Shelburne Farm

Kind of a late review but I absolutely loved Shelburne Farm! Had the best experience here. The staff is so friendly and the animals are really cute. The cider donuts were fresh and delicious. Will be making this a yearly tradition.

This year was our first time at Shelburne Farms. The staff was very welcoming. They took the time to explain where everything was and answered any question we had. We picked apples and bought apple cider donuts. Lots of child oriented areas to play. Overall a great experience.

Definitely an amazing place to go. Thank you Tina, Gina, and Ted for the directions to the best apples and peaches they were super sweet and love to help to community. The kids had a blast bounce house, slides, hay ride, and the yummy apple cider donuts with the apple cider. I highly recommend going here lots of different types of apples yellow and white peaches. Amazing!!!

Very family friendly place, packed with kids until about 2pm. Two apple bag options - small for $24 and large for &42. Lots of apples to pick from and tons of amenities available: hay ride, goat feeding, playpen for the kids. And then in the food section there is a food truck that served hot dogs and cheeseburgers, kettle corn, apple cider donuts & drinks all with live music! Come here every year with family and never disappoints!

We had an amazing Saturday there! You can find some fun for your kids, animals, a lot of apples, you can also take a hayride and buy something in the shop.

Beautiful apple orchard. The apple cider and apple cider donuts are delicious! The hay ride was so nice. So many different varieties of apples. They have two little playgrounds for the kids and there's also a few goats and donkeys to pet. Besides the apples, there's pumpkins and they're great sizes.

Social distancing is enforced slightly though people try to push it when in food lines. Otherwise they have staff going around the farm watching for people not using masks etc. I did notice many people still eat apples while picking which I think is fine and most people put their masks back on when they see strangers approaching. Most people stay far away from other groups but I did notice some groups bigger than 10 people. The apples were delicious and there were plenty of kinds to pick. At the time I went there were no peaches or Asian pears. I noticed there was an abundance of apples on the ground under the trees which is no fault of the farm but I assume people are picking apples and throwing them on the floor. That made it hard to get bigger apples because the only ones available for some of the trees were at the very top of apple tree and there aren't many ladders available. Also be careful to sanitize after using the ladders, I didn't notice staff sanitizing them. The shop was full of lots of desserts, apples, cider, popcorn, and donuts! I recommend the donuts and the desserts as I loved every single one I bought. I personally got: kettle corn, apple cider, apple cider donuts, mulled cider, and caramel apple cake. The caramel apple cake seems like a pound cake made with real apples and topped with a caramel glaze. It was delicious and you can really taste the apple pieces inside the cake, it is soft and moist even up to a week later. Definitely a sweet dessert but not artificially sweet. The kettle corn was great but isn't made on site if you are looking for fresh popcorn. Still tasted amazing, salty and sweet. Apple cider donuts are made fresh and you can only buy one dozen per customer so if you want more than that you will have to get back in line. Definitely worth the wait! They are so sweet and soft, I loved the donuts with cinnamon sugar but they have a plain option in case you can't handle all the sugar topping. You can also get half plain and half with the sugar topping. The apple cider has to be bought in the shop but ask for cups if you want to drink while on the farm. Tasted great! You could tell it is fresh and made only of apples, not too sweet and not too tart. The hot mulled cider: This was my first time trying mulled cider and it was not what I expected. I assumed it just would be hot cider but it has some seasonings in it, so be aware of that. Seemed like typical fall seasonings but it was very strong, almost a little bitter at first. After getting used to the seasonings inside it was pretty good but I wish there was an option to just have warm cider.

Very pretty. The store has a great offering of apples, pies, frozen pies, cider, maple syrup, cheese, cider donuts, mulled cider, caramel apples, kettle corn, pumpkins, etc... There was also a food truck on-site. Picking bag must be purchased for admittance to the orchards and kids play area.

Over rated. Massive crowds makes everything less enjoyable. Huge line for cider donuts, apple crisp and coffee and you're only told AFTER you order that there is a 45 min wait and your order will only come out all at once. Hot chocolate were watered down,'made with syrup and cold. We sent our hot chocolate back because it was cold and got back two cold hot chocolates. Apple crisp was meager, cold and missing "the crisp." Farm store basically just has apples and farm products made in other states. Cider donuts are good, but given the aforementioned issues either go during the week or find another source for cider donuts.

