So I decided I finally wanted to create my own Griswold family Christmas, LOL. It was a two hour drive or so to this place. What the heck, more time to sing Christmas songs as a family, right? Haha. I've never cut down my own tree. But I'm sick of buying dead trees from the local places here. Here's a clue, if you make a fresh cut on the bottom and put it in the stand with water, it should be suckin up that water. Especially during the first week or so. If it's not suckin up water, its dead and probably been that way for awhile. It will be dropping needles, a fire hazard, and have little to no odor.
I gotta tell you, I absolutely loved the experience here from beginning to end. I brought a saw but they provide one if you forget. They have a handful or so of varieties that grow on the property. You just wander around on the acreage and look. All the trees for sale have a price tag. No price tag; not for sale. After you figure out which one you want, you cut it yourself. Then they have carts to lay it on and haul it out.
Free popcorn and warm apple cider too! Employees were real friendly from entering the property to buying the tree. I loved exploring the property and not feeling rushed. Really cool! We settled on a 9-10' White Fir for $125. Really loved some of the Blue Spruce Trees but just couldn't justify the price. Check out my pics. Looked at a beautiful one that was $300. I just couldn't justify the money for something that was going to die. On that subject, don't believe the bad press about real trees. The fact is, if you drop them off in the proper place, they are turned into mulch. They are much less harmful to the environment than disposing of an artificial tree. Plus they improve the environment and air quality the whole time they grow.
By the way, they also have fresh Noble Firs which is usually what I buy at the tree lots locally. They don't grow on the property but they ship them in. They only grow up north where it is colder. They are kept in 5 gallon buckets to stay fresh so even if you are not cutting down these, they will be fresher cause they are kept in water.
In conclusion, I spent a little more than I normally spend for a tree. I would definitely say the experience made it worth the price difference. Plus, we cut down the tree and had it set in the stand with water that night. You won't find fresher if you buy local. They complimentary shake it by machine (to remove critters and loose needles) and optional netting for a small fee. A+. I'll come back next year.
BTW. I visited between last week of Nov and first week of Dec. Maybe if you procrastinate, the selection becomes slim pickins?? Not sure, I'm just trying to make sense of some of the negative reviews. Come on Bako! Make a day trip out of it and hit Splash before coming home! Cheers! read more