in Sevier County and for good reason. It is similar to going to an outdoor shopping mall, but it is dedicated to relishing all things apple. The land was once a cattle and tobacco farm owned by the Mullendore family but later sold to local business owners Bon Hicks and Bill and Georgia Kilpatrick, becoming a “gentlemen’s farm” where apples were grown and sold. The owners began experimenting with ciders and set up a Cider Bar at the World’s Fair in 1982. From there, the business grew in popularity with cider and apple pies for sale in addition to apples. In 1986 the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant was born, Sevierville’s oldest restaurant. Today, the Apple Barn has grown to include a Christmas and candle store, a winery, a cider house, a creamery, a candy store, a general store and two restaurants. Its orchards “have approximately 7,000 dwarf rootstock trees in several different varieties” which is still not enough apples to supply the apple-strewn shops. The rest of the apples needed are acquired by local growers. Its website claims that part of the allure of mountain-grown apples is that they are known for being crisp and juicy, “with an extra punch of flavor” due to the harsher climate in the mountains. Each year The Apple Barn uses “as many as 30 varieties of apples to make” all of the apple delights served at the shops.

Unicoi Apple Festival
While this year’s Unicoi Apple Festival was unfortunately canceled due to Hurricane Helene and the devastating flooding, the 2025 vendor application is already posted on its website. The event is scheduled for Oct. 3 and 4, 2025. The festival has “120,000 annual attendees” and features 400 “local artist and craft vendors.” The event has won multiple awards throughout its 48 years in downtown Erwin, Tennessee. Admission to the festival is free and the event runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on both days. Some of the contests and activities at the festival include an apple decorating contest for young people, a pottery show and sale, a 3k race, a baking contest and a tennis tournament.

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