Get Your Steps in at These Pick-Your-Own Berry Farms

Have fun and stay fit while picking fresh and healthy berries this summer

a person holding a bunch of cherrys on a white cloth

Picking berries is a great way to add farm-fresh produce to your diet — and get your exercise in.

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Cassandra Brooklyn,

AARP

En español

Published June 14, 2024

Summer brings to mind picnics, vacations and wonderful weather that is perfect for picking farm-fresh produce. And few field-to-fork items scream summer quite as much as fresh berries. Throw them on a salad or into a pie, or enjoy them straight from the carton. Berries are as versatile as they are tasty.

But berries — strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, boysenberries and more — aren’t just delicious; they’re also nutritious. Many are packed with antioxidants and nutrients that are essential for eye health as you age. Because they come in a wide array of colors, from yellow and red to purple and blue, berries can help you, according to the Mayo Clinic, “eat the rainbow” for good health. Considering that friends are also good for your health and well-being, berry picking could be the perfect activity to get you and your gang together to try something new.

Walking through beautiful berry farms is not only easy on the eyes; it’s also a great way to work in some exercise, which can help ward off some of the deadliest threats to people 50-plus, such as heart and liver disease. Get in your steps by walking through the fields, and work out some oft-ignored muscles while bending over to pick berries. Want to improve your health even more? Consider parking in the back of the lot to get in additional steps.

With experiences ranging from pickleball and strawberry picking in California to wading through cranberry marshes in Wisconsin, here are some fabulous farms to visit to find berries this year.

Blackberries and blueberries are available for picking at Chattooga Belle Farm, which boasts mountain views.

Perry Baker/Chattooga Belle Farm

Blackberries and blueberries, Long Creek, South Carolina

Rustic Chattooga Belle Farm is a picturesque working farm with an open-air event barn set against magical mountain vistas. In addition to offering blackberry and blueberry picking in the summer, they grow peaches as well as scuppernong and table grapes, so you can fill your basket and get in your steps throughout the entire harvest season. The farm also has a general store, a bistro restaurant focusing on local food and a distillery offering tastings and tours, so you can make an entire day out of your visit. 454 Damascus Church Rd. $3.75/lb for blueberries.

A few people picking beets at Farm in the Dell

Farm in the Dell offers job training, employment and a sense of accomplishment to people with disabilities.

Courtesy Farm in the Dell

Strawberries, Moorhead, Minnesota

Pick with purpose at Farm in the Dell, which was founded by parents of teens with disabilities who want to offer job training, employment and a sense of accomplishment to people with disabilities. In addition to strawberries, you can pick fresh flowers and herbs here. The farm also offers berry breakfasts, volunteer opportunities, make-your-own bouquet garden parties and a farm dinner series. 7426 40th St. N. $6/quart.

Cherries, Grand Rapids, Michigan

At Ed Dunneback and Girls Farm Market you can pick your own sweet and tart cherries, blueberries and strawberries, plus non-berry items such as asparagus and apples. Buy freshly baked pies, pastries, jams and salsas in the Farm Market barn, enjoy a weekday trivia night and happy hour, or settle in for a meal and live music on the weekends. The on-site taproom, Pink Barrel Cellars, offers local beer, wine and hard cider made with ingredients from the farm. If you plan on visiting a lot, you can even take advantage of the festival season pass. 3025 6 Mile Rd. Pricing depends on growing season.

Raspberries and blackberries, Sebastopol, California

At New Carpati Farm, come for the raspberries and blackberries; stay for the mushrooms and herbs. You can pick your own organic berries, shiitake and oyster mushrooms, mint and medicinal herbs. Plus, you can join a workshop to learn how to make your own grow-at-home mushroom kit. This rustic farm is home to alpacas, ducks and rare horned Jacob sheep. If you don’t feel like leaving, you can stay overnight at the Farmstay. 4241 Bartleson Rd. Berry picking by appointment only. $6/basket of berries.

In addition to strawberries, you can pick organic peppers, flowers and squash at Cassidy Ranch.

Elizabeth Giannuzzi

Strawberries, Sonoma, California

As a berry-picking bonus, you’ll find Cassidy Ranch about 40 minutes away from New Carpati Farm. In addition to strawberries, you can pick your own organic peppers, flowers, squash and more. The ranch makes its own wine and recently installed a pickleball court, where you’ll have so much fun playing that you’ll forget you’re exercising. 22661 S. Central Ave. $6 per person for strawberries.

Honeyberries and blueberries, Winona, Minnesota

Sweet, plump and juicy blueberries scream summer, but what makes Blue Fruit Farm so special is that they grow unique and hard-to-find berries, including elderberries (available for purchase, not pick-your-own), aronia berries and oblong honeyberries, which look like a grape-blueberry hybrid. Known as the “fruit of long life” because of its especially high antioxidant levels, the honeyberry is a relatively new species in North America, but Blue Fruit Farm has been growing the berries for nearly a decade. They also grow black currants, although the strength of the season will determine whether they’re available for pick-your-own. Note that pick-your-own is by appointment only to prevent the fields from becoming overcrowded. 31762 Wiscoy Ridge Rd. $9/pound for honeyberries in June; $6/pound for blueberries in July.

person holding a large blackberry at Mortimer Farms

The Blackberry Festival at Mortimer Farms celebrates pollinators.

Courtesy Mortimer Farms

Blackberries, Dewey, Arizona

While Arizona often brings to mind deserts and cacti, less than 90 minutes north of Phoenix is Mortimer Farms, a working farm offering pick-your-own fruit, a park, festivals and more. Each weekend in July, the Blackberry Festival celebrates the crucial role of pollinators, and ladybugs and butterflies are released into the fields. Farm visits and self-pick experiences are rounded out with farm-to-table meals and activities such as zip lines, a sand pit, a ropes course, magic shows and hay rides. 12907 E. State Route 169.

Blueberries, Elkland, Missouri

B Berry Farms is a solar-powered farm and campground with 8 acres of fields filled with several types of berries. Depending on the season, you may find blueberries, blackberries or honeyberries. While much of the campground is dedicated to RV and tent camping, they also rent a bunkhouse. There are walking trails, horseback riding trails, a swimming pond and recreation rooms, plus activities for adults and families, such as darts and horseshoe pitching. 96 Dusty Dr. $5/pint for blueberries for campers staying on-site.

aerial view of a machine putting berries onto a truck at Rooted in Red.

You can wade through cranberry bogs at Rooted in Red.

Courtesy Rooted in Red

Cranberries, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

Take a wagon tour around the ruby-red marshes at Rooted in Red, then jump into the cranberry bogs, just like in the Ocean Spray commercials. Technically, you’re not berry picking here. Instead, you’re wading knee-high through the bright and brilliant bogs of berries. It’s a unique and exhilarating experience. You may be able to buy berries and berry products in the store after the tour. Unlike most berries, which peak in summer, cranberries are a fall crop, so plan to visit late September through October. Fall is also a stunning time to catch wildlife in this area, such as deer and sandhill cranes, and enjoy fall foliage along the 50-mile Cranberry Highway. 1060 Center St. $85 for harvest experience on Oct. 19 and Oct. 20. Call to schedule tours on other days.

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Cassandra Brooklyn is a contributing writer who covers travel, caregiving, human-interest stories and the outdoors. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time and National Geographic, among other publications.