A small Bennington County family orchard with a clear, year-stamped 2026 opening date and an unusually candid owner's note about the season's crop conditions — plus a rare, direct referral to larger neighboring orchards during off-peak times.
Mad Tom Orchard operates in East Dorset, in Bennington County, Vermont, per a third-party listing (vermontapples.org), though no street address or phone number was found on the farm’s own site directly. The farm’s own site gave a clear, explicitly year-stamped opening date: “The orchard opens Friday, September 4, 2026.” Hours are 9am-5pm, and the orchard is open Wednesday through Sunday, closing Monday and Tuesday. Five varieties are named: Zestar, Ginger Gold, Premier, McIntosh, and Gala — a spread of early-to-mid-season apples. Cider donuts are confirmed, and field trips are offered as an activity.
Alongside Averill Farm and Sunrise Orchards, Mad Tom Orchard’s September 4, 2026 opening date is fully year-stamped directly from the farm’s own text — a level of confidence most other orchards in this research batch don’t reach, where a date is often given without its year. That makes this record one of the more reliable ones for planning a trip timed to opening day specifically.
The research notes capture a direct quote reflecting real, specific weather commentary from the farm’s owners: “it will be a good crop this year — more fruit than last year when rain kept the bees away during bloom.” That’s a substantive, checkable kind of honesty — explaining that reduced bee activity during bloom (caused by rain) affected the previous year’s fruit set — rather than a generic marketing statement about a “great season ahead.” It’s the kind of specific, non-manufactured detail the enrichment approach is built to surface and preserve rather than smooth over into vague positivity.
The farm’s weekly closure on Monday and Tuesday is explicitly for staff recovery after weekends — a specific, stated reason rather than an unexplained gap in the schedule. That’s worth building into any visit plan, similar to the closed-Wednesday schedule at 3 Bee Farms in Iowa or the Monday closure at Tougas Family Farm in Massachusetts, though Mad Tom’s two-day closure is a slightly larger weekly gap.
Perhaps the most unusual detail in this entire research project: Mad Tom Orchard’s own site points visitors toward larger neighboring orchards — Champlain Orchards and Wellwood Orchards — as alternatives during off-peak times. That’s a genuinely rare piece of candor from a business, essentially acknowledging that a smaller operation like Mad Tom may not always be the right fit (perhaps during very high-demand weekends) and directing visitors elsewhere rather than overselling its own capacity. It also usefully signals that Champlain Orchards and Wellwood Orchards are notably larger operations in the same general Vermont region.
No phone number or street address was confirmed directly from the farm’s own site — location comes from a third-party listing instead. No PYO pricing is available.
Mad Tom Orchard offers a reliably dated 2026 opening (September 4) alongside refreshingly honest owner commentary about crop conditions and an unusual willingness to point visitors toward larger competitors when appropriate. The Monday-Tuesday closure is the main scheduling detail to plan around, and the lack of a confirmed phone number means checking the vermontapples.org listing or the farm’s own site directly is the practical way to firm up contact details before visiting East Dorset.
On or after the confirmed opening date, Friday, September 4, 2026, stated explicitly by the farm's own site — one of the more reliably dated openings in this research.
you're planning a Monday or Tuesday visit — the orchard closes those two days for staff recovery after weekends.
Champlain Orchards and Wellwood Orchards are named directly by Mad Tom Orchard's own site as alternatives during off-peak times, an unusually candid referral worth knowing about.
Friday, September 4, 2026 — an explicit, year-stamped date directly from the farm's own site.
Monday and Tuesday — the farm closes those two days for staff recovery after weekends, per the record.
Zestar, Ginger Gold, Premier, McIntosh, and Gala, per the record.
The owners noted 'it will be a good crop this year — more fruit than last year when rain kept the bees away during bloom,' a specific and honest weather-related detail rather than generic marketing language.
The farm's own site refers visitors to larger neighboring orchards — Champlain Orchards and Wellwood Orchards — as alternatives during off-peak times, an unusually candid referral.
Opens September 4, 2026 (closing date not published). Wed-Sun. Hours: 9am-5pm.
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.
Zestar, Ginger Gold, Premier, McIntosh, Gala — note that what's actually ready to pick changes week to week through the season.
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
madtomorchard.com · vermontapples.org
Checked September 2026.