Oh what an experience. I had a great time at Doc Waters Cidery and Orchard. It was my first time picking apples...I wish I would've done it sooner. They had a great selection of apples which were very reachable due to the apple catchers they provided. The apples were in great condition and delicious. The orchard was very organized and had multiple rows for each type of apples. The orchard offered Pink Lady, Fuji, Joy, Shizuika, Galrina, Wine Crispy, Enterprise, Granny Smith and Florina Querina apples. The offered 3 different sizes of bags for apple picking that ranged from small to large. They also had cider which was delicious. They also offered cider cocktails which were very flavorful. The orchard was a short distance from Gaithersburg, and it was right next to Butlers Orchard. They had typical grass/dirt parking. The orchard employees were very friendly and helpful. They were very knowledgeable about the apples and cider. The ambiance was great as the grounds were full of colorful trees and leaves. It was great fall day. I cannot wait to visit again next year. If you are local or visiting the area I 100% recommend visiting The Orchard at Doc Waters Cidery. read more

If they run out of Donuts just go across the street to the cider place they have. The apple cider was tasty. Fresh apples very good picking selection. Lots of rows to go in. read more

Great spot for apple picking - I hadn't gone apple picking before so I imagined big apple trees, and having to get on ladders to pick apples. But the orchard is very organized w/ rows & rows of different apple varieties - each row labeled. And the trees look like branches coming from the ground, with vines & vines of apples. They provide lacrosse-looking "picking sticks" to help grab apples from the harder-to-reach areas. You can purchase small, medium, and large "pick your own" bags - we did the small for $20, and you can actually pack quite a # of apples in there. Apple varieties from sweet to tart: Joy, Fuji, Shizuka, Pink Lady (yum), Jonagold, Galrina, Enterprise, Wine Crispy, Florina Querina, and Granny Smith. The drive to the orchard was really beautiful - all the leaves were bright yellow. Oh yeah - no restrooms, just port-a-potty's in the parking lot. We didn't have time but we heard Butler's Orchard & Market is in the same area and supposed to be a fun spot to visit. read more

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If you're looking for an alternative to the popular Butler's Orchard, this is a great spot. Not as big, but still does the job when going apple picking. I loved the variety of apples they had. Honestly I'm always glad when they have pink lady apples. My friend and I split the 3-4 pound bag which was $20 and fit a surprisingly large amount of apples. The cidery is located at the bottom of the hill, but they have a small truck on the apple picking grounds where you can get items off the menu and enjoy them with seating available! read more

The Orchard At Doc Waters Cidery - 3-4 pound bag for $20 - Cideries Near Me - Germantown, Maryland

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I had a great experience picking apples at this quaint little orchard. They had three different kinds of apples, each with their own description of their particular flavors. My favorite was the Shizuka. You pay by how big/small of a bag you want to collect apples in, and they provided apple "rakes" to help you get the higher ones from the tops of the trees. They only accept cash but they do have an ATM on site. They also had apple cider (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) for refreshments after you're done picking. My only complaint is that I wish they also had provided some light hors-oeuvres to go with the drinks. Even something as simple as popcorn or peanuts. But overall, this was a nice experience to kick off the Fall season. I would recommend to anyone looking to do some apple picking before the season is over. read more

The Orchard At Doc Waters Cidery - Cideries Near Me - Germantown, Maryland

There were plenty of apple varieties to pick at the Orchard. After apple picking we sat down for hard cider slushees. I've never had a hard slushee that tasted anything like it before, but I liked it! read more

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Overall a really fun experience for date day! It is a mix of couples, families and groups of friends on the hunt for the perfect apple Parking was easy and a reasonable walk to the entrance. Staff were friendly and moved the line along quickly. The orchards were beautiful and there was enough space that you didn't feel like you were constantly around other people. The price was reasonable for how many you can squeeze into the bag (pictured below). Would definitely come back! read more

