Megan Z.
Yelp
We arrive to the orchard and notice how spread out it is. It is a TON of walking. At this point, I should've called it.
We continued on and headed to the "Farm/Country Store" to grab some Cider Donuts. I know they go quickly and I figured it was best to grab them right away. They also offer a cider cart OUTSIDE that has them WARM. The line was easily 100-people deep. They are either incredibly understaffed and/or inefficient.
The country/farm store has an incredible selection of house-made sauces, butters, dips, marinades, salsas, honey, maple syrup, spices, and so much more!
They have a huge selection of craft candies, sweets, and savory items. I picked up some Peach Salsa and some Queso Dip. I look forward to trying them!
You'll also find a huge selection of fresh produce, baked goods, and of course: Apples! They have a wide selection of baked goods like Whoopie Pies, Cookies, Cider Donuts, Pies, Turnovers, Elephant Ears, and so much more!
Produce wise you'll find grape/cherry tomatoes,heirloom tomatoes, fresh carrots, hot peppers, fresh corn, squash, and of course: Apples!
They also have your typical Knick-Knacks for the home and unique toys for the kids. They have a small selection of dog treats that are made here on the East Coast.
The farmhouse may have an amazing selection. The problem is the place is a total cluster to get thru. People are constantly running into each other due to the line being backed up into the back of the store.
It takes a good amount of time to get up front to just checkout. They do have fresh cider in the coolers by the register. I did like they offered their cider in individual sizes. I hate buying a half-gallon and it being too much to finish. They also have a canned, sparkling cider that looks phenomenal.
Prices inside the farm store are very reasonable. A half peck of apples pre-picked are $12 for half a peck, $20 for a full peck. They have multiple varieties available. Our favorite is the McIntosh. We went with a half-peck that was pre-packed instead of picking our own. More on this below.
We headed out to the orchard to pick our own Apples. The problem: they have no way to get out to the orchard, which is VERY spread out. I expected a tractor with a hayride or something.
Maybe it's just a Midwest thing. I've never been to an orchard that required such a large amount of walking. Most places offer a hayride for a charge. A charge I'd have happily paid!
That said, we chose to go with the pre-packed half-peck of McIntosh apples. They all looked phenomenal and in great shape, not bruised or beat up. No holes or anything from insects/bugs.
We went out to see if we had any chance of getting a hot cider donut. The line just never moved and the entire day would've been spent standing in line. So, we headed to see the animals. The country store DOES offer food to feed the TWO animals we saw.
I am not joking. There were literally two animals on premises. It was the most disappointing thing. I would never pay any admission for this. There was very little for kids to really do here. It became clear: it's a money maker for the city.
The city owns and operates the farm and orchard. If you look around back, they have crates of pumpkins and apples. They're selling their product, like many farms do. No problem. But focus on the fall experience FIRST. I won't lie, it was so disappointing that we left early and went out to Salem.
They do have a nice selection of pumpkins, both orange and white! They have a solid selection of sizes: from small to jumbo. The price is reasonable on the pumpkins and gourds. This was probably the least disappointing part for me.
They wanted $30+ to pick your own. That also includes at least a mile of walking just to get to trees with apples on them. Most people seemed to just buy the pre-packed as well. It's a true disappointment to me.
The donuts were not very good either. Very dense and somewhat dry, in my opinion. They don't even use any sugar on the outside, as most places do. I think I've had better from the grocery store bakery. Taste is subjective, so you may like them!
They need to overhaul this experience before next year. It was a true disappointment and I'd tell anyone looking for an orchard to go to Central Massachusetts. It wasn't worth the time, money, or effort for such a disappointing experience.