"Reservations are required to enter the farm for any purpose." That line is on the reservations page at Jordan Lake Farms, the family-owned choose-and-cut farm at 2170 Marthas Chapel Road in Apex. The rule covers more than the field. It applies when you come back for a tree you already tagged, and a confirmed booking does not guarantee a tree will still be there.
The farm's 2026 calendar has two kinds of days. On opening weekend and most weekdays, you drive in. On the four busiest days around Thanksgiving and the first weekend of December, you book a timed session for your car. Once you know which days are which, it is easy to pick the right one.
Two Kinds of Days on One Calendar
The farm opens Saturday, November 21. From there, the reservation days come in clusters.
| Dates | Hours | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| Sat–Sun, Nov 21–22 | 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | Walk-in, opening weekend |
| Wed, Nov 25 | 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. | Reservation required |
| Fri–Sun, Nov 27–29 | 8 a.m.–6 p.m. | Reservation required |
| Wed–Thu, Dec 2–3 | 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | Walk-in |
| Fri, Dec 4 | 9 a.m.–6 p.m. | Walk-in |
| Sat–Sun, Dec 5–6 | 8 a.m.–6 p.m. | Reservation required |
| Wed–Fri, Dec 9–11 | 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | Walk-in |
| Sat–Sun, Dec 12–13 | 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | Walk-in |
| Wed–Sat, Dec 16–19 | 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | Walk-in |
The farm says it watches crowds on the open days and may close the gate for a while if parking runs short or service starts to slip. Still, the calendar has two full weekends without bookings. One opens the season. The other, December 12–13, comes after the booked days are over.
Opening Weekend Is the Open-Gate Weekend
November 21 and 22 are the only weekend days before Thanksgiving when the farm is open. You don't need a reservation. The choose-and-cut field, playground, hayrides, Fraser firs, shop and concession stand are all running. Choose-and-cut tree tagging can start that weekend, too. On Sunday the 22nd, local farmers, artisans and crafters set up for the 4th Annual Tree Farm Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tagging matters most this weekend. If you tag a tree on the 21st or 22nd and plan to collect it Thanksgiving weekend, you'll need a reservation for that return trip. To pick it up without booking, come back on a walk-in weekday, Friday, December 4, or the December 12–13 weekend.
That Saturday has an evening option as well. The NC Chinese Lantern Festival opens its eleventh year at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary on November 21. It runs through January 10, 2027, open daily 6 to 10 p.m. and closed Christmas Day. You can buy an Any Night ticket, a Twilight Session ticket for early entry with smaller crowds, or an Evening Session ticket for one specific night. Children 2 and under are free. Military, senior and college-student discounts apply Sunday through Thursday but not on Fridays, Saturdays or holidays. Since the farm closes at 5 and the lanterns light up at 6, one Saturday can cover both.
Good Hope Farm on Morrisville Carpenter Road won't be part of that weekend. The Town of Cary's Harvest Fest page says Harvest Fest 2026 has been cancelled and will return in 2027.
How a Booked Session Works
Booking is free and goes through the farm's TimeTap reservation site. Here is how it works on the reserved days:
- One booking per car. You reserve for the vehicle, not the number of people in it. If your group comes in two cars, add the second car at the bottom of the "Your Information" page.
- Pick a session. On Thanksgiving weekend and December 5–6, sessions last 1 hour 15 minutes and start at 8, 9:15, 10:30 and 11:45 a.m., and at 1, 2:15, 3:30 and 4:45 p.m. On Wednesday, November 25, sessions are one hour, between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The booking screen shows how many slots are left in each session.
- Arrive inside the window. You can enter from 15 minutes before your start time to 30 minutes after. For a 9:15 session, that means 9 to 9:45. Later than that, you won't be let in.
- Leave by the end of your session so the next group can get in.
- Bring your confirmation email. The farm checks it at the entrance. Sessions are rain or shine. You can move to another open slot, but if every session is full, the farm can't admit you outside your reserved time.
The booking page has one more detail that changes which slot to pick. The play area, hayrides and choose-and-cut field close at 5 p.m., and cutting stops at 5:15. The 4:45 session nominally runs until 6, but the field shuts 15 minutes after it starts, and cutting ends half an hour in. A 3:30 slot leaves plenty of daylight for choosing and cutting. If the field is the reason you're going, plan around 5 p.m., not the session end time.
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving works differently. The farm opens early, with the choose-and-cut field, playground, Fraser firs, shop and a limited concession stand. It runs wreath workshops that morning too, with booking through the online store.
What Is in the Field, and When It Arrives
The farm's 2026 tree list explains why the calendar matters. Not every tree is there from day one.
- Choose-and-cut, $8 to $12 per foot. The farm's offerings page lists Virginia Pine, Carolina Sapphire, Cypress and Cedar for its choose-and-cut field.
- Fresh-cut: Fraser Firs, White Pine and Canaan Firs.
- Canaan Firs are due the week of December 2.
- Concolor Firs won't be available in 2026 because supply is limited.
- Ball-and-burlap trees and tabletop Fraser Firs are on the list as well.
Because of the Canaan fir delivery, the first December walk-in days, December 2 through 4, come right before the December 5–6 reservation weekend. If you want a Canaan without booking a slot, those three days are the window.
The farm also runs a wreath-making workshop series through the season. It costs $70 per person making a wreath and $20 for a helper, with dates in its online store. Hayrides are free on weekends, weather permitting, and stop at 5 p.m., when the playground closes too. Leashed, well-trained pets are welcome on the farm.
December 5 Lands on Three Calendars
The second booked weekend falls on one of the busiest Saturdays of the local season. On December 5, the farm runs reserved sessions from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Apex Rotary Christmas Parade runs 5 to 8 p.m. on Salem Street, from Ambergate Station to the Apex Public Works Building on Moore Street, according to Cary Magazine's holiday roundup. In Cary, the Tree Lighting Celebration fills Downtown Cary Park from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and lights the tree at 6 p.m. It's free and open to the public.
The farm's session times fit this day well. A morning slot leaves the afternoon free for downtown Cary or Salem Street, and by 5 p.m. the field is closed anyway. The night before, Apex holds its Tree Lighting at the Town Hall Campus, 73 Hunter Street, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. The farm stays open until 6 that Friday, with no reservation needed.
The Saturday after Thanksgiving has a lighter option, too. Sweetwater Town Center at 1481 Richardson Road in Apex hosts Home for the Holidays on November 28, from 4 to 8 p.m. It's free, with Santa from 4 to 6 and live music from Julia Golden from 6 to 8, according to Explore Apex. A 3:30 farm session followed by Sweetwater fits one late afternoon.
The Back Half of December
Once December 6 is over, the farm goes back to walk-in days only. It's open Wednesday through Friday, December 9 to 11, all day December 12 and 13, and Wednesday through Saturday, December 16 to 19, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The posted hours run through Saturday, December 19, but the season overview gives December 18 as the last choose-and-cut pickup date. If you have a tagged tree waiting, the 18th is the safer day to collect it.
For Amberly households already planning the Lake greenway walks and pool-season routines covered on our Amberly neighborhood page, these dates mark the start of December.
If you're hosting family this season or helping a newcomer to Amberly find their first-year traditions, Azita K Wilson and the Living in Cary team are glad to share what we know about the neighborhood calendar, from tree weekends to the quieter evenings in between. Reach out anytime for a complimentary neighborhood consultation.