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Great little orchard an hour out of DC. They have three different kinds of apples to pick and plenty of trees to pick from. We also got some cider, we chose the flight and it was lovely. For your fifth cider on the flight you can choose between a strawberry flavor or pineapple. Both are delicious. Be careful because they pack a punch! As a native New Englander I would recommend this Orchard if you're looking for some quick and easy apple picking. read more

The Orchard At Doc Waters Cidery - Cider flight - Cideries Near Me - Germantown, Maryland

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After googling places where you can drink hard apple cider and pick apples Doc Waters came on our radar. We went and were able to pick 3 variety of apples. This orchard was the first we been to that still had many apples on the trees left to pick and didn't feel overrun. You also can grab a cider while you pick, and this is also the only orchard we have been able to find that provided apple picking sticks to help grab apples on the higher side. It was overall a great experience at the orchard. read more

Great experience picking apples off the trees, but prices (by volume, not weight) not better than in stores. The fruit is incredibly fresh though obviously and will store for a long time. I wish they had buckets, but they only gave us a flimsy plastic bag for carrying apples around. I imagine people might pick more apples subconsciously if given a bigger sturdier container :) There is a cidery down the road so great for outdoor gathering with friends. read more

The Orchard At Doc Waters Cidery - Cideries Near Me - Germantown, Maryland

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This is a great spot for a family day event or a day date..they have everything you need for your apple picking desires...they have bags (of various sizes), Apple pickers, and super helpful staff. They even have hot cider by the glass...mmmm. They have a variety of apples for you to choose from...Fuji to baking apples to Granny Smith...they have something for every apple need! Oh and if you're bringing little ones with you, there's a tractor ride available. They are cash only but don't fret, they have an ATM on site but who wants to pay ATM fees... So....BRING CASH!!!! The roads are windy, the drive is fun, be prepared for all your fall wonderment to be met! read more

This place is amazing for apple picking especially for those with little kids! They have rows and rows and rows of trees with apples that hang very low so kids can pick them all by themselves. The cidery tables next to the orchard are perfect for families who want to bring a picnic and eat in the shade. They also have charcuterie trays for purchase as well as sweet and hard ciders. FYI only port-a-potties and less good for strollers, bring your baby carriers! Love this place! Def coming back! read more

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We came here on a Saturday afternoon with a reservation, which I liked because it wasn't crowded. There were 3 kinds of apples and they gave a description about each one (taste, what it's good for, etc.). One thing that really stood out to me was how many perfect apples were still left on the trees; usually when I go places they're all picked over with nothing but rotten apples left. They also had these cool tools you use to pick apples off the high parts of the trees which came in handy. Beautiful orchard and very conveniently located about 45 minutes from the Arlington area. Will definitely be back next year! read more

Waters Orchard is a very pretty orchard, perfect for your fall apple-picking needs! While it's overshadowed by the nearby Butlers Orchard, what with Butlers' pumpkin patch and other perks, I would much prefer to go to simple Waters, which I have done for the last two autumns. I do wish they sold apple cider donuts, but sadly this ain't no New England farm! When we went on a recent Saturday, they had five apple varieties available: Jonagold, Enterprise, Pink Lady, Galarina and Granny Smith. The *best* part about Waters is that they transport you from the parking lot to the apple orchard itself with this wagon thing that fits about twenty people. It's super fun. The ride takes five minutes or so, but I wish it was a thirty minute ride. Also! When the wagon drops you off, a friendly employee briefly describes the apples available, as well as what each variety is good for, e.g., cooking, baking, snacking, salads. We got a peck, which cost $22. Sure, that seems steep compared to supermarket prices, but it's worth it because: 1) The peck fits a gajillion apples, practically 30 or so; 2) The apples don't have preservatives or waxy stuff like the grocery ones; 3) The apples are so much more delicious and fresh-tasting; and 4) You get to eat your weight in apples for FREE anyway whilst picking. I ate about four apples in the 45 minutes that I was picking. #Fiber Though many of the apples are imperfect, such as having mysterious holes, that just makes it even more satisfying to find a perfect and unblemished apple that looks like something straight out of a commercial. Cash only! They do have an ATM though. Also, there's a dirty little porter potty -- would recommend using the bathroom somewhere else beforehand. read more

