Long Creek’s Chattooga Belle Farm is the pinnacle of berry picking
Of all the spots to pick berries near Lake Keowee, Chattooga Belle Farm might be the most distractible. Because finding what’s ripe for the picking amid Chattooga Belle’s seven acres of orchards will require lowering your gaze from some of the best views off the lake.
Chattooga Belle sits a cool 1,700 feet above sea level, and its orchards span a lush slope that offer spectacular 200-degree views of the Appalachian chain—on a clear day, from north Georgia to Brevard, NC. The Long Creek–based U-Pick kicks off its high season in June, beginning with raspberries, and followed in short order by blackberries and blueberries.
As the summer wears on, peaches, muscadines, scuppernongs, grapes, and finally apples will hang heavy from the trees and bushes of this historic orchard, owned, operated, and managed by Oconee County native Ed Land.
“Farming has always been a part of my family, just as it’s always been ingrained in most of America up until about fifty years ago,” Land explains. “Our idea here is to grow it, harvest it, pick it, produce it in the canning kitchen, take it to the store, and send it out the door. We have the whole product here.”
This twenty-first-century farm is also remarkably diverse: an 18-hole disc golf course, lakeside cabin (available for rental), and observatory deck for burgeoning astronomers are all part of its allure. Surrounded by Sumter National Forest, the 137-acre farmstead is just minutes removed from dozens of hiking trails, more than 20 waterfalls, and rafting on the Chattooga River among other outdoorsy exploits.
So, no need to pick and choose what to do if you’re looking for a day off the lake. Get out the map, and make plans to make a visit to Chattooga Belle – it’s a vacation from the everyday, bundled into one cool daytrip—baskets optional.
Chattooga Belle Farm
454 Damascus Church Rd
Long Creek, SC 29658
(864) 647-9768
www.chattoogabellefarm.com
Other Places to Pick Your Own Around Lake Keowee:
The Happy Berry – blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, muscadines, and more
510 Gap Hill Road
Six Mile, SC 29682
Phone: (864) 868-2946
Farm: (864) 350-9345
Email: ContactUs@TheHappyBerry.com
www.thehappyberry.com
Hardy Berry Farm – strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries,
muscadines/scuppernogs, peaches
232 Strawberry Road,
Anderson, SC 29626
Phone: (864) 224-5441
Email: info@hardyberryfarm.com
thehardyberryfarm@gmail.com
Strawberry Hill USA – strawberries, peaches, blackberries, and local produce
3097 Highway 11
West Chesnee, SC 29323
Phone: 864-461-7225
info@strawberryhillusa.com
www.strawberryhillusa.com
Photo Credit: www.chattoogabellefarm.com.
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