Who loves any excuse to visit orchards? How about apple orchards in New York? Talk about the perfect Fall family activity near The City! Today, friends, is an entirely new day to celebrate….It’s National Johnny Appleseed Day. Grab your Granny Smith or your Honeycrisp, and let’s plan a day of apple picking near New York City!
Orchards in New York
Fall is the perfect season for apple picking! And, there are many farms and orchards in New York to visit! The most likely scenario for most New York City families would be an easy day-trip outside the city to gather apples. My criteria: Have to be able to ride the train from Grand Central or Penn Station there. A bus ride is fine too.
Here are four orchards in New York that are a short drive or train ride or bus ride from The City.
Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard
Tips for Visiting:
- Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard is located in North Salem, NY.
- Open every day 8:00am-6:00 pm through the end of October.
- Apple Picking and Pumpkin Picking
- Cider donuts, pies, face-painting, pony rides, and many other special seasonal activities.
Apple Dave’s Orchard
Tips for Visiting:
- Apple Dave’s Orchard is located in Warwick, NY.
- Open daily from 9:00-5:00, August 31-October 27.
- Apple Picking of several varieties, including Macintosh, Cortland, Honeycrisp, Gala, Empire, Jonagold, Rome Beauty, Red Delicious, Macoun, Fuji and Golden Delicious apples.
- Live music, a Distillery, Hay Rides, Puppet Shows and many other special family-friendly activities.
Masker Orchards
Tips for Visiting:
- Masker Orchards is located in Warwick, NY.
- Open daily from 9:00-5:00 starting on August 31.
- Parking and Admission is FREE!
- Pony Rides, Haunted House, and Live Music make this family apple picking outing special!
Apple Ridge Orchards
Tips for Visiting:
- Apple Ridge Orchards is located in Warwick, NY.
- Open daily beginning August 31. The Pumpkin Patch opens September 14.
- Hay Rides, a petting zoo, and a corn field make this the perfect destination during apple picking season.
The Orchard King: Johnny Appleseed
Per usual, I gotta do a lil’ educating! While you are traveling to one of these wonderful orchards, take a minute to review your 3rd Grade Johnny Appleseed Day facts.
Johnny Appleseed Facts
- According to an article written by Natasha Geiling for Smithsonian.com, “On a family farm in Nova, Ohio, grows a very special apple tree; by some claims, the 175 year old tree is the last physical evidence of John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed, a prolific nurseryman who, throughout the early 1800s, planted acres upon acres of apple orchards along America’s western frontier, which at the time was anything on the other side of Pennsylvania.
- Today, Chapman is known by another name—Johnny Appleseed. The apples that Chapman brought to the frontier were completely distinct from the apples available at any modern grocery store or farmers’ market, and they weren’t primarily used for eating—they were used to make America’s beverage-of-choice at the time, hard apple cider.”
Totally different from my recollection from the 1948 Melody Time version. #thanksDisney
- “Like the caricature that has survived to modern-day, Chapman really did tote a bag full of apple seeds. As a member of the Swedenborgian Church, whose belief system explicitly forbade grafting (which they believed caused plants to suffer), Chapman planted all of his orchards from seed, meaning his apples were, for the most part, unfit for eating.”
And, in honor of Johnny Appleseed Day, I’m not ashamed to share a Bucket List Travel Dream of mine….to pick apples in a real orchard. Apples that are edible. My fantasy does not include me with a pot on my head, just FYI.
All my Yankee friends are laughing at me heartily right now. They have been picking apples their entire lives, and are probably totally over it. But, for my readers West of the Mason-Dixon line…don’t you want to go???
P.S. Live in NYC and still need family-friendly activities for your little ones? I suggest an outing to the NYC Transit Museum, located in Brooklyn. Or, spend time at the NYC Fire Museum, located in SoHo. Bring an apple for a snack, and you’v come full circle!
Tags: Apple Dave's Orchard | Apple Orchards | Apple Picking | Apple Ridge Orchards | Fall | Family Fun | Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard | Johnny Appleseed | Masker Orchards | New England | New York | New York State
Mary! I would go up the Hudson a bit more and vusit Montgomery Farms( you don’t have to pick but they offer an extraordinary range of unique heirloom varieties and you can visit historic Montgomery Place and Olana. Picking is good st Mead Orchards or Grieg Farm, also close by!
Susan, you are so kind to give me another suggestion! Since you live in apple orchard central, I’ll for SURE add this to the list!! xoxo
Wonderful post, I love this so much!!!
I’ve never been ‘proper’ apple picking, I would love to do it! These are some great locations
Me too! Bucket list for sure!!!
I didn’t know that there was such day. That is a really great celebration to have since he did so much for our country.
Haha I love the reference to Melody Time! I wish I had known about Johnny Appleseed day before; it would have been fun to celebrate at an orchard today.
Orchards are always good. I love apples but I have never been to a farm always read and saw pictures about it. You wrote on it really well.
I had no idea this day even existed! Love the history you added… Great post!
Thanks so much!!!!
I wish we had orchards near us, we live in Florida, no fall celebration here.
That’s pretty much the same in Texas!!!
What a great resource to have if we are ever in the area! Thanks for sharing!
Oh this looks like so much fun!! I can’t wait till we move closer to orchards again!!
okay okay !! the pictures are stunning and that apple pie ? yummmmm !!!
So much fun! I wil search for this in France too !
Oh…..I think apple season in France would be dreamy! Isn’t the Normandy region known for apples???
My kids have been learning about Johnny Appleseed at school. So much fun!
It’s for sure apple time of year!!!
So I keep saying that I need to go to NYC because everyone posts something that looks interesting. I personally love the special, national day of whatever day and who can go wrong with apple pie?
Right? Any ol’ excuse is good with me too!
I love learning about something new!!! This is a great post!
Thanks so much!
I love Apples. This is something learning about Apples! Love your photos!
Thank you!
Oh wow, I never heard of this before. Thanks for shafibg and I have learbed something new.
Wow! This looks like so much fun. I love your amazing pictures, especially the apple pie – it’s so tempting.
Awwww thanks!!!
Omg I’ll have to send you pics of our apple trees! They are SO heavy with fruit we’ve had to prop up branches with 2×6 planks!
You’ve got me singing the Johnny Appleseed song 🤗
I had NO idea!!!!! Apples in New Mexico! That’s awesome! Hope you are picking all of them and making yummy things!!!!
if you’re ever in the Boston area, there are orchards in the suburbs. Honey Pot Hill in Sudbury is a great one (though because it’s so popular, the parking can be tricky.)
Hey Wendy! Great info!!!! We are in the Boston area often in the Fall! Thank you for letting me know!!!!