A well-known Nelson County u-pick farm built primarily around berries and stone fruit, with apples as a secondary crop — the site itself showed a 'Closed for Season' status when read despite describing April-through-October operation, so this needs a phone call before visiting.
Reusable u-pick buckets $1, or bring your own container
Critzer Family Farm, on Critzer Shop Road in Afton, is a well-known Nelson County u-pick destination, but the record is clear that its strength is berries and stone fruit rather than apples specifically. The site itself is described as thinner on apple detail than on its berry program — no apple varieties are named anywhere in the record, which stands out given how much other information exists for this farm. Anyone coming specifically for apples should treat this as a secondary reason to visit rather than the main draw.
The most important detail in this record is a contradiction on the farm’s own site: it describes itself as generally operating from April through October, but when the site was actually read on September 2, 2026 — squarely within that stated window — it displayed a “Closed for Season” status. That’s not a case of missing information; it’s two pieces of information from the same source that don’t agree with each other. It could mean a between-crops gap, a temporary closure, or an outdated status message that hasn’t been refreshed, but the record can’t say which from what’s available. What it can say is that this contradiction is real and worth passing along honestly rather than assuming the farm is either open or closed.
Setting the open/closed question aside, some details are clear. Picking uses reusable buckets priced at $1 each, or visitors can bring their own container — a low-cost, flexible setup compared to orchards charging by the pound with no container option mentioned. Beyond picking, the farm offers ice cream, hosts birthday parties, and takes field trip bookings, pointing to an operation built for repeat local visits and group events, not just a single seasonal apple trip.
The record specifically refers to the farm’s phone contact as a “Berryline” — a name that itself signals where the farm’s identity centers. Calling 540-241-3305 is the recommended next step for anyone trying to resolve the open/closed contradiction, since nothing in the written record settles it one way or the other. Given that the site’s own status conflicts with its own stated season, a phone call carries more weight here than at orchards where the gap is simply an unposted date rather than contradictory information.
No apple varieties, no season-start or season-end date beyond the general April-through-October description, and no per-pound fruit pricing appear in the record. Address coordinates used here are a fallback near Afton rather than a geocoded street address, so GPS accuracy may be approximate.
Critzer Family Farm is a real, established Nelson County u-pick destination, but this record can’t confirm whether it’s currently open for apple picking — its own site says both that it operates through October and that it’s closed for the season, an unresolved conflict rather than a simple missing detail. Combined with the fact that apples aren’t the farm’s documented strength to begin with, anyone set on apples specifically should call the Berryline first and treat this listing as a maybe rather than a confirmed yes.
Not confirmed. The orchard's own site describes generally operating April through October, but showed a 'Closed for Season' status at the time it was read in September 2026, which conflicts with that stated window.
apples are your main goal — the site is described as thinner on apple-specific detail than on its berry program, and it showed as closed at the moment of research.
Unclear. The site showed a 'Closed for Season' status when read on September 2, 2026, despite describing itself as generally open April through October — a conflict worth resolving with a phone call before visiting.
Not stated in the record. The site is described as focused more on berries and stone fruit, with limited apple-specific detail.
Reusable u-pick buckets are $1, or you can bring your own container. No per-pound fruit price is given in the record.
Ice cream, birthday parties, and field trips are all listed as activities in the record.
Yes — the record calls it the farm's 'Berryline,' at 540-241-3305, and recommends calling before a visit given the conflicting open/closed information.
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. Reusable u-pick buckets $1, or bring your own container
Yes — it's a pick-your-own orchard, with pre-picked apples at the farm stand too.
9388 Critzer Shop Road, Afton, VA 22920, in Nelson County. It is one of 7 orchards we track in Blue Ridge / Charlottesville.
We track 7 orchards in Blue Ridge / Charlottesville, 6 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.
One caveat worth repeating: this orchard had not published its 2026 dates when we last checked, while 2 of the 7 orchards we track in Blue Ridge / Charlottesville had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the orchard confirms it.
There are 3 other orchards we track in Nelson County. All Blue Ridge / Charlottesville orchards →
critzerfamilyfarm.com
Checked September 2026.