Photos courtesy of Betsy Barron Fine Art Photography
Pick your own season is in full swing at Boyertown’s Frecon Farms!
Photo courtesy of Frecon Farms
It is that time of year! The leaves are turning, there is a palpable nip in the air and the great traditions of the fall season are fully upon us. One of the most popular is, of course, apple picking at the fantastic local orchards around the Main Line and Delaware Valley.
Whether you like Golden Delicious, Fuji, Honeycrisp, MacIntosh or Ginger Gold, there are plenty of apples for everyone!
Here is our guide to the region’s best spots—covering four of the area’s counties and eight of the greatest orchards.
Happy Fall and Happy Apple Picking Friends!
Sarah Lockard
AroundMainLine.com CEO
Berks County
Frecon Farms
501 South Reading Avenue
Boyertown, PA
Website: freconfarms.com
Phone: (610) 367-6200
Hours: Saturdays 9:00 am – 6:00 pm; Sundays 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Details: For 65 plus years, the Frecon family farm has been a labor of love, focused on providing Boyertown and the surrounding areas with fresh fruit, produce and local food items to enjoy with the ones you love. Apple varieties available this season are Granny Smith, Stayman Winesap, Rome and Fuji.
Frecon Farms’ retail store offers quality gourmet foods, wine, gift baskets and locally sourced produce, glass bottled milk, and meats. They also have a variety of bedding plants, perennials, annuals, roses and floral arrangements.
Weaver’s Orchard
AML’s guide to the region’s best spots covers four of the area’s counties and eight of the greatest orchards.
40 Fruit Lane
Morgantown, PA
Website: weaversorchard.com
Facebook: Join Weaver’s Orchard on Facebook
Phone: (610) 856-7300
Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 am-7:00 pm; Saturday 8:00 am-5:00 pm
Details: Weaver’s Orchard Farm Market is a fourth generation family farm nestled in the scenic hills of Berks County, just 15 minutes south of Reading, PA, offering a farm market and pick-your-own fruit. Fall Family Fun Days run now through October 27th with special activities from 10am to 5pm including: live music, pick your own apples and pumpkins, hay rides, apple cannon, live music, and delicious food. Kids activities include pumpkin painting, face painting, straw pyramid (ages 5 and older), barrel train, inflatable obstacle course, visit farm animals and alpacas and more!
Bucks County
Shady Brook Farm
931 Stony Hill Road
Yardley, PA
Website: shadybrookfarm.com
Facebook: Join Shady Brook Farm on Facebook
Phone: 215-968-1670
Email: familyfun@shadybrookfarm.com
Hours: Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 6 pm; Sunday from 8 am to 5 pm.
Details: Shady Brook Farm has tons of family fun for the fall season-a Haunted Attraction featuring the Hayride of Horror, Barn of Horror, Deadtime Stories–Corn Maze in the Dark, and Alien Invasion. They also have a daytime attraction, PumpkinFest, featuring hayrides to the pumpkin patch to pick-your-own, as well as many other seasonal activities.
All new for 2012: PumpkinFest is open daily September 29th through October 31st with even later hours. Don’t miss PumpkinFest After Dark!
Snipes Farm, Nursery and Golf
890 West Bridge Street
Morrisville, PA
Website: snipesfarm.com
Facebook: Join Snipes Farm on Facebook
Phone: 215-295-1138
Email: info8@snipesfarm.com
Hours: Open Daily 9am to 4pm; Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm
Details: The 2012 season runs September 22nd to November 4th. Fall Harvest weekends include the Land of Scarecrows, hayrides to the pick-your-own pumpkin patch and apple orchard, the five acre Corn Maze, the labyrinth walk, children’s wooden maze, Halloween Hollow playground, Ol’ Time Farm Museum, face painting, pumpkin painting and live barnyard animals. Enjoy live music on October weekend days.
