We got there at noon on Saturday, October 9th and found the parking lot for the apple picking more than half empty. We decided to head first to the store across the street to buy cider donuts and hot apple cider (since we only had breakfast and no lunch).
We got the cider donuts inside the store (where they have bags of either cinnamon sugar or plain donuts). To get a mixture of the two kinds and to get our drinks, we had to go outside. The cashier let us pay for everything inside (since we wanted to use a credit card, and they don't accept cc's at the entrance to the orchard), along with our bag for apple picking ($20 for a bag to hold about 20 pounds of apples). 4 people are allowed per bag, so that worked out perfectly.
The cider donuts were barely warm and overly sugary. They were okay, and didn't taste like anything special. I was sadly disappointed, especially after reading so many great reviews about how great they are. We even went back after apple picking to buy another half-dozen they claimed were warm, though they too were too sugary and slightly warm. Some of the donuts were a bit moist and better than the others. But overall, they weren't anything special. So sad! I was totally looking forward to it.
As for the apple cider and the picnic tables by the outside window, beware! I had yellow jackets (or maybe wasps) swarming around my apple cider! I barely put them on the picnic table for a minute, and they were already all around. I had to carefully stick my hand in and grab my donut bag and cup of cider. We thought the cider was too sweet. :(
As for the apple picking, we had an amazing time! It was so nice and peaceful out in the orchard picking apples. The 3 of us took a hay ride (which was actually pretty fun) up the hill on the right and then walked up to the top of the hill and downward tasting apples and picking ones we liked.
The best tasting apples were the Crispen (green, though not sour apples) and the Spencer (blue tag; brighter red/white apples). These were crisp, sweet, and crunched very loudly when we bit into them. Delicious!
We were there for about 2 hours total, and got pretty exhausted and FULL from trying out so many apples. We took tons of pictures, and had fun doing that. The orchard had very few people, since it's so big and spread out.
I recommend starting near the top of a hill and then walking down. Try apples, and then pick what you like when you find ones you like. I would even recommend making note of the ones you like and where they were, and then going back and picking them all at once toward the end. That way, you don't have to haul around a heavy bag of apples with you. Then again, it's fun to pick as you taste as well.
When we were leaving at about 2 pm, I noticed the parking lot was about 80% full, the line for the donuts across the street was longer, and almost all the picnic tables were full of people. I guess most people like to go apple picking after lunch.
Apple picking - 5 stars
Cider apple donuts - 3 stars
Hot apple cider - 3 stars
Customer service in store - 2 stars (the girls at the cash register were impatient teenagers who didn't seem to wanna be working there)
Suggestions:
1. Eat a big breakfast or early lunch before heading out there to avoid a bigger crowd after lunch
2. Sample smaller apples so you'll have room to taste lots
3. Start at the top of a hill and work down so you don't have to carry a 20 pound bag of apples around
4. Go with a group of 2 - 4 people so that you can all share a bag (1 bag = $20 = 20 lbs of apples). They let up to 4 people share one bag for apple picking.
5. Bring some water with you to wash down the apples
6. Eat a non-sweet breakfast with protein; you'll not wanna eat anything too sweet for a while after sampling so many apples and eating cider donuts and drinking apple cider
7. Bring hand sanitizer to use after using the porta-potties (there are no official bathrooms).
8. Wear bug spray and sunblock
9. Allocate about 1 - 2 hours (or more if you'd like) for apple picking
10. Pay inside the store if using a credit card
Overall, we had a LOT of fun and loved being able to have the freedom to walk around, taste and eat as many apples as we wanted. The orchard was beautiful, especially at the top of the hill where the hay ride drops you off. It gave a wonderful view and was a nice place to even sit down and have a picnic. :) I'll definitely be going here for apple picking next time I'm in Boston. read more