Appleberry Orchard

Our take

What the record actually confirms

Appleberry Orchard sits at 2469 Highway 2 in Donnellson, Lee County, in southeast Iowa, and the record describes it as the oldest working orchard in Iowa, with its first apple tree reportedly planted in 1852 — a history no other orchard in this research batch comes close to matching. Phone is 319-372-1307. Alongside the orchard, the property runs a full petting farm housed in an 1882 barn, with goats, a miniature donkey, chickens, and — notably — a wallaby, plus a corn maze, a bakery, a kids play area, bonfires, birthday parties, and a summer camp program.

The orchard’s own site gave a specific, month-by-month hours breakdown: August runs Tuesday-Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 11am-4pm; September shifts to Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 9am-6pm, and Sunday 11am-6pm; October runs Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm and Sunday 11am-6pm. The site stated an opening for the 2026 fall season on August 1 and described staying open well past apple season into a Christmas-season close on December 22, 2026.

A small but honest inconsistency worth flagging

The orchard’s own site paired “Friday” with the date August 1 when announcing its 2026 opening — but August 1, 2026 actually falls on a Saturday. That’s a detail worth being upfront about: it’s an inconsistency on the orchard’s own page, not something introduced in this record, and it doesn’t change the substance of the announcement (a specific calendar date was given, along with a 2026 year), but it’s a small reminder that even a dated, self-posted announcement can carry small errors. The safer read is to trust the date (August 1, 2026) over the day-of-week label.

Hours that shift by month are easy to misread

Because hours here change from month to month rather than following one fixed year-round schedule, using the wrong month’s hours is a real risk. An August visitor working from October’s later closing times, for instance, could show up expecting a 6pm close when August actually wraps up at 5pm on weekdays. For an autumn apple-picking trip specifically, the September or October hours are the ones to use — not a generic year-round assumption.

A long season, but not necessarily a long apple season

The property’s overall operating window — August 1 through a Christmas-season close on December 22 — is longer than almost any other orchard in this research batch. But it’s important to separate “the property is open” from “apples are being picked”: the petting farm, bakery, corn maze, and other attractions plausibly keep running well past when apple trees have been picked clean, especially into the Christmas-season stretch in November and December. This record doesn’t specify when apple picking itself winds down within that broader window, so an apple-focused visit is better timed for the confirmed fall months (August through October) rather than the full operating season.

What’s still missing

No apple varieties are named anywhere in the record, and no u-pick pricing is given. Given the long history and the unusually detailed monthly hours, these gaps stand out — a visitor can plan exactly when to show up, but not what apples they’ll find once there.

Bottom line

Appleberry Orchard’s claimed history as Iowa’s oldest working orchard, combined with a genuinely full petting farm (down to a wallaby) and a long operating season from August through the Christmas season, make it a distinctive stop in southeast Iowa. The month-by-month hours are detailed enough to plan a visit precisely, but the lack of any named apple variety or u-pick price means calling 319-372-1307 is still worthwhile if apple selection or budget matters for the trip.