"Our apple trees are still maturing and will be ready by 2027."
That sentence sits on the front page of Breeden's Orchard, the 12-acre farm at 631 Beckwith Road, just off Lebanon Road. It arrives in the middle of the apple season. Apple Fest ran September 19 and 20, and the u-pick apples that usually anchor an orchard's fall are not on offer. The farm has responded by leaning on the one part of its operation it fully controls, which is the week. Read the schedule closely and it shows that Breeden's fall is built on weekday evenings, a fresh-baked counter and a cider case. The apples are a small part of it.
The Apples Are Bought In, and the Trees Are Being Replanted
Breeden's has been part of Mt. Juliet since 1974, when Tom and Marynell Breeden opened it. The Dorfman family bought it in 2017 and now runs it as a small, female-owned orchard, cidery, country store and bakery. The orchard's Yelp listing says it has ten varieties of peach trees and has replanted most of its apple trees. That replanting explains the 2027 date. New trees need seasons before they produce.
Until then, the orchard says it is partnering with local orchards for the apples in its market. For anyone who wants to pick, the farm points to Scott's Orchard in Hazel Green, Alabama, and Jackson's Orchard in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Both are long drives compared with Beckwith Road.
Pick-your-own at Breeden's is a peach experience. Reservations open around June 1 for a season that runs through July and early August, and the orchard requires a reservation for everyone entering the orchard during picking. Peach picking is a June job, so this fall's harvest is not on the trees.
FOX 17's August roundup of Middle Tennessee fall outings describes the place as fresh apples, a cidery, baked goods, fun for kids and Friday night markets. The list runs from Morning Glory Orchard in Nolensville to Cheekwood Harvest, and Breeden's entry does not lead with picking.
The counter also runs without a harvest calendar. According to the orchard's own FAQ, apple cider donuts are available daily, not only in autumn. October is not a deadline for them. The cider is unfiltered, and Breeden's says it has no added sugar. The orchard says its glass-jug cider is fully pasteurized, and once opened it belongs in the fridge for about two weeks. After Labor Day the farm also carries a refrigerated, flash-pasteurized cider with a fridge life of roughly two weeks. So the cold cider is the one to buy on the day you plan to drink it.
Three Evenings a Week Do the Heavy Lifting
The posted schedule is where the orchard's real shape shows. Here is what the farm lists.
| Day | Posted hours | What the calendar lists |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Closed | None |
| Tuesday | Closed | None |
| Wednesday | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Daytime market and bakery hours |
| Thursday | 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Pizza Night in the cidery, with $28 pitchers of beer or hard cider |
| Friday | 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Story Time for little ones, then the Friday Night Market, with Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint |
| Saturday | 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Open until 9, with dated fall events posted on the farm calendar |
| Sunday | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Daytime market and bakery hours |
Three of the seven days run until 9 p.m., and Monday and Tuesday are dark. Compare that with Wednesday and Sunday, which close by 4 and 5. The farm's week bulges on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The Thursday item is the plainest. Every Thursday the cidery serves fresh-made pizza, and pitchers of beer or hard cider run $28. Friday adds Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint, whose smoked pig sandwich is paired with a Breeden's cider donut. The orchard's Friday listing calls it a way to kick off the weekend, with music and cold drinks, and the ticket bundles the sandwich, slaw, donut and a drink. Friday morning also carries Story Time, listed with a 10 a.m. start on the orchard's Yelp page, which is worth confirming on the farm's calendar before you drive.
The donut logic works the other way. The orchard notes that cider donuts and specialty baked goods are made fresh each day and tend to sell out as the afternoon goes on, and it suggests arriving by mid-morning on weekends. That points to two different visits. A morning trip is for donuts, cider and the market. An evening trip is for pizza, the fire pits and the Friday market.
Thursday Has a Showcase
The October 8 listing is one of the season's more specific events. Breeden's home page lists a Professional Singers Showcase on October 8 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the open-air amphitheater. Four Nashville musicians are set to perform original music, and the page invites guests to bring a lawn chair or blanket. The page as I read it does not state the year. October 8 falls on a Thursday, the night the cidery already runs Pizza Night, so confirm the listing on the farm calendar before you plan around it.
Saturday, October 24 has a different draw. Halloween in the Park runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Charlie Daniels Park, 1075 Charlie Daniels Parkway. It is free, with inflatables, food trucks, a costume contest, local vendors, a petting zoo and a lot of candy. On the posted schedule the orchard stays open until 9 p.m. that Saturday, so a park morning and a farm evening fit in the same day.
The orchard's calendar also lists a Fall Harvest Celebration with campfires and golden-hour views, a cider celebration with tastings, a pumpkin-smashing activity, a John Deere tractor day for kids and an outdoor Movie Night. Thanksgiving Pie Week carries a note that pre-orders open November 1. The calendar entries I could see did not carry dates, and the farm posts those on its own schedule. The calendar is the only place to confirm a date.
What to Check Before You Drive
Farms move their plans with weather and harvest, and the orchard says so itself. A short list covers the friction that trips people up.
- The orchard is closed Monday and Tuesday.
- Dogs are not allowed. Only service animals are permitted.
- Entry is free, and the Activity Yard, with its games and petting zoo, uses optional tickets.
- Dated events show up on the farm calendar at breedensorchard.com, which is the source to trust over a third-party listing.
- The Mt. Juliet Parks and Recreation events page lists city-run events like the Movie in the Park series and Halloween in the Park.
The approach that fits this fall is to pick the night first. Thursday is pizza and Friday is the market. Saturday, October 24 fits a morning at Charlie Daniels Park. The apple picking waits for 2027, and the calendar already has plenty on it.
Pick your night, check the farm calendar, and let's get moving! Move Up Home Group is cheering for a full parking lot on Beckwith Road.
