Holli K.
Yelp
Year after year, this spot continues to be our go-to place for Christmas trees. Carpinito Bros has been putting in effort to make this a family holiday destination, especially these past few years. They've added a few photo areas, some live animals (not a petting zoo, but they have goats and a camel or two), and offer free warm apple cider.
Parking seems to be limited to about 15 cars at most, so perhaps that's why there isn't more effort to keep customers around longer than ~30 minutes. This location is where they store their bulk topsoil and gravel, which has a bit of a barnyard odor and isn't necessarily the most pleasant surrounding landscape when picturing a Christmas tree lot destination. However, you quickly forget about it when you start walking through the aisles of fresh-cut trees, organized by type and height.
The process for purchasing a tree is similar to most tree lots. You walk around, pick out your perfect tree, find someone who works there, and make sure someone in your group stands guard next to the tree while you wait for the lot-worker to return (gotta make sure no one else gets ideas about your prize tree!!! Haha!). The worker will come, get the tree, ask where you want it cut, then give you the price tag to go inside to pay for the tree. Once you pay and show the worker your receipt, they'll load the tree onto your car for you. Over the years, we've had varying levels of helpful workers--some go above and beyond, while others seem all business or in a rush--but in both cases, they do the job well.
While inside the shop paying for the tree, I love picking up some decor for inside the house and shopping for fresh veggies. They sell fresh wreaths and table arrangements and have a whole room full of just poinsettias! Farm-fresh veggies appear to be available in this space (their Farm Stand/Retail Store) year-round. We stocked up on Brussels sprouts, baking potatoes, and squash.
I'll admit I continue to look for a unicorn of a Christmas tree lot destination that is truly an experience--somewhere you could spend a couple of hours and look forward to all week or month leading up to your visit. I envision a blend of a casual Christmas market and tree lot all in one--similar to what a few pumpkin patches are starting to do up north with their fall festivals, complete with beer gardens and haunted houses and/or corn mazes. Still, Carpinito Bros beats the competition in the radius I'm willing to drive for our tree! And for that, I give it a solid 4 stars!