Wide variety of apple trees for picking, $41 for half bushel admits 5. Hayride at $3 pax goes around the farm. Pumpkin patch has large traditional pumpkins for carving. Donuts and ciders are amazingly good!

Had a great experience at this farm on a Sunday in the middle of September. We came with a group of about 10 during Covid, and were able to walk in to the orchards without a reservation and all pick together which was a perk (masks required and good distancing between groups). There was a good variety of apples, even early in the season, and several that were clearly very ripe. There were only a couple trees of peaches left, but the ones we were able to grab were also ripe and delicious. The pricing is a little bit expensive, especially compared to some other local orchards. We paid $27 for a one peck bag. The highlight of the experience, as per usual, with the Apple cider donuts. We grabbed a half dozen of both plain and the sugared kinds, and they had clearly just been made and melted in your mouth. We also picked up some apple cider which was also very tasty. We really wanted to try the pink peach lemonade, but unfortunately they were sold out. Another nice addition was a food truck that was available for those who wanted something heartier or something savory. The farm store had a couple different kinds of apples that weren't available for picking, as well as local honey, maple syrup, and cheese. Overall, we had a great fall afternoon here!

I love picking apples here... you have so many varieties of apples. The line was fairly long but we made it and just had fun . There was a little market there so I grab the pumpkin bread and an apple pie and didn't have a chance I had the apple cider donuts but that's okay. it was just very picturesque and what was interesting is they also had food trucks for people who just want to come and grab some lunch. They had a little zoo with a donkey, alpaca, and a goat. You can also pumpkin pick. Great place for all ages.

Great vibes, family friendly. Lots of parking and things to do. I came here late season so didn't do any of the apple picking but instead indulged in their cider donuts, cinnamon donuts and cold apple cider. Donuts were warm and freshly made, they sold pumpkins and other assortments of treats. Best part was the ambiance: sitting by a farm to enjoy a cup of cider, eat some donuts and converse with friends. They also have plenty parking and portable toilets and available. I will definitely be back to plan which weekends to come. From my reading, each week from as early as July to end of October is harvest/prime time to pick certain fruits. So be sure to check their website to see when's the best time.

Stopped by Shelburne Farms to go apple picking and it was PACKED! Luckily, the orchards are big enough so you are spread out but both the parking lot, line for entrance and line to order apple cider donuts were filled with people. Everyone I saw was wearing a mask but so many people weren't following the 6 foot social distancing rules. The farm had a few different food trucks as wells as apple cider donuts for sale and another area for all the only fall treats they make in their store. The orchard was big enough but alot of apples were on the floor and it somes areas it was barren. But, overall we were able to walk away with super yummy apples and a bag full at that. You just have to do a little digging. The Apple cider donuts were super delicious! My highlight of the trip and really what made it worth it. If you ever visit make sure to grab some.

First off mistake #1 was going on Columbus Day weekend. However this place leaves a lot less to be desired. The Russ to get into the farm was only allowed in one direction. The staff told us to drive all the way down the road and turn around basically hinfdteds do people are turning around in or around other neighbors driveways. Instead of letting some people in each way to keep it moving. Oh well. Then you are sitting in a windy turnabout to park in a fiend where there was zero help so it was a free for all. Lanes were one way as they blocked the ends with cones and turning around was impossible without someone getting out of the car and guiding me. Picking a half peck of apples was 30$!! Which I know is on par with other farms but that's absurd when you are picking your own apples. I understand winter was bad this year but with thousands of visitors I don't believe they are doing bad for themselves. Especially with the long lines for food and donuts they are making out very well. I wanted to go to the pumpkin patch but this was not allowed unless you paid 30$ to pick apples. Pumpkin picking only was not an option. At this point I didn't care about going into their store and buying a single thing. We ended up going to a nice farm stand which was calmer than this experience.