A tree ripened apple is like no other apple! Snipes’ varieties include: Ginger Gold, Red Mac, Gala, Honey Crisp, Red and Yellow Delicious, Ida Red, Empire, Jonagold, Melrose, Crispin, Braeburn, Stayman Winesap and Rome. Fresh apple cider, candy and caramel apples are made with their own fruit. Snipes Orchard is a low spray orchard using as many environmentally friendly products as possible. They are insecticide and herbicide free. Visitors can take a hayride to the orchard Saturdays and Sundays!
Solebury Orchards
3325 Creamery Road
New Hope, PA
Website: soleburyorchards.com
Facebook: Join Solebury Orchards on Facebook
Phone: 215-297-8079
Email: mail@soleburyorchards.com
Hours: Thursday to Sunday 9am to 6pm
With over 200 acres of growing crops, Highland Orchards boasts twenty varieties of apples.
Details: Solebury Orchards, located in the center of scenic Bucks County, grows peaches, apples, blueberries, raspberries and other fruits. The farm is well known for its high quality fruits which are available from summer through winter at the Solebury Orchards Market. Increasingly popular at the orchard is pick your own, where customers can enjoy themselves surrounded by beautiful fields of berries and orchards. Apple picking is available through Nov. 4th.
Chester County
Highland Orchards
11000 Marshallton-Thorndale Road
West Chester, PA
Website: highlandorchards.net
Facebook: Join Highland Orchards on Facebook
Phone: 610-269-3494
Email: events@highlandorchards.net
Hours: Saturday 9am to 6pm; Sunday 10am to 6pm. Picking registration ends daily at 5pm.
Details: With over 200 acres of growing crops, Highland boasts twenty varieties of apples. And, you can bet there is plenty of activity this time of year on the farm-from hayrides, a kid korral, scarecrow building and more. Check the orchard blog on their website for daily updates on available apples and upcoming events.
Delaware County
Linvilla Orchards
How ‘Bout Them Apples?
Linvilla Orchards, Media
137 W. Knowlton Road
Media, PA
Website: linvillaorchards.com
Facebook: Join Linvilla on Facebook
Twitter: Follow Linvilla on Twitter
Phone: (610) 876-8796
Email: apples@linvilla.com
Hours: Sunday through Thursday 8am-6pm; Friday and Saturday 8am-9pm.
Details: Linvilla Orchard’s Pumpkinland Harvest Festival runs through November 4th. Larger than life figures and scarecrows illustrate the legends and lure of the harvest season, local history and some of the many stories of pumpkins and apples. Group programs are available for school and camp tours, evening hayrides with campfires and birthday parties.
Harvest Hayrides: Enjoy a hayride, through Linvilla’s scenic fields and orchards with their friendly hayride escort, followed by a bonfire, marshmallow roasting and apple cider. Every day thru October 30th, Monday-Friday 12:30-4p.m; Saturdays & Sundays 10am-5pm $7 per person
Autumn Moon Hayrides: Hayride followed by a bonfire, marshmallow roasting and apple cider. Thru Oct 30th. Weekdays 5:30pm-8:00pm; Friday & Saturday until 8:30pm. $7 per person
Hayrides to the Witches House: Now through October 30th. Sun-Thurs 5:30-8pm; Fri. & Sat. in October until 8:30pm. This Hayride visits the friendly Witches House in the woods. She tells stories, jokes and gives all of the kids a treat, followed by a bonfire with marshmallows to roast & apple cider. $8 per person
October Activity Hours at Linvilla
Farm Market & Pumpkinland: Sunday-Thursday 9am-8pm; Friday & Saturday 9am-9pm
Pick Your Own Fall Apples: Open 9am-6pm everyday
Train Rides: Monday-Friday 12:30-4p.m; Saturdays and Sundays 12-5pm; $3 per person
Pony Rides: Saturdays & Sundays 12-5pm; $6 per person
Face Painting: Monday-Friday 10am-3:30p.m; Saturdays & Sundays 10am-6pm; $6 & up
Straw Bale & Corn Mazes: Saturdays and Sundays 10am-5pm; $4 per person, both mazes; $6 per person
Apple Sling: Saturdays & Sundays 10am-5pm
For a complete list of locales and times for apple picking across the region, visit: www.pickyourown.org/PAeast.htm.