The Orchard At Doc Waters Cidery - Part of our haul! Gotta love those crunchy Galarina apples! - Cideries Near Me - Germantown, Maryland

Love this hidden gem! We've been here 3 times last year and once this year. It's one of those places you hesitate to write about because you want it all to yourself. On the other hand, it's downright wrong to keep something so wonderful from being shared. The farmer's name is Washington. He has a wooly beard and a kind smile. He is very inviting and willing to tell you all about his apples if you ask. This place is simple and beautiful. Anna, a farm employee who helps guide people when they arrive at the orchard, is one of the friendliest people with a fantastic memory. She remembered our family after a year of not seeing us, having only seen us three times last year. That's the kind of attention that keeps people coming back to a place. When you arrive, you pay for your bag or bags. We always take the biggest size, 1/2 a bushel. It was $38, but it contains 22 lbs of apples. We weighed them. You do the math. You won't find apples even half this good at anything close to this price at any market or store! Once you have your bags, you hop on the tractor for the ride to the field (you could walk if you want but it's a BIG hill.) At the top you'll find Anna or some other friendly knowledgeable Apple orchard expert who will tell you about all the varieties, where you can find them, and make general friendly, fun conversation with you. This is only their second season but it's like they've been doing this for 100 years. You should go out of your way to visit this place! read more

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I enjoyed this place very much - maybe it was just because we picked a darn good day to come. It is a good hike and all you get it literally an orchard, wagon and stall with some sprawling picnic tables. There were portapotties I think. Some families had their own picnics in the hill beside one of the orchard sections and it was a nice day. We certainly enjoyed the easy parking and tasty cider as we meandered through the labeled lanes and chose which branches to battle for the fruits of or labor. Great pic opps for your IG, Snapchat or Facebook (or whatever else). You could take a ride through the woods in the tractor without hay all around. Apple selections was great and they are delicious. A medium bag will run you $22 and cider is between 8-10 bucks (has alcohol). It is cash only but there is an atm on the premises. read more

I thoroughly enjoyed apple picking at Waters Orchard. It's a new orchard - I believe this is the first year that the trees have grown apples to be picked. The oldest trees are about 2-3 years old, and they're preparing to plant more. The orchard was wonderfully organized, with very friendly, informative staff. The location was beautiful, and the apples were delicious. My group of 5 bought Fuji and Pink Lady apples to bake a delicious homemade apple crisp. I especially liked the compost bins at the end of each row for cores of apples sampled while picking. read more

Went here with family to pick apple. Great experience must reserved in advance, I bought entrance for 2 people. Took Fuji apple, so crisp and sweet. I will definitely come back next year. Fee was $17.00 read more

This is the worst apple orchard I've ever been to, but also the most expensive. Other orchards that I've been to weigh the apples you get and then charge you. Buyer beware here: they give you a bag and charge a flat fee before. Because they know that they don't have nice apples. And it is EXPENSIVE for very poor quality apples. We paid $38 for a bushel and it took us a loooong time to find enough acceptable apples (without spots, holes, and unrotted) to fill our bags. We searched high and low around the orchard. It was just gross. read more

A group of us went to check out the newly opened cidery after picking strawberries at nearby Butler's Orchard. The cidery just opened in April, so two months ago. It's pretty barebones at this point, basically just a big open field with a shed, some tables under sun shades, and a couple of fire pits. The day we went they had 5 cider options, along with a flight of their 4 base ciders. They also sell hot dogs and s'more kits, both of which you roast yourself over the fire pits. There's cheese and crackers, and bags of chips for sale too. Our gang had a good time, and the felt the set up was nice. Plenty of room to hang out and for kids to run around. We weren't the biggest fans of the ciders though. My personal favorite was the bubbly version. The "wild" version was very not good. They also had a couple of organizational hiccups, that I assume will get ironed out as they get their feet under them. They ran out of hot dog buns and chips around 2pm, and couldn't get ahold of the guy who was supposed to bring more, bc he had left his phone at the sales table. Little things that make you scratch your head. All in all I think this place is promising and I hope they figure it out. read more

