Carver's Orchard and Applehouse Restaurant is a family-owned apple orchard complex on the Cosby Highway, and it is really three visits in one. The country restaurant serves Southern comfort food like turkey and dressing and homemade biscuits in a warm dining room with Smoky Mountain views. Next door, the orchard market sells apples, peaches, grapes, honey, apple butter, and fresh cider, and the candy store and bakery turn out the hot fried apple pies people drive across the county for.
This is the quiet side of the Smokies. Cosby sits at the eastern edge of the national park, far from the Parkway crowds, and Carver's has the feel of a place that has been feeding travelers for generations. Tour buses stop here and the staff is set up for groups, so it works just as well for a big cabin crew as it does for a couple killing a slow afternoon.
Plan it as a loop: eat lunch at the restaurant, wander the market for apples and cider to take back to the cabin, and finish at the candy store. If you are staying in one of our larger cabins, a bag of fried pies from Carver's has ended more than one family debate about dessert.
The orchard is open daily 8am to 5pm. The restaurant serves Sunday and Thursday through Saturday, 11am to 5pm, and is closed Monday through Wednesday. The candy store runs Wednesday through Sunday, 9am to 5pm. Hours can shift seasonally, so call ahead if you are making a special trip.
Yes. The Cocke County Chamber notes that Carver's welcomes tour buses and offers group rates, and the restaurant dining room handles big parties comfortably.
Apples and fresh cider are the headliners, plus peaches and grapes in season, honey, apple butter, and baked goods from the bakery. The hot fried apple pies from the candy store are the souvenir most people actually finish.
No. You pay for what you eat and what you take home, which makes it an easy low-commitment stop on a Cosby day.
Carver's sits on the Cosby Highway east of Gatlinburg, roughly a 30 to 40 minute scenic drive from the Parkway corridor, depending on traffic. Pair it with a quiet day exploring the Cosby side of the national park.
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