A fifth-generation family farm dating to 1936 with over 30 varieties of apples, peaches, and nectarines on paper, but the record can't confirm whether picking here is self-serve — and there's a second Penland location nearby that isn't this one.
Penland Orchards & Farm Market is one of the longer-established family operations in the Ellijay apple corridor, describing itself on its own site as a fifth-generation farm serving the community since 1936. What’s less clear from the record is the most basic question a visitor would ask: can you actually pick your own apples here, or is this a market where fruit is already picked for you? The site’s homepage doesn’t answer that directly.
The 1936 founding date and fifth-generation description both come straight from Penland’s own site, which is a solid, checkable claim even without further detail on what’s changed over the decades. Combined with growing “over 30 varieties of apples, peaches, and nectarines” per the same source, this reads as a genuinely established, diversified family farm rather than a newer or narrower operation.
The record is explicit about this gap: Penland’s homepage reads more like a retail farm market than a u-pick destination, and it never actually states whether customers pick their own apples or buy them already harvested. That’s different from an orchard that clearly advertises “no u-pick” — here, the site simply doesn’t address the question either way, which the record treats honestly as unknown rather than assuming one answer or the other.
A detail worth flagging clearly: the Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce lists two separate Penland locations — this one on Tails Creek Rd (also called Hwy 282), and a second address at 41 Talona Mountain Rd with its own phone number, 706-635-5110. This record covers only the Tails Creek Rd location, specifically to avoid treating what may be two branches of one family business as fully separate, unrelated entries. If you’re trying to reach Penland specifically for u-pick apples versus market shopping, it’s worth asking on the phone which of the two locations offers what, since the record doesn’t distinguish their offerings.
Beyond the general “30+ varieties” claim, no specific apple names are in the record. No hours are posted, and no 2026-dated season announcement was found on the page fetched — meaning there’s no way to know from this record whether “over 30 varieties” translates to a long picking season or a shorter one. That’s a real limitation if you’re trying to time a visit around a particular week in the fall.
One geocoding detail worth knowing: the coordinates in this record resolved to a road-level point along the street address rather than the exact building. If you’re navigating by GPS, treat the pin as an approximate location along Tails Creek Rd rather than the farm’s exact driveway.
The central gap here — whether picking is self-serve — matters more for Penland than for many other entries in this file, since “farm market” and “u-pick orchard” are genuinely different kinds of visits with different expectations. Combined with no hours, no 2026 dates, and no named varieties, this is a record that establishes Penland is a real, long-running, diversified fruit farm without establishing what a specific visit here actually looks like.
Penland Orchards & Farm Market is at 7678 Tails Creek Rd in Ellijay, Gilmer County, part of the same broader apple-growing corridor as the other orchards in this file, though note the second Penland location at 41 Talona Mountain Rd is a separate address.
Penland’s nearly-90-year history and broad fruit selection make it worth a call, but confirm two things before you go: whether apples here are pick-your-own, and which of the two Penland addresses you actually want. 706-635-5100 is the number on file for this location.
Not stated with specific 2026 dates. No hours or dated season announcement were found on the page the record is based on.
You're set on picking your own apples yourself — the record can't confirm this location offers that.
Not confirmed. The record notes the homepage reads more like a retail farm market than a u-pick destination, and never states whether customers can pick apples themselves.
Since 1936, described on the site as a fifth-generation family farm, per the record.
The site states over 30 varieties of apples, peaches, and nectarines, though no specific variety names are given.
Yes — the Gilmer County Chamber lists two Penland locations: this one on Tails Creek Rd/Hwy 282, and a second at 41 Talona Mountain Rd with a different phone number (706-635-5110). Only the Tails Creek Rd location is covered in this record.
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.
No — this orchard sells pre-picked apples from its own trees rather than u-pick.
7678 Tails Creek Rd, Ellijay, GA 30540, in Gilmer County. It is one of 8 orchards we track in Ellijay / Gilmer County (Apple Alley).
We track 8 orchards in Ellijay / Gilmer County (Apple Alley), 4 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 8 orchards we track in Ellijay / Gilmer County (Apple Alley) had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the orchard confirms it.
There are 7 other orchards we track in Gilmer County. All Ellijay / Gilmer County (Apple Alley) orchards →
penlandorchards.com
Checked September 2026.