A Champlain Islands orchard operating since 1967 with over 50 apple varieties, but a 'PYO starts September 12th' reference on the site appeared to be leftover text from a prior season rather than a confirmed 2026 date.
Hackett’s Orchard is located at 86 South Street in South Hero, in Grand Isle County’s Champlain Islands region of Vermont — an island location in Lake Champlain distinct from the mainland Champlain Valley orchards elsewhere in this research, such as Shelburne Orchards or Chapin Orchard. The farm has operated since 1967 and grows more than 50 apple varieties. Cider donuts, fresh-pressed cider, cider slush, and apple crisp are all confirmed as signature farm-market items. The salesroom is open 9am-5pm, and the phone number on file is (802) 372-4848.
This record includes a specific and important caution: the farm’s site referenced “PYO starts September 12th,” but that date appeared to be leftover content from a prior season rather than something actively updated for 2026. This is a genuinely useful distinction the research process caught rather than glossed over — several other orchards in this batch have dates that are ambiguous only because the year wasn’t spelled out, but this is a case where the date itself is suspected to be outdated entirely. Anyone relying on September 12th as this year’s PYO opening should verify directly with the farm rather than trust the posted date.
South Hero sits on one of the islands in Lake Champlain’s Grand Isle County, giving Hackett’s Orchard a meaningfully different setting from the mainland Champlain Valley orchards in this Vermont research. That island geography is worth calling out for a visitor choosing among Vermont orchards partly based on scenery or trip logistics — reaching South Hero involves crossing onto the islands, a different kind of drive than visiting Shelburne Orchards or Sunrise Orchards on the mainland side of the lake.
The farm’s claim of more than 50 apple varieties puts it in the higher-variety tier among the orchards researched across this entire project, comparable to Gould Hill Farm’s claimed 100-plus varieties in New Hampshire, though still well short of that figure. As with several other high-variety-count orchards in this research, no specific list of which varieties make up that count is provided, so a visitor targeting a particular apple has nothing concrete to check against here.
Beyond the standard cider-donut offering common across most of this research, Hackett’s specifically names cider slush and apple crisp as signature items — a slightly more distinctive food lineup than a bare cider-and-donuts combination. These are concrete, named products rather than a generic “farm market treats” description.
No confirmed 2026 season-start or season-end date exists, given the stale-date concern described above. No specific apple variety names are listed despite the 50-plus-variety claim, and no PYO pricing is confirmed.
Hackett’s Orchard brings nearly 60 years of operation and a genuinely wide variety selection to a distinctive Champlain Islands setting, with cider slush and apple crisp standing out as specific signature items. The one thing not to trust here is the posted September 12th PYO start date — call (802) 372-4848 to confirm current picking status before making the trip out to South Hero.
Not confirmed for 2026 specifically in the record. A 'PYO starts September 12th' reference exists on the site but is flagged as likely stale prior-season text rather than a current 2026 date, so verify current picking status directly before visiting.
you're relying on the site's 'September 12th' PYO start reference as a confirmed 2026 date — it appears to be stale text from a previous season.
Over 50, per the record — a notably wide selection.
Since 1967, per the record.
No — the record flags this date as appearing to be leftover text from a prior season rather than a confirmed current-year date, so season_start is left null.
9am-5pm, per the record.
Cider donuts, fresh-pressed cider, cider slush, and apple crisp, per the record.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. In past seasons it has run: Daily. 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.
86 South Street, South Hero, VT 05486, in Grand Isle County. It is one of 1 orchards we track in Champlain Islands.
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
hackettsorchard.com
Checked September 2026.