A woman on Park Slope Parents was nice enough to compile a list of apple and pumpkin picking places in the metropolitan area. Take a look. There’s a whole lotta apple pickin’ out there. Excuse the weird formatting. I cut and pasted this right off of Park Slope Parents.
Apple Hill Farm
141 Rte 32 South, New Paltz, NY, Ulster County
845.255.0917
applehillfarm.com
Apple Hill Farm overlooks the Shawangunk and Catskill Mountains. Stop
by the
restored 1859 barn full of homegrown quality fruit; enjoy a hayride,
get fresh
pressed apple cider and apple cider donuts. Pick your own pumpkins and
gourds
right from the patch, or off their many displays around the farmstand.
Applewood Orchards and Winery
82 Four Corners Rd., Warwick, NY, Orange County
845.986.1684
applewoodorchards.com
Within an hour of the city, this farm has the usual apple (seven
varieties) and
pumpkin pickings, wagon rides and puppet shows, but also boasts its own
winery.
Dykeman’s Farm
231 West Dover Road, Pawling, Dutchess County
845.832.6068
www.bestcorn.com
Take a hayride into the pumpkin fields and pick from a large selection.
Door
prizes, refreshments and face painting.
Wilkens Fruit and Fir Farm
1313 White Hill Road, Yorktown Heights, NY, Westchester County
914.245.5111
www.wilkensfarm.com
A wide variety of apples and pumpkins are available—all of which you
can pick
yourself. Two farm markets sell everything from cider to freshly baked
pies and
doughnuts. Go back in a couple of months to pick your own Christmas
tree!For more on New York pick-your-own farms and apple festivals, go to
nyapplecountry.com.
Abma’s Farm
700 Lawlin’s Road, Wyckoff, NJ
201.891.0278
www.abmasfarm.com
Only 30 minutes from the George Washington Bridge, this farm offers a
small
petting zoo, pony rides, and hayrides to a large pumpkin patch. Stop by
their
unique 1700’s barn where they sell fresh produce, eggs, poultry and
specialty
products.
Silverman’s Farm
451 Sport Hill Road, Easton, CT, Fairfield County
203.261.3306
www.silvermansfarm.com
Find a pumpkin patch full of 20 different varieties and fall squashes,
gourds,
sunflowers, straw bales, cornstalks, scarecrows and mums. Watch as
fresh apples
are pressed into cider at their cider mill. Petting farm includes
buffalo,
llamas, sheep, goats, fallow deer, emus, longhorn cattle, pigs and
exotic birds.
The farm market offers 18 varieties of freshly baked pies, New England
farm-style preserves, jams, jellies, honeys and syrups.
Terhune Orchard
located in Princeton, New Jersey
(terhuneorchards.com).
They are
opened year round, but I suspect their biggest month is October. They
have
berry picking
throughout the summer as well as apple picking and pumpkin picking in
October. You can get a variety of apple products there as well as picnic
lunch, candy/caramel apples, and pumpkin ice cream sandwiches. Toddler
friendly activities include:
Hay Ride
Pumpkin Patch Ride
Area for riding toddler sized John Deere’s
Large tractors to sit on
Feeding geese and chickens/roosters
Seeing sheep, a goat, a rabbit, and a donkey
Pony Rides
Painting Pumpkins
Photo ops in pictures of animals with the faces cut out
Local country bandI think all of the activities are free too aside from paying 10 cents
for a handful of corn to feed the animals and buying the produce, food, and
products. Perhaps I’m just too used to consumerism or am just
inexperienced with orchard activity life, but I was so pleasantly surprised with
the lack of a cover charge or having to pay for the various activities.
Demarest Farm (www.demarestfarms.com) in NJ.
It was fairly easy to get to (probably took a little
longer
than to drive to the Bronx Zoo), they have a Hamptons-esque deli and
BBQ which
offered lots of eating options, as well as an ice cream stand, hay maze
and
bounce house for the kids. There was a tractor-pulled hayride to the
orchard
and you can pick other fruits and vegetables as well (incl. pumpkins,
although
the official season begins next month). I understand it gets pretty
crowded as
the season kicks into gear, though. All-in-all, though, it was a
pleasant way
to spend the day outdoors.
Outhouse Orchard in Westchester County
Despite the unappealing name, it was a GREAT place and only about a 70
minute drive from Park Slope. They had apple picking — right now is
good time for MacIntosh apples, but they also had some pears. They have some
trees with very low branches, so little kids can reach them. They also
have a hay ride, farm animals, and a little mini-playground for kids,
and a store with delicious produce, pumpkins, maple butter, apple-related
products, etc.I don’t have the phone number on me right now, but it’s Outhouse
Orchard on Hardscrabble Road in Croton Falls, NY. If you Google it, I think they
have
a website. Have fun!
Wightman’s Farms in NJ
for hay rides and
other fruits (including pumpkins) you can pick.Also-an excellent farm stand with cider and
donuts, preserves, etc..In the fall they have a corn maze and a
small hay maze for the kids. They also have picnic tables around if
you want to hang around and eat something there:http://www.wightmansfarms.com/
Can anyone recommend a place to pick apples that is accessible by train or bus? Thanks!
My husband and I visited applewood orchard and winery several years ago, and returned every year since. I highly recommed this orchard not only does it have the best apples and pleasant staff it has the most beautiful atmosphere with a garden and petting zoo and delicious apple cider donuts, we eat and listen to live music a great place to spend a fall day. thanks for allowing me to share a pleasant and memorable experience.
We visited the Outhouse Orchard yesterday and would not recommend it. ATV drivers came too close to pickers without issuing a warning. One of their overzealous security harassed my son and had the temerity to demand that we open our car for his inspection. He issued no apology when proven wrong. It cast a pall over our whole afternoon.