Fall in Minnesota is hard to describe to someone who is not from here. The weather is perfect, the leaves are stunning, everyone is happy with school back in session, and we are so very lucky in Minnesota to have ideal conditions to grow some of the best apples around. The apple trees are full of blooms and are so stunning in the Spring and we wait during our hot Summers for the first cool touch of Fall to arrive because we know the apple harvest is here!
Minnesota is home to a huge variety of applies, including some of the most popular – Honeycrisp, Zestar, McIntosh, Haralson, and Paula Red.
We’ve been taking our kids to the orchard each Fall since our oldest was just nine months old and have continued the annual tradition now for nine years. It’s pretty much a State law that you much visit an orchard during a gorgeous Minnesota Fall!
We love to try new orchards but always seem to fall-back on our old favorites and we love to visit orchards that let us pick our own apples. My kids love to pick apples and love to run through the rows of beautiful trees. We also love an orchard that has a pumpkin patch so we can do all of our necessary Fall ‘shopping’ in one place.
There are hundreds of orchards to choose from in Minnesota – from the small family orchards that are simply a quaint orchard and maybe a small pumpkin patch – to a huge farm that is not only an orchard but has a large store stocked with jams, syrups and apple baked goods, offers a petting zoo, a huge playground, wagon rides, hay rides and even many have a corn maze.
With so many orchards and farms to choose from, you are sure to find the right place for your family and trust me – you will keep going back year after year!
There is a great website that lists where in Minnesota you can pick your own apples in season, and it’s a great tool when planning your Fall family outing!
We are a more low-key family and enjoy a quiet and quaint orchard with smaller crowds. There aren’t any hayrides or admission prices or corn mazes…just apple picking, a few animals, a great selection of pumpkins, and family friendly ownership. We’ve been visiting Whistling Wells Farm for four years and enjoy our trip each year. It’s only about 20 minutes from St. Paul and just a stunning drive to the St. Croix River Valley. We usually pack a picnic and make a full-day out of it.
We return home each year with a trunk full of apples, pumpkins and memories.
Do you visit an apple orchard where you live?
Comments
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