There are donuts, and then there are apple cider donuts eaten at an orchard in fall. Still warm from the fryer, dusted in cinnamon sugar and followed by a cup of fresh-pressed cider, they have an unfair advantage. Across the country, farms have turned this humble autumn treat into a reason to plan an entire afternoon around dessert.
From New England orchards to the Blue Ridge Mountains, these 10 spots serve cider donuts good enough to justify adding a few extra miles to your fall road trip.
Red Apple Farm — Phillipston, Massachusetts
At Red Apple Farm, cider donuts aren’t confined to a few fleeting weekends. The family-owned Central Massachusetts farm makes its cinnamon-sugar-coated donuts fresh daily and sells them year-round alongside fresh-pressed cider, pies and other baked treats. Come during apple season, though, and you can turn snack time into a full New England fall outing with pick-your-own apples and seasonal farm activities. The farm also has its own cidery and Brew Barn, making it dangerously easy to spend a few hours here after promising yourself you were “just stopping for donuts.”
Fishkill Farms — Hopewell Junction, New York
The cider donuts at Fishkill Farms have enough of a following that the farm makes them every day, year-round. During fall harvest weekends, an outdoor donut window keeps cinnamon-sugar and plain versions coming, although lines can get serious during the late-September and early-October rush. Pair a fresh donut with apples from the orchard or head to Treasury Cider Bar for estate-grown hard cider. The farm store adds pies, local cheese and plenty of Hudson Valley goodies, making this one of those stops where a box of donuts tends to acquire several traveling companions.
Mercier Orchards — Blue Ridge, Georgia
North Georgia apple country does not mess around when it comes to dessert. At Mercier Orchards, the bakery makes apple cider donuts in three styles: cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar and old-fashioned cake. Choosing one may be harder than expected. Mercier is a fourth-generation family farm, and the bakery is also known for fried pies made from a longtime family recipe, with apple joining rotating seasonal flavors such as peach and blackberry. Grab the donuts, add a fried pie because restraint has already left the building, then enjoy the mountain scenery around Blue Ridge.
Marker-Miller Orchards Farm Market — Winchester, Virginia
The bakery alone makes Marker-Miller Orchards Farm Market worth the Shenandoah Valley detour. Its apple cider donuts are baked into a much larger lineup of apple dumplings, turnovers, cinnamon buns, pies, fresh apple cake and even apple cider donut bread pudding. Donut holes are available, too, for anyone pretending a smaller version somehow counts less. The farm market sits amid hundreds of acres of orchards, with picnic areas, mountain views and a sweets shop selling fudge and hand-dipped ice cream. One 2026 heads-up: an April freeze sharply reduced the apple crop, so traditional tree picking is limited this season.
Honey Pot Hill Orchards — Stow, Massachusetts
Cider donuts have been part of the fall ritual at Honey Pot Hill Orchards for generations of Massachusetts families. The Martin family has farmed here since 1926, and the farm makes fresh donuts every day it’s open. They aren’t guaranteed to be piping hot at the exact moment you arrive, but they are made fresh daily, a distinction worth noting at a place where visitors routinely leave carrying considerably more than they planned. Apple picking, farm animals and seasonal attractions round out the trip, while the orchard now also produces hard cider for grown-up apple enthusiasts.
B.J. Reece Orchards — Ellijay, Georgia
Ellijay calls itself Georgia’s Apple Capital, and B.J. Reece Orchards offers plenty of evidence for the title. The year-round farm market and bakery sells apple cider donuts alongside the orchard’s especially popular fried pies. Fall is when the whole place kicks into high gear: the 2026 U-pick season begins Aug. 29, with apple picking and farm activities running throughout September and October. More varieties are typically sold in the market than are available to pick yourself, so there is plenty to investigate even after the orchard bag is full. Reece’s Cider Co. sits across the road if you want to keep the apple theme going.
Hicks Orchard — Granville, New York
Hicks Orchard has been around since 1905 and bills itself as New York’s oldest U-pick orchard, but its cider donuts have developed a reputation all their own. The barn store sells fresh donuts alongside pressed cider, fudge, apple butter and local maple products, and they are popular enough to be shipped by the dozen during parts of the year. For the full grown-up version of the orchard outing, wander over to the historic Slyboro Ciderhouse tasting room for a flight of estate-made hard cider. Apples, cider and donuts in multiple forms? Fall has officially accomplished its mission.
Applecrest Farm Orchards — Hampton Falls, New Hampshire
You may smell the bakery before you finish deciding what to buy at Applecrest Farm Orchards. The farm’s old-fashioned cider donuts are made alongside pies, crisps, breads and cookies, with the market also pouring its own hand-pressed cider. Applecrest traces its history back nearly a century and grows more than 40 apple varieties along with berries, peaches, pumpkins and other produce. Fall festival weekends add tractor rides, live music, a corn maze, barnyard animals and the seasonal creamery. Which raises an important logistical question: cider donut before homemade ice cream, or cider donut with homemade ice cream?
Butler’s Orchard — Germantown, Maryland
Fresh cider donuts are a fall fixture at Butler’s Orchard, a family farm that has been part of Montgomery County since 1950. During the Pumpkin Festival, running Sept. 19 through Nov. 1 in 2026, visitors can make a day of hayrides, a corn maze, giant slides, farm animals, live music and pumpkin picking before swinging by for something cinnamon-sugared. The donuts are made fresh in the morning and are popular enough that the farm restricts bulk weekend orders during the busiest season. One important 2026 update: a late spring frost wiped out Butler’s apple blossoms, so there is no traditional apple picking this year, although the fall festival and donut supply continue.
Carter Mountain Orchard — Charlottesville, Virginia
Come for the donuts. Stay because Charlottesville looks awfully good from up here. Carter Mountain Orchard sits above the city with sweeping views toward the Blue Ridge Mountains, making its apple cider donuts particularly well positioned for a scenic snack break. From mid-August into December, the orchard sells fresh-pressed cider, pies, ready-picked apples and its hugely popular donuts, with pick-your-own apples available as conditions allow. Fall weekends are busy enough that admission tickets are required on designated dates in 2026, so plan ahead. For an especially memorable visit, time it around sunset and enjoy the view with a donut still warm enough to perfume the bag.
