Is It Fall Yet?

The calendar reads September, or perhaps even October. Daylight hours are shorter. Early mornings delight with cooler temperatures. Leaves of red and gold dance in the breeze. But it isn't really Fall until our first trip of the season to Sky Top Apple Orchard in Flat Rock, NC.

The ascent of US Hwy 25 from Greenville, SC to this part of North Carolina provides one of my favorite drives, with scenic vistas of the mountain ridges parading into view. And when the destination is Sky Top, it gets even better.

Perfect for a family outing, Sky Top offers 40 acres of apple trees with more than 25 varieties available progressively from early September until end of harvest. Taste the samples then select your favorites, already picked or pick your own. Baskets and wagons are provided for the quest. Younger family members also enjoy the ducks and geese navigating the ponds, a collection of barnyard animals, and an observation bee hive.

To savor the true tastes of the season, try the fresh apple cider (hot or cold) and made-while-you-watch doughnuts are fragrant and delicious treats; caramel and fudge apples, honey, jam and other apple products are also on offer.

The best meal nearby? Without any doubt, your own picnic eaten at the orchard. Some tables are on-site, but you can also spread your cloth among the trees. Looking out over the orchard from the top of this mountain provides a feast for all the senses and nourishment for both body and soul!

Sky Top Apple Orchard (Pinnacle Mountain Rd, Flat Rock, NC; 828-692-7930; www.skytoporchard.com): open mid August – November, daily 9am-6pm.

Also in the area:

Connemara (81 Carl Sandburg Ln, Flat Rock, NC 28731; 828-693-4178; www.nps.gov/carl): Carl Sandburg's home and working farm; open daily 9am-5pm. See the house with many of the poet's books, papers and furnishings; tour the goat dairy, formerly operated by Mrs. Sandburg, breeder of champion goats.

Flat Rock Playhouse, the State Theatre of North Carolina (2661 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock, NC 28731; 828-693-0731; www.flatrockplayhouse.org): season runs April through December.