Central · South Carolina
Merry Christmas Tree Farm
A choose-and-cut farm in Central, open since 1980, with cypress, pine and cedar trees at $11 per foot, pre-cut Fraser fir, wreaths, made-to-order garland, an open-air venue for weddings and private events, and photo sessions for professional photographers.
At a glance
Your tree visit.
- Tree choices
- Cut your own · Pre-cut trees
- Choose-and-cut and pre-cut trees
- $11 per foot
Choose-and-cut trees are $11 per foot, with a 5 ft minimum. Pre-cut Fraser fir is $60–$325 for 6 ft to 12 ft trees, depending on size and quality.
Prices & conditions ↓ - Visit times
Opens Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, at 9am and stays open until sold out. Daily hours and a closing time are not published.
Full schedule ↓
Find your tree
Choose your Christmas tree.
Merry Christmas Tree Farm offers choose-and-cut Leyland and Murray Cypress, Carolina Blue Sapphire, Blue Ice, Eastern Red Cedar, White Pine, Virginia Pine and Clemson Greenspire. Trees from the field are $11 per foot. The farm does not allow any tree under 5 ft to be cut and asks visitors to leave the baby trees in the field alone.
The farm does not reserve trees, so choosing is first come, first served. If you need help in the field or with directions, the farm says to ask one of its farmhands. Charlie Brown trees are available for children. Saws, carts, loading help, shaking, baling, parking and restroom arrangements are not published, so ask when you arrive.
Published varieties
- Leyland Cypress
- Murray Cypress
- Carolina Blue Sapphire
- Blue Ice
- Eastern Red Cedar
- White Pine
- Virginia Pine
- Clemson Greenspire
- Fraser fir (pre-cut)
Which variety suits your decorations?
General tree guidance; the farm’s selection, sizes and services are described above.
- Fraser fir
- Upward branches and good needle retention; firmer branches can suit heavier ornaments.
- White pine
- Long, soft needles and flexible branches; choose lighter decorations.
Learn more: University of Wisconsin Extension ↗ · National Christmas Tree Association ↗
Compare the options
Trees & prices.
The farm does not publish accepted payment methods for tree sales. Photographer sessions are paid by deposit at booking, with the balance on arrival or online.
| Selection & size | Price |
|---|---|
| Choose-and-cut trees from the field | $11 per foot No tree under 5 ft may be cut. The farm lists no separate price by variety and no maximum height. |
| Pre-cut Fraser fir, 6 ft to 12 ft | $60–$325 Depends on size and quality; the farm says it may have a few trees a little larger. Shipped from the North Carolina mountains. |
| Charlie Brown trees for children | Not published Available for children; price not published. |
| Wreaths | Not published Made from the boughs of the farm’s trees; sizes and prices not published. |
| Cedar Garland Standard | $10.50 per foot Made to order in standard 6 ft lengths; three days’ advance notice required. |
| Cedar Garland Mixed | $12.00 per foot Made to order in standard 6 ft lengths; three days’ advance notice required. |
| Premium Fir & Cedar Garland | $15.50 The farm’s page states that garland prices are per foot; made to order, three days’ advance notice required. |
| Professional photographer session, up to two hours | $75 A 50% non-refundable deposit is due at booking; the balance is due on arrival or paid online. |
| Photographer session time beyond two hours | $20 Listed by the farm as $20 for any time over two hours, up to 30 minutes. |
| Venue booking, Friday and Saturday | From $800 Open-air venue for weddings, family gatherings and private events. |
| Venue booking, Sunday | From $1,000 Open-air venue for weddings, family gatherings and private events. |
| Santa visits and hot chocolate | Not published The farm lists both without dates, times or prices. |
Choose-and-cut trees
Visitors choose and cut their own tree from the field at $11 per foot, on a first-come, first-served basis. The farm states plainly that it does not reserve trees for customers.
No tree under 5 ft tall may be cut. Charlie Brown trees are available for children; their price is not published. For help in the field, ask one of the farm’s farmhands.
| Item | What the farm says |
|---|---|
| Price | $11 per foot for trees from the field |
| Minimum height | No tree under 5 ft may be cut; leave the baby trees |
| Reservations | None; first come, first served |
| Varieties | Leyland Cypress, Murray Cypress, Carolina Blue Sapphire, Blue Ice, Eastern Red Cedar, White Pine, Virginia Pine, Clemson Greenspire |
| Charlie Brown trees | Available for children; price not published |
| Help | Ask one of the farmhands |
| Saws, carts, loading help, payment methods | Not published; confirm at the farm |
Pre-cut Fraser fir
The farm also sells pre-cut Fraser fir, which it brings from the mountains of North Carolina. Trees run from 6 ft to 12 ft, and the farm says it may have a few a little larger.
Fraser fir is $60–$325, depending on size and quality. The farm publishes no price by height, so ask at the lot.
Opening day, hours and getting there
The season opens on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, at 9am, and the farm stays open until its trees are sold out. It does not publish daily hours, a closing time or days closed, so confirm before a long drive. Outside the tree season, the farm is open only for venue and photography sessions.
