The flagship, seventh-generation location of a chain the company itself describes as the largest family-owned, family-operated u-pick orchard in the country — but exact u-pick pricing and a full variety list aren't in this record.
Eckert’s Belleville Farm is located at 951 S Green Mount Rd in Belleville, St. Clair County, in the Metro East region near St. Louis. The phone number on file is 800-745-0513, and the farm’s page is at eckerts.com/farms/belleville-farm. The site states that apple picking is currently available and expected to run “through most of October,” though it stops short of giving specific calendar start or end dates.
Cider donuts are confirmed through the site’s own branded shop, “Mr. E’s Donut and Custard Shop” — a specific, named on-site business rather than a generic donut stand. The activities list includes an Orchard Loop Trail, a Sunflower Trail, and a seasonal lighted trail that runs in the evenings, giving this location a broader, more built-out set of walking and seasonal-attraction options than most orchards in this file.
The research notes describe Eckert’s own marketing claim that it is the largest family-owned, family-operated u-pick orchard in the country, with the Belleville farm specifically positioned as its flagship, seventh-generation location. That’s a substantial claim about scale, and it’s presented here as the company’s own characterization rather than something independently verified against, say, an industry ranking — but the seventh-generation family history and flagship status are consistent with Eckert’s well-documented, long-running regional presence in the St. Louis Metro East area.
Given that scale, the research notes suggest the visitor experience at Belleville is genuinely large: a restaurant, a bakery, walking trails, and seasonal light displays are all part of the property, well beyond a simple picking operation. That positions Belleville closer to a full day-trip destination than a quick apple-picking stop.
Despite the depth of activity information in this record, there’s no apple variety list and no u-pick pricing confirmed anywhere. The research notes offer a plausible explanation rather than treating this as a simple oversight: given Eckert’s scale and its likely use of an online ticketing or reservation system for u-pick access, pricing and variety-specific details may live behind that system rather than on the general marketing pages that were checked. That’s a meaningfully different situation from a smaller orchard that simply hasn’t posted pricing anywhere — here, the gap likely reflects how the information is structured on Eckert’s site rather than its absence altogether.
Anyone planning a specific visit should expect to need to check Eckert’s ticketing or reservation system directly, or call 800-745-0513, to get current pricing and variety availability, rather than expecting to find it on the general farm overview page this record draws from.
The seasonal lighted trail stands out as a specific, checkable feature not common among the smaller orchards in this file — it suggests Eckert’s Belleville Farm programs its property for evening visits during the season, not just daytime picking. No specific dates or hours for the lighted trail are given, so it’s worth confirming timing if an evening visit is the goal.
Eckert’s Belleville Farm is a large, well-established flagship location with a genuine seventh-generation history, confirmed current apple picking through most of October, cider donuts, and multiple walking trails including a seasonal lighted one. The real gap in this record is cost and variety specifics, which — given the farm’s scale — most likely live in an online ticketing system rather than being missing from Eckert’s operations altogether. A call to 800-745-0513 or a check of Eckert’s own booking system is the way to close that gap before visiting.
The orchard's own site states apple picking is currently available and expected to run 'through most of October,' without giving exact start or end calendar dates.
you need exact u-pick pricing or a specific apple variety confirmed in advance — neither is in this record.
Yes, per the orchard's own site, which states picking is currently available and expected to run through most of October — though exact start and end dates aren't given.
Yes — confirmed via the site's 'Mr. E's Donut and Custard Shop.'
The record confirms an Orchard Loop Trail, a Sunflower Trail, and a seasonal lighted trail in the evenings.
Not stated in the record. Given Eckert's scale, this information likely exists behind a ticketing system not fully surfaced by the pages checked.
The research notes describe Belleville as Eckert's flagship, seventh-generation location, distinct from the smaller Grafton farm also in this file.
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, with pre-picked apples at the farm stand too.
951 S Green Mount Rd, Belleville, IL 62220, in St. Clair County. It is one of 3 orchards we track in Metro East / Southern Illinois.
We track 3 orchards in Metro East / Southern Illinois, 3 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 0 of the 3 orchards we track in Metro East / Southern Illinois had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the orchard confirms it.
There is 1 other orchard we track in St. Clair County. All Metro East / Southern Illinois orchards →
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
eckerts.com
Checked September 2026.