Social distancing is enforced slightly though people try to push it when in food lines. Otherwise they have staff going around the farm watching for people not using masks etc. I did notice many people still eat apples while picking which I think is fine and most people put their masks back on when they see strangers approaching. Most people stay far away from other groups but I did notice some groups bigger than 10 people. The apples were delicious and there were plenty of kinds to pick. At the time I went there were no peaches or Asian pears. I noticed there was an abundance of apples on the ground under the trees which is no fault of the farm but I assume people are picking apples and throwing them on the floor. That made it hard to get bigger apples because the only ones available for some of the trees were at the very top of apple tree and there aren't many ladders available. Also be careful to sanitize after using the ladders, I didn't notice staff sanitizing them. The shop was full of lots of desserts, apples, cider, popcorn, and donuts! I recommend the donuts and the desserts as I loved every single one I bought. I personally got: kettle corn, apple cider, apple cider donuts, mulled cider, and caramel apple cake. The caramel apple cake seems like a pound cake made with real apples and topped with a caramel glaze. It was delicious and you can really taste the apple pieces inside the cake, it is soft and moist even up to a week later. Definitely a sweet dessert but not artificially sweet. The kettle corn was great but isn't made on site if you are looking for fresh popcorn. Still tasted amazing, salty and sweet. Apple cider donuts are made fresh and you can only buy one dozen per customer so if you want more than that you will have to get back in line. Definitely worth the wait! They are so sweet and soft, I loved the donuts with cinnamon sugar but they have a plain option in case you can't handle all the sugar topping. You can also get half plain and half with the sugar topping. The apple cider has to be bought in the shop but ask for cups if you want to drink while on the farm. Tasted great! You could tell it is fresh and made only of apples, not too sweet and not too tart. The hot mulled cider: This was my first time trying mulled cider and it was not what I expected. I assumed it just would be hot cider but it has some seasonings in it, so be aware of that. Seemed like typical fall seasonings but it was very strong, almost a little bitter at first. After getting used to the seasonings inside it was pretty good but I wish there was an option to just have warm cider.

Visited your farm today with a group of 20. Fiance and I were here to ride hayride with group, pick pumpkins, and shop in the store, was not going to pick apples. Was told by Tina I had to purchase a bag to do all these activities because the hayride brings us into the orchard. The hayride did not stop in the orchard. I find it very unethical and a scam that families are required a mandatory $30-40 just to enter your premise, even when they have the intention of spending their money on all the other things besides apple picking. I will not be returning to this orchard in the future after being a customer for the past 4 years

Peaches on the brain, we scooted over to Shelburne Farm in Stow on the sunny Saturday of Labor Day weekend. When we arrived, the staff explained that we could choose from one of 2 sizes of bags for apples (peck or 1/2 peck) or a basket for peaches. We'd read on their website that Asian pears should be good to pick as well, but unfortunately they weren't quite there yet. We were a little disappointed that we couldn't mix the fruit (decisions are hard!) but decided to commit to the peaches ($23 for the bushel) since apple season was just getting started (we can always come back!). Upon entering the orchard, a very friendly employee explained where to go to find the peaches and also that they had been struck by an unfortunate hail storm, so much of the fruit had holes in them from the hail, not from insects. We then trudged into the fields, past the apple trees, on our way to the back where the peaches were. We could pick two peach varieties: yellow and white. The fruits varied in size and ripeness, and although many did have hail holes, they were otherwise very good. We were able to find a solid amount of near-perfect ones to pack in our basket, which holds about 8 pounds. After storing our peachy treasures in the car, we wandered over toward the farm store to sample the cider donuts and listen to some live music. The cinnamon & sugar cider donuts were good, although I would have preferred them to be served warm. They also offer peach bars, apple crisp, cider, and ice cream to order & had a grill set up with hot dogs and burgers. The music, families, and animals made the area very lively and hospitable. Inside the store, you'll find cookbooks, jams, baked goods, and other autumnal treats. If you want to feel a little like a farmer, without all of the real work, head over to Shelburne and pick yourself silly!

The family went to pick peaches for a peach cobbler I'm planning on making and we've decided to go to a farm that was less crowded. Shelburne was perfect! We went on a Sunday late afternoon, and the peaches were plentiful and juicy. The ppl were nice, and the hay ride was nice, peaceful and scenic. Of course we had to start the end of the Summer (almost Fall) with apple cider donuts and apple cider. It was delicious, and the little shop had the best smelling soap by 62 soap! The girl behind the counter was so nice and super sweet to my 4 yo son who was rather rambunctious, hence I bought more stuff bc she was so awesome! Can't wait to come back for apply picking season in the fall of 2021. As long as there isn't that many ppl, and ppl who work at the farm are friendly, my family and I will definitely make a few more trips here before the winter begins. Thank you!