Water's Orchard is a breath of fresh air compared to the circus that's is now Butler's Orchard down the street. Water's has a much more of a down to earth, picturesque, perpetual golden hour quality to it that is very enjoyable for an easy, relaxing day out with the family. I love that the staff I've met here are some of the honest to goodness the nicest people in the DMV area. I also really love that their only focus here are apples, to which they do a stupendous job of. Their Fuji apples are incredibly sweet and delicious and trust me, you won't be able to find flavor like this at the grocery stores. The only minor drawback here is that they are only open two-ish months per year but this somehow makes me love Water's Orchard that much more. read more

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I was heading to another orchard, but they were out of apples and sent us to Waters. Waters was beautiful! There was ample parking, delicious apples, and just an overall pleasant experience. I do wish there was a shop to purchase goods other than the apples we picked, but overall a great time. Note: There were lots of parents and small children here, and they all said they actually preferred Waters Orchard because while the others close by have more activities, sometimes its a bit overwhelming for the kids. read more

Any day apple picking is a good day but overall the Waters Orchard experience was just okay. The pros: - Really nice grounds - a tractor ride to get to the picking area - friendly employees - easy to get to from DC The cons: - only ONE row of Granny Smiths! This was really disappointing and they definitely have space for more Granny Smiths - no apple picker tools. Many of the trees had good apples but you couldn't reach them and there were no tools to get them! In the end it was a great day of apple picking but I would go to a different orchard next time with more selection and ability to reach fresher apples read more

I had never been to an apple orchard before, but now I'm all about it!! I went with my boyfriend and friend and it was an all around good time. There was a wide variety of ages n families - I would just beware if bees if anyones afraid of them. We got a half peck, which was a good amount for 3 of us to share. I believe it was $15 (2 people) + $5 for the extra guest. They can drive you up in the truck or you can walk up the hill. Once you get to the top they tell you the selection of apples, where to find them and then they let you loose! You're free to try them too. We opted to walk down the hill. It's a nice stroll, but don't drop the apples! There's an area with some tables and benches to hang out, as well as old family tombstones. read more

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Great variety of apples, easy to park and walk to the orchard. Apple picking partner and I picked some great apples, although it seemed like most of the good apples were already picked clean. We took a blanket and some lunch, had ourselves a picnic and enjoyed the decent weather. As everyone else turned into the first orchard on that road, if you keep going and hit this spot, you won't be disappointed (unless you go when the apples are all picked). read more

Had an absolutely splendid fall adventure here! Ample parking, ATM conviently onsite easy to find and the orchards are walking distance to the car. Tractor ride available for a little,more fun but not need to access the rows and rows of incredible Apple varieties!! Could,mot be happier with the gems we brought home...crimson crisps, cammis and a delightful golden gem reminiscent of pears but it so much better. Will be making this an annual call tradition for our family. So much fun and such a beautiful locale it really can't be beat. And it's an easy drive from DC especially on a picturesque autumn day. Recommend you get the large size and ask for two medium bags...makes for a much easier haul back to the car:-) highly recommend this place for anyone looking for Apple picking here in VA!! read more

In a beautiful natural area to get there (depending which route you drive; we came from the west, past Butlers). A good variety of apples, and only apples, and fairly expensive apples at that. I didn't see any information at the farm or on their website about their growing practices (gmo/fertilizer/organic), but they do a great job offering easy parking and free-wheeling picking! Satisfying! Thanks for the great apples Waters. But I recommend lowering your prices per "peck" and building a simple plywood restroom. read more

The Orchard At Doc Waters Cidery - Oct. 2016 - Cideries Near Me - Germantown, Maryland

The apples are very small, taste bad and have holes/bruising. I couldn't find a single decent apple.

