A three-acre orchard rebuilt under new owners with 20-plus apple varieties, a working cider mill reportedly producing 2,500 gallons a year, a corn maze, and a small train ride — a well-rounded stop, though 2026 dates and prices aren't posted.
Hickory Ridge Orchard is located at 24688 Audrain Road 820 in Mexico, Audrain County, in north central Missouri. Per the orchard’s own site — reached at hickoryridgeorchards.com, with the older domain hickoryridgeorchard.com now redirecting there — read September 3, 2026, the orchard is open Wednesday through Friday from 12pm to 6pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Monday and Tuesday are available by appointment only, which is worth noting if a weekday visit is your only option.
The record confirms both u-pick and pre-picked apples are available, along with a cider mill and cider donuts on-site. Activities include a corn maze, farm tours, and something distinctive to this orchard: the Hickory Ridge Express, a train ride.
Research notes on this record draw from Missouri Life magazine’s “All About Apples” feature, also read September 3, 2026, which fills in a backstory the orchard’s own site doesn’t spell out: Hickory Ridge was formerly known as Binder’s Hilltop Apple & Berry Farm before being expanded into its current form under owners Brandt and Kelsey Schisler. That magazine source also gives the orchard’s variety count as more than 20 — a solid, above-average number compared to most orchards in this research, though it’s worth being clear that this figure comes from the magazine rather than the orchard’s own site directly.
The same magazine source reports the orchard presses roughly 2,500 gallons of cider in a recent year — a figure that, if accurate, suggests real, sustained on-site cider production rather than a token cider stand. The orchard’s own site doesn’t repeat that specific number, so treat it as a third-party estimate rather than an orchard-confirmed figure, but it’s a useful sign that the cider here is likely made from the orchard’s own fruit rather than sourced elsewhere.
Beyond the core picking-and-cider experience, research notes describe a three-acre orchard with a corn maze, a sunflower field, and a small train ride — the kind of lineup that suggests Hickory Ridge has built toward a fuller family outing rather than a bare-bones u-pick stop. Three acres is on the smaller side for an orchard footprint, so despite the wide variety count and range of activities, don’t expect the scale of a much larger commercial operation — this reads as a compact, activity-dense property rather than a sprawling one.
No 2026-specific season dates are given anywhere in the record, and no pricing is listed for apples, cider, cider donuts, or the train ride. Given the appointment-only Monday-Tuesday policy, it’s also worth confirming ahead of time whether appointments are easy to get or require significant lead time — the record doesn’t say. Phone (573) 975-1190 is the listed way to check current dates, prices, and appointment availability.
Hickory Ridge Orchard’s rebuilt history under new ownership, its reported 20-plus varieties, an on-site cider operation producing real volume, and add-ons like a corn maze and train ride make it one of the more activity-rich stops in this north central Missouri research. The core schedule (Wednesday-Sunday, appointment-only Monday-Tuesday) is clear, but with no 2026 dates or pricing confirmed anywhere, a call before visiting is the sensible next step, especially if a weekday appointment is what you’re after.
The record gives hours of 12pm-6pm Wednesday-Friday and 10am-6pm Saturday-Sunday (Monday-Tuesday by appointment), but no specific 2026 season start or end date is stated.
you're hoping to visit Monday or Tuesday without calling ahead — those days are by appointment only, per the record.
12pm-6pm Wednesday through Friday, and 10am-6pm Saturday and Sunday, per the record. Monday and Tuesday are by appointment only.
More than 20, per a third-party source (Missouri Life magazine); the orchard's own site confirms u-pick availability but the variety count specifically comes from that outside source.
Yes, confirmed on the orchard's own site, along with cider donuts. Missouri Life magazine separately reports the orchard presses about 2,500 gallons of cider in a recent year, though that figure isn't repeated on the orchard's own site.
The record lists a corn maze, farm tours, and the Hickory Ridge Express train ride; research notes add a sunflower field.
It's a rebuilt one — per research notes, the orchard was formerly known as Binder's Hilltop Apple & Berry Farm before expanding under current owners Brandt and Kelsey Schisler, per Missouri Life magazine.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. In past seasons it has run: Wed-Sun (Mon-Tue by appointment). 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.
24688 Audrain Road 820, Mexico, MO 65265, in Audrain County. It is one of 1 orchards we track in North Central Missouri.
hickoryridgeorchards.com · hickoryridgeorchard.com · missourilife.com
Checked September 2026.