Windy Hill Orchard & Cidery

Our take

What the record actually confirms

Windy Hill Orchard & Cidery sits at 1860 Black Hwy in York, York County — the record places it near the Charlotte, NC metro border, about an hour’s drive from Charlotte, which gives it a different draw than the Oconee County cluster covered elsewhere in this batch. According to the source_note, the address, hours, and variety details here were read directly from the orchard’s own website (windyhillorchard.com), specifically its Pick Your Own and Hours & Directions pages, on 2026-09-03 — making this one of the most directly sourced records in this batch, distinct from records built on secondary directories.

Hours run on two separate schedules: the Farm Stand is open Thu-Sat 10am-6pm and Sun 12pm-6pm, while the Cider Bar keeps different hours — Fri 12pm-7pm and Sat-Sun 10am-6pm — with last call 15 minutes before closing. Both u-pick and pre-picked apples are offered, alongside a confirmed cider mill and cider donuts. Activities listed include a hayride, live music, the cider bar, and the farm stand itself. The phone number on record is 803-684-0690.

Confirmed open for 2026, but on a rolling schedule

This is the one record in the South Carolina batch with an explicit, dated 2026 confirmation: the record notes the orchard’s own pages stated “Now Open for the Fall 2026 Season!” and referenced an August 17, 2026 update opening reservations for Saturday, August 29 apple picking. That’s why this record’s confirmation field is set to orchard_site rather than left blank — it’s a real, sourced signal that the season is actively underway, not an inference.

But it’s worth being precise about what that means in practice: there’s no fixed season_start or season_end calendar date given. Instead, u-pick access appears to work through rolling, weekly-released reservations rather than a simple open-to-close date range. Anyone planning a visit should expect to check the website for the next available reservation window rather than assuming any given weekend is automatically open for picking.

Two varieties, one of them still young

The record names two apple varieties available for u-pick: Stayman Winesap and Crimson Crisp. The record specifically notes that Crimson Crisp trees are young and currently in limited supply, which is a useful heads-up — a visitor hoping specifically for Crimson Crisp shouldn’t assume it will be available on any given reservation date the way the more established Stayman Winesap likely would be. Stayman Winesap is a late-season apple, which fits with a Labor-Day-adjacent opening and a season that likely extends well into fall.

A 40-year cider donut tradition

Distinct from the other records in this batch, Windy Hill is noted for cider donuts made fresh daily for over 40 years — a specific, long-standing detail that separates it from orchards where cider donuts are either unconfirmed or a newer addition. Combined with the cider bar (open on a schedule separate from the farm stand) and live music, this reads as more of a built-out agritourism destination than a simple pick-your-own stop.

What’s still missing

The one clear gap: current u-pick pricing per bag or peck isn’t posted on the pages reviewed, so anyone wanting to budget for a visit will need to call 803-684-0690 or check at the time of booking a reservation slot.

Bottom line

Windy Hill Orchard & Cidery has the strongest direct-from-the-source confirmation in this batch — an explicit 2026 season opening and a dated reservation announcement, both read straight from the orchard’s own website. The reservation-only u-pick model and the 40-year cider donut tradition make it a distinct stop for anyone within reach of the Charlotte metro area, but the lack of posted pricing and the rolling reservation system mean planning ahead (and checking the website directly) matters more here than at a walk-up orchard.