I went here in 2019, so maybe things have changed since then, but this was the worst orchard experience I've had. They make you pay for your apples BEFORE YOU PICK THEM. You purchase a plastic bag of the size you want and it is not cheap. Then they truck you out to the orchard itself and...major bait and switch. The trees were all bare. Angry people walking around shaking their heads. When you did find apples, way up at the top of a few trees, they were infested with bugs -- lots of bumps all over the surfaces of the apples, which I looked up online and found out meant an infestation. Yes, the apples are safe to eat, but you have to watch out for worms. It felt like they were tricking us, because it's one thing to let me pick the apples and decide whether I don't mind ones that are infested -- but they didn't give me that choice. Will never go back. (P.S. I did cut up and taste some of the infested apples and they had no flavor.) read more

Took the kids for a days apple picking, heading for the tried and tested down the street, when we saw a sign to waters orchard and decided to give it a try. The orchard is relatively young so the trees are in prime growing condition. They had six or Severn varieties picking yesterday, including some less common with very interesting flavours. The orchard and apples get 10/10 and the children liked the tractor ride. The 2 star rating is about the price. We paid $37 for three small bags of apples - around a buck an apple, by no means a bargain compared to the grocery store. read more

Skip the frenzied orchard nearby and come here. Waters is small and just an orchard- no hayrides, petting zoo, etc. Ideal for people who don't like crowds and just want to pick apples. I never knew about this place until a friend clued us in. We came toward the end of the season last year and practically had the place to ourselves. The apples are fabulous, the staff friendly, and the scenery beautiful. I can't believe we've been going to Butler's and Homestead Farm for 15 years when we could have gone to Waters. Glad we know about this place now! We look forward to returning this year. read more

Love this orchard! Definitely worth the drive. The apples were amazing and the owners couldn't have been friendlier. They made me feel right at home. There is plenty of parking and is a hidden gem. read more

Terrific variety of apples for self-picking. No hoopla like some other farms, will return. A huge thank you to the owner who upped my apple IQ. read more

This is a true orchard and the apples are amazing and there's a lot of variety. None of the hype of a country store as other orchards have, though we would have appreciated being able to get apple cider. We chose to arrive about noon, and it was busy during that time, however by the time we were ready to leave, we were one of only a few still there. Started off with a picnic outside the fenced area which was shaded at the time we arrived but was in the sun by the time we finished lunch. Orchard is fenced and the landscape well maintained - we saw no evidence of deer nor poison ivy. [I had to fence my yard because the deer were destroying my fruit trees.] Super friendly and helpful staff (I presume the Waters family) and even offered to move a picnic table out of the fenced area if we wanted more space, and when we were ready to pick apples, we were given samples so we could decide which apples we wanted as well as information on the apple variety characteristics (tart, sweet, firm, etc). All the trees were within walking distance, though there was a tractor that pulled a very nice wagon/trailer for people to be transported to the far end of the orchard. We chose to walk, though the kids in the trailer appeared to be having a great time on the wagon. As another reviewer mentioned, the cost is a bit pricy, however the apples are tree-fresh and not slammed around in a bulk crate and thus you're not going to find apples this nice in a store. Though I wouldn't pay this price if I were turning them into applesauce or baked goods, they're absolutely well worth the price for eating. Certain areas had wasps, we figured it had to do with the type of apple, but even one that landed on my hand did not sting - was too interested in the apple slice I was holding (an apple to eat while in the orchard is included in the entry price)...so parents just be aware and watch for this and look for a different type of apple if it becomes a problem. And there's a bucket at each end of the rows for you to toss the remains of the apple for compost to keep the orchard clean. Speaking of clean, the port-a-john was the cleanest one I have ever seen and even had a pumpkin spice aroma - they've thought of everything! And they supplied a large water jug and disposable cups for drinking. Lots of families were hanging around what I termed the 'grove' just inside the entrance - nice and shaded with picnic tables and the entire area mulched - very tastefully done and well thought out. This place is less than 5 minutes from Butler's Orchard so give Waters Orchard a try if you are in that area...you will fall in love with the quality and variety of the Waters apples. PS: Cash only, but they have an on-site ATM machine. read more

Not sure what the going prices are for pick your own, but this was a great morning activity. Small enough of an orchard to be manageable, yet also have many varieties and options. A small hay ride can take you around. No cider, though!! read more