Perry Lowe Orchards

Our take

What the record actually confirms

Perry Lowe Orchards sits at 8741 North Carolina 16 in Moravian Falls, in the Brushy Mountains foothills near Wilkesboro — geographically distinct from the Henderson County cluster that most other orchards in this research batch belong to. Per the owner’s own account, it’s a sixth-generation family orchard tracing back to the mid-1800s, which would make it one of the longest-running operations documented in this state’s batch.

The farm store keeps different hours than u-pick itself: the store is open Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 4pm, closed Sunday, while u-pick access runs specifically on weekends (Saturday-Sunday). U-pick requires purchasing tickets online, though the record doesn’t give a price. A cider mill is confirmed, along with hard cider tasting.

The cider operation is the real differentiator

What sets Perry Lowe Orchards apart from most of the Henderson County orchards in this batch is that it presses and pasteurizes its own cider on-site — an actual working cider mill, not just retail cider sales — and goes a step further by making hard cider available for tasting. Among the orchards researched in this state, only a handful (Jeter Mountain Farm, Apple Hill Orchard, Millstone Creek Orchards) confirm an on-site cider mill at all, and Perry Lowe is one of the few to also mention hard cider specifically. For visitors interested in the cider-making process itself, not just apples, this is one of the stronger options in the batch.

The Labor Day date, and why it’s an estimate

The orchard’s own site states u-pick is “Opening Labor Day Weekend 2026,” which is a real, orchard-stated commitment — but it’s phrased around the holiday rather than a specific calendar date. Since Labor Day 2026 falls on September 7, this record estimates the weekend opening as September 5, working backward from the holiday. That’s a reasonable inference from a stated fact, but it’s worth being clear that the orchard itself didn’t write “September 5” anywhere in the sourced pages — anyone planning a trip around that exact date should confirm it directly rather than treat it as orchard-confirmed to the day.

The weekday/weekend split is worth planning around

Because u-pick specifically runs on weekends while the store operates most weekdays too, a visitor showing up on, say, a Tuesday should expect to be able to buy from the store and try the cider, but not necessarily pick apples themselves. That’s a meaningful scheduling detail for anyone whose trip is built specifically around the hands-on picking experience rather than a general farm visit.

What’s missing

No apple varieties are named anywhere in the sources checked, and no u-pick pricing is given — both would need a direct call to 336-921-3123 to confirm. There’s also no season-end date, so late-fall visitors should check current status before the drive out to Moravian Falls.

Bottom line

Perry Lowe Orchards’ sixth-generation history and genuine on-site cider-pressing operation, including hard cider, make it a distinctive stop in the Brushy Mountains foothills, well outside the more crowded Henderson County corridor. The Labor Day weekend opening is a real, orchard-stated 2026 commitment, though the specific September 5 date given here is a calendar-based estimate, not an exact quote — and with u-pick limited to weekends and no variety list or pricing posted, a call to 336-921-3123 or a check of perryloweorchards.com is worth it before making the trip.