A 170-year-old, sixth-generation Niagara County farm with 15-plus apple varieties, but its own site says picking-schedule details are still 'coming soon' — one of the less firmed-up listings in this research.
Blackman Homestead Farm sits at 4472 Thrall Road in Lockport, Niagara County, in Western New York, along the Niagara Escarpment. It’s a 170-year-old, sixth-generation family farm, one of the longer continuous operations in this research batch. Phone is 716-434-7116. The farm offers more than fifteen apple varieties overall and confirms fresh-pressed cider on-site, plus pumpkin and squash picking as a companion activity to the apples.
What’s notably unresolved here, more so than most other listings in this research, is the timing. The farm’s own apple-picking page mentioned a “Friday, September 18” opening, but without stating which year that refers to, and it explicitly noted that picking-schedule and reservation details were still “coming soon” as of the read date.
A number of orchards in this research batch left stale, clearly-2025 dates on their pages — a sign the site simply hadn’t been refreshed yet. Blackman Homestead Farm’s situation reads a little differently: the site is actively telling visitors that the schedule isn’t finalized yet, rather than presenting old information as current. That’s arguably more honest, but it also means there’s genuinely no way to know from this record whether September 18 will turn out to be this year’s actual opening day, a placeholder based on a typical year, or something the farm hasn’t locked in yet. If you’re the type of visitor who plans a trip a few weeks out, this is one of the orchards in this batch worth a follow-up check closer to the date rather than an early commitment.
Fifteen-plus apple varieties is a meaningfully large number, comparable to some of the bigger operations in this research, but the record doesn’t have the itemized list the way it does for orchards like Apple Barrel Orchards or Barton Orchards. That means you can expect real variety here, but you can’t plan around a specific apple in advance — ask when you call, or check back once the site’s schedule is finalized.
Despite the timing uncertainty, some things about this farm are solid: it’s a genuinely old, multi-generational operation with fresh-pressed cider made on-site, and it offers pumpkin and squash picking alongside apples, useful if you’re hoping to combine a fall visit with more than one crop. The Niagara Escarpment location is also a distinctive geographic detail — this puts the farm in a specific, checkable part of Western New York rather than a generic “somewhere near Lockport.”
Given the site’s own “coming soon” language, checking blackmanhomesteadfarm.com/apple-picking again closer to mid-September, or calling 716-434-7116 directly, is the right move here rather than assuming the September 18 date will hold for 2026. This is one of the orchards in this research batch where following up is genuinely worthwhile rather than a routine caution.
Blackman Homestead Farm brings real history — 170 years, six generations — and a solid variety count to the table, but its own website was still finalizing picking-schedule details as of late August 2026. The September 18 date is a reasonable planning target, but treat it as provisional until you’ve confirmed it directly, since the farm itself hadn’t locked it down at the time of this research.
Not confirmed for 2026. The site listed a 'Friday, September 18' opening without stating a year, and noted picking-schedule details were still 'coming soon' as of the read date (2026-08-29).
you need a confirmed 2026 opening date right now — the only date found ('Friday, September 18') wasn't tied to a year, and the site itself said schedule details were still coming.
Not confirmed for 2026. The site mentioned a 'Friday, September 18' opening without specifying a year, and stated picking-schedule and reservation details were still 'coming soon' as of the read date.
Not itemized in the record, though the farm is described as offering more than fifteen apple varieties overall.
Yes — the record confirms fresh-pressed cider on-site, along with pumpkin and squash picking.
Not posted. Neither hours nor pricing were found on the page reached during this research.
716-434-7116, or blackmanhomesteadfarm.com.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. Check with the orchard before driving out.
Pricing was not published when we last checked.
Yes — it's a pick-your-own orchard.
4472 Thrall Road, Lockport, NY 14094, in Niagara County. It is one of 4 orchards we track in Western New York.
We track 4 orchards in Western New York, 4 of which let you pick your own apples. The orchard has not published a starting price, so it cannot be compared on cost — call before you budget.
What sets it apart locally: it has fresh cider, which most Western New York orchards on our list do not.
One caveat worth repeating: this orchard had not published its 2026 dates when we last checked, while 0 of the 4 orchards we track in Western New York had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the orchard confirms it.
There is 1 other orchard we track in Niagara County. All Western New York orchards →
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
blackmanhomesteadfarm.com
Checked September 2026.