The farm’s location page carries an undated notice that, for visitors coming northbound on Lay Bridge Road, the bridge is out for repair and they should come around through Norris or Six Mile. Confirm the route before you go. On its photographer page the farm calls itself a working farm and asks drivers to go slowly down the driveway.
| When | What the farm says |
|---|---|
| Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26 | Opens at 9am |
| After opening day | Open until sold out; daily hours and closing time not published |
| Off-season | Venue and photography sessions only |
| Weather rule | Not published |
Santa, hot chocolate and wreaths
The farm’s home page invites families to talk with Santa Claus, sip a cup of hot chocolate and shop for wreaths made fresh from the boughs of its trees. It publishes no dates or times for Santa, no price or hours for hot chocolate, and no sizes or prices for wreaths.
Ask at the farm what is offered on the day you plan to visit.
Garland, made to order
Garland is a separate order, placed through the farm’s online store rather than picked from the field. It comes in standard 6 ft lengths, and the farm requires three days’ advance notice.
The farm offers three kinds, with prices per foot. The order page itself prints no unit for the premium garland, but the page states that garland prices are per foot.
| Garland | Price |
|---|---|
| Cedar Garland Standard | $10.50 per foot |
| Cedar Garland Mixed | $12.00 per foot |
| Premium Fir & Cedar Garland | $15.50 (the page says prices are per foot) |
Photo sessions for professional photographers
The farm opens its grounds to professional photographers, who book through the scheduling calendar on the farm’s site. A session is $75 for up to two hours, plus $20 for any time over two hours, up to 30 minutes. A 50% non-refundable deposit is due when you book, and the balance is due on arrival or paid online.
A signed photographers’ waiver of liability is required. Check in at the store, and drive slowly down the driveway. The farm takes no bookings from November 25 to 29 or on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The farm says that outside the tree season it is open only for venue and photography sessions.
| Item | What the farm says |
|---|---|
| Session fee | $75 for up to two hours |
| Extra time | $20 for any time over two hours, up to 30 minutes |
| Deposit | 50% non-refundable, due at booking |
| Balance | Due on arrival or paid online |
| Booking | Farm’s scheduling calendar |
| Blackout dates | November 25–29 and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day |
| Waiver | Signed photographers’ waiver of liability required |
| Arrival | Check in at the store; drive slowly down the driveway |
Weddings and private events at the farm
The farm’s open-air venue is available for a wedding, family gathering or private event. Venue pricing begins at $800 for Friday and Saturday bookings and $1,000 on Sundays. The farm says it wants only serious inquiries. Its location page says that outside the tree season it is open only for venue and photography sessions.
The farm publishes no other venue terms.
The Dodson family and the farm’s history
The farm dates its start to 1980. Jerry and Bonnie Whitmire started it, the Steed family followed, and Jamie and Tracy Dodson are the current owners. The farm’s location page also suggests nearby outings including Lake Keowee, Clemson, Table Rock State Park, downtown Greenville, hiking and Lake Hartwell.
Contacts
The farm is at 244 Lay Bridge Road, Central, South Carolina 29630, in Pickens County. Use the street address when you navigate; some listings place it under Six Mile.
For questions about the farm, call 864-506-5231, the number on every page of its website. The farm is also on Instagram as @merrychristmastreefarm.
Pick your day
Dates & hours.
Tree season: Opens Thanksgiving Day, November 26, at 9am, until sold out
The farm’s location page says the season opens on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, at 9am, and its home page says it is open from November 26 until the trees are sold out. It publishes no daily hours, no closing time and no days closed, and the farm’s Instagram page also gives only the Thanksgiving 9am opening. Outside the tree season the farm is open only for venue and photography sessions.
| Christmas season | Hours |
|---|---|
| Opening day, Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26 | Opens at 9am |
| After opening day | Open until sold out; daily hours and closing time not published |
| Tree reservations | None; trees are first come, first served |
| Photo sessions by professional photographers | Booked through the farm’s calendar; no bookings November 25–29 or on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day |
| Off-season | Open only for venue and photography sessions |
The farm publishes no weather rule. Confirm daily hours before you drive.
Before you go.
- Opens Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, at 9am, until sold out; daily hours are not published.
- Choose-and-cut is $11 per foot; no tree under 5 ft may be cut; trees are not reserved.
- Pre-cut Fraser fir is $60–$325 for 6 ft to 12 ft, shipped from North Carolina.
- Check the undated notice on the farm’s location page about the Lay Bridge Road bridge before you drive.
- Garland needs three days’ notice; photo sessions and venue bookings are separate.
- Santa, hot chocolate, Charlie Brown trees and wreaths are listed without prices or times.
244 Lay Bridge Road, Central, SC 29630
Keep exploring
Other farms to compare.
Gilbert, South Carolina
Hollow Creek Tree FarmChoose-and-cut Leyland and other cypress, pine and cedar, individually tagged at $58–$98 for 6 ft–8 ft and $108–$198 for 9 ft–12 ft, plus premium fresh-cut firs. Opens Sunday, November 22 at 1pm; last day Wednesday, December 16.
Gilbert, South Carolina
Cedar Ridge Tree FarmYou-cut trees in six varieties plus pre-cut Fraser fir, with saws provided and staff to cut, shake, net and load. Tree prices and this season’s dates are not published; confirm at the farm.
Newberry, South Carolina
Shine & Lee’s Christmas TreesChoose-and-cut Carolina Sapphire and Leyland cypress and pre-cut Fraser fir, all individually priced, with a shake, bore and bale routine. Tree prices and this season’s dates are not published; confirm at the farm.