It’s crazy that I worked at Monticello for seven years but never visited Carter Mountain Orchard until recently. I’ve had the apple cider donuts (worth the hype), but haven’t gone apple picking or to an event there. As the weather cools and the call of pumpkin-spice everything drifts to us on the autumn breeze, it seemed like a good time to check out the orchard. My original plan was to dig in at a
Fall Food Truck event, but instead I caught one of the season’s last Thursday Evening Sunset Series shows, which also feature offerings from food trucks, plus live music.
Upon arrival, I remembered why I’d never gone to a big gathering at Carter Mountain: my intense dislike of large crowds. Don’t get me wrong, the vast majority of folks in attendance were having a lovely time. I’m an ambivert, meaning I’ve got both extroverted and introverted traits. As I’ve entered my midlife renaissance (read: crisis), I’ve realized more and more that I refuel with alone time and that crowds
are not for me. Despite my social anxiety, I enjoyed a delicious meal along with a view that will only get more dazzling in the coming weeks as the fall colors grace the mountains yet again.—Kristie Smeltzer
What
Sampling food truck fare at Carter Mountain Orchard.
Why
Because enjoying a delicious meal without having to do dishes is awesome.
How It Went
Great—it’s hard to go wrong with ooey-gooey melted cheese. The view: a bonus.
The drive into the orchard from the Route 53 entrance follows a winding road that requires an attentive driver. If you’re visiting for a boozy event, I recommend using a rideshare app or having a trusted designated driver in your party. The path in creates a sense of arrival, of leaving the world behind as nature surrounds you. When I arrived, cars were waiting in a long line to get to the parking area.
Once parked, I noticed the entrance buzzing with activity. If you like that Fridays After Five feel, you likely love the Thursday Evening Sunset Series. The last one is on September 26, but the series resumes in the spring.
Weekend visits to Carter Mountain during the busy apple-picking season require a ticket for entry, but on weekdays, folks can enjoy the fall food trucks and views between 11am and 3pm without a ticket (looking at you, introverts). The orchard’s country store and bakery offer picked fruit, plus a range of snacking goodies.
At the food truck area, I beelined straight for Raclette on the Run. I’d heard great things about the vendor and I was hangry. Raclette is a Swiss cheese usually served by heating it and scraping off the delicious melty bits to use in dishes. As I stood in line surrounded by jovial UVA students wearing sundresses and cowboy boots, I felt a little ashamed of my enthusiasm watching the cheese porn as the truck’s servers scraped hot raclette off a half-wheel of cheese. I thoroughly enjoyed The Classic, made with Vermont cheddar on hearty white bread with bacon. All the food truck’s sandwiches come with crunchy, salty, delicious tater tots. Yum!