North Carolina Home to One of the Best Apple Orchards in America

Fall is in the air, and it's time to think about pumpkin patches and apple orchards, and now you can get some of the best in the country right here in North Carolina. USA Today released its annual 10 Best Apple Orchards in America list, and we've got one of those right here in our neck of the woods. Our good friend Chris Michaels at our sister station WGAC in Augusta first reported about the list for Beasley. "To find the top spots for apples across the nation, a panel of experts made 20 nominations and our readers voted for the 10 best apple orchards," USA Today said. According to the story, there are more than 5,000 growers of apples across the country. They produce 240 million bushels of the tasty fruits every year. The U.S. Apple Association says that 10.7 billion pounds of apples will be produced this year. Here in North Carolina, there are more than 300 commercial apple producers. And according to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, the four main types of the fruits produced here are Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty and Stayman. Unfortunately for us, most of those apple orchards are on the Western side of the state, because they need cooler temperatures to properly grow. But fortunately for us, one of the best in the country is over there! So let's take a look at those top 10 apple orchards, including the one right here in North Carolina.