From the time I planned on having children, I vowed to give them the best life possible, filled with lots of love, adventures and lessons. American River Cherry Company was the perfect place to achieve all of the above. The drive from Reno to get to the farm was scenic. You drive through Lake Tahoe and the El Dorado National Forest, the same drive you would take to Apple Hill since they are basically in the same vicinity. If you're coming from Reno, you'll pass a beautiful waterfall just before you arrive that could be found right off the freeway on the left-Bridal Veil Falls, Pollock Pines. There's a pull over area where you can check it out up close. It flows year-round. Driving the streets to get to the farm was fun with winding roads covered by shade giving trees that lined the road. Upon entering the farm my eyes were caught by the beautiful "Homes & Garden" house blanketed with beautiful flowers, tall trees and freshly mowed green grass. You can find a hammock hung out in front- an ideal place for a nap. If you go down the hill to the left of the house, it will lead you to the pond where you will find the perfect picnic area, with a classic red picnic table & swing, lily pads floating, Koi fish down below, and dragon flies playing. My kids had fun running up and down the hills after picking fruit. After parking, we made our way to check in at the barn. Prior to arriving, I printed and filled out their liability waiver from their website to save time. At the barn, I loved that they took the time to supply sanitized pens so as to minimize the spread of germs. The workers (masked) were welcoming and gave us our buckets. As soon as we entered the farm, we were greeted with berries- berries to the left and berries to the right. The kids screamed with delight and set out to collect as many as they could. Further down you will find whimsical cherry trees creating a beautiful landscape. The available selections will depend on the temperature and pollinators so make sure to call ahead of time for more information. We went a couple of weeks after opening and found that lots of cherries had already been picked. I would suggest following them closely on their Facebook page to keep up with updates so you can catch them right when they open. The kids especially had fun collecting blueberries which were perfect in height and plentiful. I can't describe how special it is to be able to pick your own blueberries. There's no comparison with store bought berries. If you are travelling with little ones, it is especially helpful that you arrive early morning and early in the season to avoid hot temperatures. Just in case the little ones are only interested for a short while, you can find pre-picked selections at check in so you don't leave empty handed. At the end, we all had the time of our lives and decided to make cherry and berry picking at the American River Company a family tradition. Notes: *hand wash station available *Popsicles and honey for sale at check in *Berries are super fragile (esp. fresh picked) so if you can round up some clam shell containers from the store or Amazon, storing the berries in them would be the best way to transport and prevent damage *check out their website for varieties and prices *don't forget sunscreen, water, and hats *don't forget to check the weather to plan accordingly *If hungry, In-N-Out nearby *Boa Vista Orchards is a Apple Hill farm that is open year round if you're looking for goods-baked, packaged, frozen, fresh produce *They state that there is an entrance fee($5/person, 12yrs. and younger free) on their website but when we went, we were not charged. If charged, you may feel like you're not getting your money's worth, but I think the atmosphere and experience alone is worth the entrance fee and would gladly pay. *Koi fish feed available next to pond- bring quarters *Not too many parking spots in front of house so if lot fills up, park outside and walk up hill *keep cherries separate from berries due to the difference in price read more

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We had a magical experience here, and the berries and cherries we picked were delicious! The family who runs the place is extremely friendly and helpful. Looking forward to making this a tradition. read more

Cute and quaint little family own orchard. Brought my family and I here for some yummy raspberries! Great owners and very well kept landscape! Would definitely recommend and come back because of the nice atmosphere! read more

American River Cherry Company - Fruits & Veggies Near Me - Placerville, California

The American River Cherry Co. is an easy to find, well-run, friendly and delicious stop for you-pick just outside of placerville. I made a trip up to escape the valley heat on a Sunday afternoon and was relieved to find it 10 degrees cooler. The road off of highway 49 is sharp, so go slow once in the area, which is just a few minutes outside of town. There are signs directing you to the ranch up the steep hill (watch out for oncoming traffic on this one-lane road). Once there I was greeted by a very friendly family. The gentleman who was up front explained the process ($5 fee, put towards what you pick) and showed me the picking buckets and berry patches. The cherry crop was a bust throughout the state, but they had plenty of berries to make up for it. The picking area is a bit exposed, so prepare for sun and heat (bring water). Lots of friendly people and families were out. They have several varieties of each type of berry, rasp, black, boysen, oualallie and blue. They ripen at different times, so don't expect all at the same time. The checkout process was easy with a quick weigh of the crop at very low prices. They had one dollar popsicles that were the perfect end to a hot afternoon of work. Free ice water topped off the excellent customer service. O only wish they had better containers/bags, since a good amount of the crop was crushed under its own weight. I highly recommend heading up to the American River Cherry Company during berry season for a special outing and tasty treats. read more

Although kids seemed to enjoy this place, the $5 entry fee per adult adds up to an overpriced and unerwhelming experience. We asked before we paid our entry fee whether they had raspberries and tart cherries; they confirmed that they had raspberries and that not fully ripe bing cherries would be fine for making pies. Ultimately, we found out that although they had raspberry bushes, there was exactly 4 oz of raspberries ready to be picked. I know this because we scoured the bushes trying desparately to make our entry fees worth while. The cherries were not great for pies either. In the end, we were still charged for the few raspberries, on top of our entry fee! I probably would be less upset if they called it even by not charging for the puny crop we harvested. Maybe charge for the produce only if your customers pick more than the $5 you already swindled from each of them? Or charge $5 per car. We will definitely not be returning to this cash cow. read more

