Twin mom Georgia Frasch compiled an exhaustive list of farms and orchards for seasonal apple (and many other fruits and veggies!) picking in the tri-state area for us, but Wendy Gorman compiled this less unwieldy roster of places that families in the group have actually visited and liked. Thanks Georgia and Wendy!


We went to Applewood Orchard, about 1 hour 20 minutes from the city. It was a blast with the biggest hit being the tractor rides! I do recommend you go early; we got there at 11:30am and by the time we left at 2pm, it was packed!

We go every year to an apple orchard (I'm pretty sure they have pumpkins, too) called Wilkin's Farms in Yorktown, NY (about 1 hour from city). They also have amazing cider, donuts and strudel.

I've been to Dr. Davies’ Farm, it is fun and not very far. I think it's near Nyack...

We just went to Applewood Orchard on Sunday. It was fun (my first experience with this tradition so I don't have anything to compare it to). The apples are wonderful. They had a puppet show, tractor ride to the orchard (or you could walk or take your stroller), a small store, picnic area, music. It was about an hour from the city. It did get VERY crowded. We got there about 10am and by 1pm when we left there was a line out to the main road waiting for parking. Not sure if that was the holiday weekend or if it's always like that. We didn't really take advantage of anything but the apples because of the crowds but I would go back again.

We literally just got home from a wonderful day of apple picking. We had a really nice time. We went to Masker Orchards, Ball Road, Warwick, NY, 845-986-1058, www.maskers.com. It was just over 1 hr from the GW Bridge.
Last weekend, we went to Terhune Orchards in near Princeton, NJ, for one of their "Fall Family Fun Weekends" and enjoyed pumpkin picking, pony rides, wagon rides, barnyard animals, a corn stalk maze, live music and delicious food. It was very low key and lovely. The ride is only about 70 minutes. www.terhuneorchards.com/event_festivals.html.

We went to Dr. Davies' Farm. It was fine. The hay ride was fun and the girls liked apple picking. I wish they'd had a deli or a better store to picnic at because we went early, but hay rides started at 12, so we needed lunch.

Yesterday we took our twins to Outhouse Orchard in Croton Falls (Westchester), about 50 minutes away from the city. Lots of pumpkins, some pretty terrible (but kid-friendly) live country music, and the kids loved the apple trees. People parked in the orchard (there were LOTS of people....get there by 10 or 11 and you'll be fine...after and you'll be backed up on the highway arguing over whose idea this was!), and we let the kids run around and pick a couple of apples from under the tree by our car--good enough for our barely 2-year-olds, and better than the $20-a-bag option. I DID notice poison ivy, and there was even a sign mentioning poison ivy at the base of trees, but we all seem fine today (and I'm very susceptible).

Even closer, and better aesthetically (we stopped back yesterday after their nap), is the very little, Italian-looking hillside orchard next to Teatown Lake near Ossining. Only 40 minutes from the city, the lake is the real draw....a flat trail around the lake that can turn CRIMSON, I promise, because of the shrub understory...And a couple of hundred yards away this great little orchard (there's a sign for it as you're driving in). Very pretty and doable on a late afternoon even in fall. Take the Saw Mill River to the Taconic State Parkway, get off on 134 going west, and take the second turn off on the right, Spring Valley Rd., which comes up very quickly and is easy to miss.

For the last three years we have gone to Pennings, www.penningsorchard.com, and we absolutely love the place. Unfortunately it's 1.5 hours away, but we drive up the Pallisades Parkway and it's really pretty. The trees are all dwarf and it's incredibly easy for the kids to pick the apples.

I went to Applewood orchards today with my 2.6 year old twins and it was GREAT!! They had face painting, puppet shows, live music and tractor rides. It took about 1 hr and 15 minutes to get there from the city. I highly recommend it

We liked Wilkens Farm, www.wilkensfarm.com. I think we got there in under an hour. The tractor ride to the orchard was fun.

Demarest Farm is only 28 minutes away!

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