I wouldn't call myself an expert on Apple picking and apple orchards. With that said, I did enjoy the experience at this farm. Hay rides, seasonal ice cream flavors, live acoustic guitar music, and nice shady lawn to relax on after a honey crisp hunt are all of the features of Shelburne. The ice cream is great! I tried the pumpkin flavor and Maine blueberry, and they were both creamy and flavorful. The orchard itself is large and has 82 types of apples (as of September 2019). The honey crisp were the most popular (expected), but those trees were relatively scant unfortunately. The other types of apples had plenty to choose from. Most of the crowds here are families, though I came here on a sorority retreat. It's perfect for a relaxing afternoon, a great New England experience!

I went here about two weeks ago to go Apple picking with my family and we had a blast! This place is awesome! We came on a Sunday and it wasn't too crowded. Pros: They had a wide variety of apples with 17 different tree types to pick from. The employees were helpful in asking any questions I had such as what apples were the softest and where each type of apple tree was. My favorites were the Golden Delicious and Red Delicious. For the kids, they have an animal farm, a jump castle, and a small playground area. If you're hungry, they have an Apple shop where you can buy anything apple related e.g. apple pies, apple cider, pre-picked apple bags. There's also a tent that serves food like hamburgers and hotdogs. Across from that is the main store that sells the infamous awesome fresh apple donuts which I do recommend, grilled food (hamburger, sausage, grilled cheese), and dessert like caramel apples and apple ice cream. They have a lot of picnic tables that you can sit it and relax to the live music. Cons: It was roughly the middle of Apple-picking season so there are now less variety than before. There were also a lot of apples just rotting on the ground due to bug marks or people just discarding them. I would say maybe 1/10 apples that I picked would be free of any insects or holes. There are also A LOT OF BEES! This can't be helped, but be aware of them. Also, it would have been helpful to have ladders to get the high hanging fruit since most people got the lower ones, but I couldn't find them anywhere. Advice for anyone going Apple picking for the first time: Bring napkins and water! The apples are fresh from the tree so you need to wash and clean them up before you take a bite. Also, I recommend long sleeves/pants due to the bees. The question is always here vs Honey Pot Farm. For my family, we chose here because I think this place is a good price because of instead of charging individual entry prices like Honey Pot, this place charges by the bag ($20 for a small bag, $30 for the large bag). This can work to your advance if you're bringing a lot of people. We got the big one and we probably took home like over 20 lbs in apples! Moreover, I went with my grandparents who have trouble walking so it helped that the apple trees are closer here to the parking lot than Honey Pot. There's also more variety of apples here vs Apple Pot. However, I think Honey Pot wins when it comes to the quality of the apples. For us, this was just for fun and the experience.

Haven't been here in years and this place has really changed...for the better! - more kids activities. $10 Fun Pass access to bouncy house, tractor pedals, animals, hay ride, play area - nice clean bouncy house - 5 kids for 5 min - more seating with covered picnic benches - kids playground with slides, water pumps and bunnies - animal area with goats, a donkey & I think lamas? We also saw free ran free chicken and baby bunnies - live music - lots of port-a-potty's with foot pump sinks and soap - individual hay ride $2/per person - wonderful warm cider donuts and these things are light, fluffy, sugary and fresh! I like these best because they are not dense like you get at other farms. - The store has apple cider, pies, baked goods and other little trinkets The only downside is the parking. Going at peak weekend is rough. Go early!

I used to love coming here It's a fun place for apple picking but I feel like it's changed a bit over the years. The place is overcrowded on the weekends and be warned that you must purchase a $30 apple bag to enter the apple orchard. My daughter did not want to pick apples that day but wanted to do the $3 hayride. They wouldn't sell us the hayride tickets because we weren't picking apples. I even offered to buy apples from the stores but nope it had to be an apple picking bag! Anyway so many other apple farms in the area. We won't be coming back here.