We loved this place! The staff was fun and friendly. There was a lot of picking to do. Prices were great. My son had a field day! It's a little off the beaten path but a nice drive. There is a picnic area so bring something to eat to make a day of it. I highly recommend this as a family outing. read more

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Loved this "you-pick" berry farm. Visited with a couple of friends and their kids and found myself quickly addicted to berry picking. The scenery was breathtaking and the berries were plentiful and beautiful. The kids had a great time feeding the fish in the koi pond as well as picking the berries. Family friendly and an all around good time. We took our spoils home and enjoyed them over vanilla ice cream and they were very tart, flavorful and delicious. When we had finished and were getting ready to head home, our car wouldn't start. The owners were kind enough to give our battery a jump start and help us on our way. Now if that's not five star customer service, I don't know what is! Loved my experience here. Can't wait to go back. read more

What a beautiful place...My aunt & I first came to visit two summers ago; to pick our favorite berries(loganberries) on her 80th birthday. The owners were very kind; they surprised us by offering to reserve their small row of loganberries! Just as this was becoming a yearly tradition; and we thought that we had established a relationship with them; things changed. I called in at the beginning of June as usual and spoke with(or more like was spoken TO) by either the new owner or manager who told me not only that not only the row of loganberries had already been reserved(by who? Maybe there was some confusion and the previous owners had reserved it for us?) but "moving forward" there would no longer be any reservations. No sentiment about what this has meant to both me and my now 83 year old aunt; and no ability to get a word in edgewise. I would have thought that when *someone else* called to reserve this little row of loganberries that they would have contacted us before making this reservation. Instead we were left with a resounding NO about our past relationship or any future excursions to this place that we loved. We never even had the opportunity to hug the previous owners or to say goodbye. Really sad & disappointing. read more

Beautiful orchard, juicy berries of all types and delicious cherries(earlier in June). Very fun to pick the fruit and enjoy the fish pond and picnic areas afterwards. Very friendly staff and owners. Plus, they sell delicious homemade jams and honey straight from their own beehives! Very happy place. read more

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Sadly we missed the cherries but we picked 1# of blueberries and 2# of mixed berries such as Logan berries, boysenberry, raspberries and Marion berries. We took them home and made mixed berry jam that is absolutely delicious! There is a nice pond where we fed the koi and sat on the swing in the shade. The proprietors are a lovely couple who give you lots of information about the grounds and the fruit. We have already put it on our calendars for next year. I suggest you do the same ;) read more

It is a very nicely organized home business! The variety is amazing and we have always loved the fruit we picked from them!

I made the mistake of coming here not only on their opening day but a Sunday. It was crowded with a lot of children running around. It was also around 85 degrees so that didn't help. I wish I would have gone to their website first. I was charged $5 just to get in. I ended up parking at the end of their lot so it was a trek up to where you get your bucket. To avoid all the kids I walked out a ways. Since I am not much taller than some kids this was the only way I could get ripe cherries. They only charge $3 a lb for the cherries but when I added in the $5 cover charge I ended up paying $12.50 for 2 1/2 lbs. Not worth it for me. Not sure if I will go back again. Everyone was nice and helpful. read more

Although we came a little late for cherry picking, we were able to get some fresh berries. Great experience for the kids and the owner is extremely friendly along with her staff. Beautiful property and a large koi pond where the kids can feed the fish. read more

American River Cherry Company - Fruits & Veggies Near Me - Placerville, California

Wonderful place! My children and i had an awesome time picking berries and enjoying the nature. Very delicious berries!

What an awefule experience. My daughter and I went to the American River Cherry Co today to pick some fresh berries. They charge $5.00 "deposit" per person to get in. They said the only berries they had were raspberries, blackberries and marionberries. We paid our $10.00 and went on the hunt. After picking through their plants for about 20 minutes all we were able to find was about 12 small raspberries and 10 blackberries. Everything on the plants were either not ripe, or dried out. When we went to the register with what we had they still charged us $5.00 for less then a half a cup of berries. What they told me was a "deposit" is not a deposit. I guess if you are able to fine enough berries it goes words the price. If not, it is an interance fee to see their "Kio pond" that is so brown you can't see any Koi? What a complete disappointment and rip off. This is not to mention their prices are much higher that other farms in the Placerville and Camino area. We loaded up on Blueberries last weekend at a different farm for $2.50 per pound. When (if) American River Cherry Co has blueberries they charge $4.50 per pound. I will never go back to this farm and would not recommend it to anyone. read more

This place is wonderful!!! Great place to take the kids!! They have cherries, raspberries, ollallie berries, marions, blueberries & more =)!!! We bought some honey while we were there too-better prices than the grocery store and other local suppliers & 100x's better, the honey is was well worth a visist!!! It was hot when we went & the kids got tired, there's a nice koi pond near the picking trails with shade they rested for a while. Best time to go is May-mid July, they close for the season close to the end of July :(!!! Such a beautiful place...bring some gloves for picking, but they also have pre-picked for a bit more earlier in the season. read more