I am looking for an apple orchard that is great to bring the family to. I know many of them are pricey and we were disappointed at the last one we went to. Any suggestions on ones that you love to bring your family to? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
The Garden Patch in Homer Glen is GREAT! It is $5 per person to go out into the field and then you pay for what you pick. There are apples and other fruits and veggies. They also have chickens you can feed, rabbits and a huge moon bounce. It is a real mom and pop place for some good wholesome fun.
Hi S.,
Check out www.kidwinks.com - you can find a list of many area orchards there, some with reviews. Here's the direct link to the apple orchard list: http://www.kidwinks.com/FamilyFun/OutdoorKidsActivities/A...
If you become a member of kidwinks, which is free, you can then sort these orchards in order of distance from your house. Kidwinks also has an Events calendar with kid-friendly events throughout the Chicago area (again, you can get the list of events for a day, then sort the results by distance), Ongoing Activities, and a very cool Kids Eat Free calendar, where you can click on a day to find out where kids eat free on that day.
We just went this last weekend!!! It was great!
We went two weekends ago to this small orchard called Apples on Oak (http://peceniak.tripod.com/) It is a true APPLE experience and not some money making carnival with overpriced parking. Just a guy with a bunch of land who really really loves apples. They have special varieties of apples, not the kind you will find in grocery stores, so it was interesting to try them (and even better to cook and eat at home!). Very close to the western burbs, located near Joliet. Kids loved it too. As for the price, parking was free and a bag of apples was $14. If you go, make sure to read their directions on their website closely.
We went to Homestead Orchard in Woodstock a few weeks ago http://homesteadorchard.net/. We had a great experience. It is simply an orchard, no jumpy castles, pony rides, petting zoos, etc. So we went, picked apples and raspberries and the kids ate some apples on a big wooden swing, and we left (there is an outlet mall nearby, with Carters, Childrens Place, Osh Kosh, etc and we went there afterwards). We had a great experience. I know on their website they recommend going in the morning because they sometimes get picked out by the afternoon in certain varieties. If you call the owner is very personable and can let you know what is ripe, etc.
We also went to a very old orchard in Michigan City, but that it quite a hike, we were there for other reasons, but if you are going that way, let me know and I can give you information on a couple of orchards in Michigan City.
Our favorite "big" orchard is in Hobart, IN and is called County Line Orchard http://www.countylineorchard.com/ They are huge and very friendly. It gets crowded in the parking lot and the store, but the orchard is so big we don't feel like it is crowded when picking and we feel like it is well managed. It takes about an hour to get there from the city. They have a lot of activities for the kids and they have concerts almost every weekend. This is definitely a place to go when you are making a day out of it.
We went to All Season's Orchard, which I saw someone recommended, last year and we were very disappointed. It was extrememly crowded and it was not well managed so there were lines everywhere. Plus, I thought the employees were rude. They actually searched our trunk when we left to make sure we hadn't picked any of their more expensive apples and hid them in our bags.
Good Luck,
D.
We have been looking for an apple orchard ourselves.
We have found (2) with good reviews. All Seasons Orchard in Woodstock, IL, and Kuipers Family Farm in Maple Park, IL.
We just went to Edwards Apple Orchard this past Saturday. The kids had a blast. Besides picking apples, raspberries and pumpkins, they also have a playground, pony rides, wagon rides and a large general store. Their apple cider donuts are delicious. It is in Poplar Grove, IL, about a half hour east of Rockford (about an hour west of the northwest suburbs). I highly recommend this place!
Edwards Apple Orchard in Capron IL on Centerville Road. This place has the other "stuff" too.. not just the apple picking. If you are looking for just apple picking this is not the place.