So it was time to do my yearly, 'Pay $33 for a bag of apples, fight maddening crowds of badly behaved kids and ruin another pair of new running shoes in mud' trip for apple picking. Apple orchards are like methamphetamine to upper middle class suburban dwellers on weekends. Instead of heading to seedy city neighborhoods and heating their fix in spoons ... they head to muddy Range Rover packed parking lots and engulf themselves in a fix of cider donuts and instagram stories. If you go on the weekend, yes ... there will be lines ... and yes it will be packed. However, unlike the maddening lines at Honeypot or the scant trees almost devoid of apples at Bolton orchards ... Shelburne Farm has plenty of space. There is a big orchard ... very spread out ... and lots of very full trees (as of Oct. 14.) You won't feel like you are on your own, but with plenty of apples you also won't be vying against an Indian software developer and his family for the couple of apples at the top of a scraggly tree. These aren't climbing trees ... most are fairly 'bushlike' and the tallest tree we encountered was just a shade over 10 feet tall. The trees were loaded with big, beautiful apples ... some of the tasiest macs and courtland Ive had. But the Mutsu (big, sweet green apples) were the star of the show ... a single one being adequate size for a meal. Another plus is that Shelburne Farms seems to let you do your thing without jamming tons of rules on everything. A majority of other orchards have 'apple monitors' to wander in and out of the rows to scold you for taking a bite of an apple to sample or jumping up to grab a perfect apple from a high branch. Dont fill your pockets with apples and they pretty much leave you to your fun. The hayride costs $2 per person and is very worth it. It says it lasts 20 minutes and it does. Its a beautiful little loop around the orchard. They dont pack them to the max like other orchards. The only bad part is that the smoke from the exhaust on the tractor is pointed right at the wagon and we were a bit lightheaded from all the strong diesel fumes at the ride's end. They have a somewhat chaotic food line ... I would redesign this. There isn't much line order and its fairly confusing. You wait in an order line, which kind of overlaps with the waiting for food line. If you get grilled stuff (typical concession stand grilled burgers, hot dogs, sausage and grilled cheese sandwiches) you must order and stand in a line near the grill. If you order ice cream or apple crisp or cider donuts ... you stand in a horrible 'every man for himself' line which resembles an aircraft boarding zone. Having said that, the apple crisp is fantastic ... the burger was tasty but a Wholesale Club-type premade hockeypuck type. We didn't try the cider donuts because at $1.50 each, our favorites are down the street at the (much less fun) Bolton Orchard. So we stopped on the way past. Overall, the experience was a great one here ... from the longer than usual and more comfortable hayride ... to the full trees in a large spacious orchard. The only bad part was that parking was a big, muddy lot and there were no assistants helping park cars, so it was a free for all with cars jockeying for spots and blocking rows while they waited for families to get situated, pack the car and leave. We would however come here out of any other area orchard, if given the choice.

Very nice selection of apples! It was pretty chaotic with people, but it was large enough that you aren't smashing Into other people and it dodnt look like Disney world like honeypot did. A half bushel is $33 which is pretty standard. Parking was easy but muddy.

It was a cute farm at first glance and seemed like a fun family activity. HOWEVER, the labels on the trees were wrong!!!! We went specifically to pick honeycrisp apples from the trees and followed the signs to the supposed trees. We picked a bunch of apples from these trees thinking they were honeycrisp apples, and we were none the wiser. Unfortunately upon returning home, we found that the apples we got were NOT honeycrisp! I think they were Macintosh? Still fresh and yummy apples but I would've appreciated the truth about the type of trees!! Additionally the line for the apple store to get cider donuts and candy apples and etc was SUPER long and honestly not many people were socially distancing (otherwise the line would've been all the way across the farm). Maybe it had something to do with the time that we got there (around 3:45-4pm) but what are you gonna do. Really wish I could give this place a higher star rating but the incorrect labels on the apples really put a downer on my apple picking experience :(((((

My friends and I went for a Fall outing for apple picking. The farm was easy to find and parking was plentiful. I appreciated that the farm is on the smaller side and everything was within close walking distance. This is important for those with small children. The apple orchard is right by the parking lot so it was easy to drop off the harvested apples before heading to the gift store and grill. The trees and apples were in great condition. We did the $2.00 hayride and it was a cute and quick ride along the perimeters of the orchard. I like that it was optional and not something that we needed to do to pick apples. Pricing was very reasonable, we paid $34.00 for the large bag and even found it difficult to fill even with 4 adults and 2 kids. The apple donuts are heavenly and the pumpkin whoopie pie was to die for. There was a live band playing that day which added a great ambiance to the venue. Although the bathrooms are all port a potties, they were all clean and had sinks outside of them. We didn't participate in any of the kids play zones or petting farms. I recommend this place for families.

This apple orchard is really great! They have a variety of apples and cute activities for kids. The hayride is also only $2 a person ! The cider donuts are some of the best I've had

$18 for half peck. $0.95/lb for sugar pumpkins. I really like this farm because they have a ton of different types of apples AND they keep their website updated. They also have heirloom varieties of apples (sheep nose, Braeburn, etc etc) so you get to taste something pretty unique and local. The staff who work in the apple orchards are really nice too and will give you directions if you're lost and looking for a specific type. Their cider donuts were Delicious last year but today when I visited them again and got "plain" cider donuts instead of the "cinnamon sugar" cider donuts, we got a bag of stone cold donuts. I should have said something but I thought maybe they're still be tasty, but nope, they tasted exactly like what you think stone cold donuts would taste like. Rubbery. Sigh. So don't get the plain ones!!! I bought the cutest ornamental gourds/pumpkins from here last year, and I came back today expecting more (especially since the website said they still had them) but...I didn't find any in the farm stand. So I was surprised.. Usually the site's updated. All in all great farm with nice ppl.

Apple picking. Live music. Cheeseburgers. Cider donuts made hot and fresh. Biting flies at your ankles. Pumpkins by the pound. Hay rides. $20/peck of pick your own apples ($33/half bushel). Varieties from mainstream to extremely rare are available. Often the search is difficult as many trees have been over picked. But fun it is.

No dogs despite what other reviews said. Overrun with people and expensive too. For pumpkins, it's just pumpkins off the vine, no pick your own patch.

Once every year, my wife Lucinda and I make the pilgrimage to Shelburne Farm to get a hot cider donut. This year, we eagerly made our order - "Half dozen hot donuts, please! We're more than happy to wait for them to be hot. Half with sugar and half without. Thank you!" Moments later, our number was called. The young woman said, "Sorry - the sugar ones are hot but the plain ones are not." The plain ones were for me. "Again, I'm happy to wait," I pleaded. "Sorry, we're not making any more today," she said. Despondent and bitter, we went and sat at a table trying in vain to comfort each other. I began wondering how I could join the Alt-Right movement. Enter Audrey. Audrey was the young woman who gave us our order. She was carrying a bag of steaming hot plain donuts! "I snatched them from the assembly line before they got sugared," she told us. "How did you even find our table?" I asked, but she was off again - off to fulfill someone else's dreams. Thank you, Audrey - thank you, Shelburne Farm!

This might be an interesting day-trip destination for a family looking to entertain cabin-crazy children for an hour or two -- I'd pick Old Sturbridge Village or Old Mystic Seaport first, though. My wife and I were looking to actually pick peaches from the tree, perhaps get some fresh-pressed cider, and enjoy a hands-on New England apple farm. We were disappointed. We found the description on the website very different from the actual reality. If you want top-quality apples, you're better off at Russo's. The peaches sold here are not from this farm, and were not as good as those from local farmstands (such as in nearby Concord). The cider sold here is not produced by the farm. It claims to be from Stowe -- it is pasteurized and preserved (potassium sorbate) and is no different from the cider available in any local grocery store. The offerings from the food truck were more expensive and less tasty than similar items sold by the Girls Softball Team at a typical Tufts football game. They were disappointing after the half-hour wait. There's nothing really "wrong" with Shelburne Farm -- it's just not worth more than a half-hour's drive. Hence this two-star review.

My wife and two children have been coming to this apple farm for ten years. We have never picked here because we don't make it past the store and cider doughnuts and Carmel apples. They are both the best we have ever had! Today we went and they had a great selection of John deer toy tractors. I bought one that is a key chain and they are all really good quality. The price's are great for what they sell you get what you pay for! Take a drive out to Stow you won't be disappointed!

This is our favorite place to go apple picking and we go every fall. The people are very nice, and they are well organized. They have a wide variety of apples and there are signs on each row to help you find what you want. For the kids there is a hay maze, small animals and chickens, and a bouncy house. They have a store with pre-picked apples in case you'd rather not do the work yourself. They also have apple pies, cider and donuts some excellent cheese.

I went because I was excited to try the cider donuts. I gave to say that they tasted terrible! They were doughy, undercooked, and very greasy. The flavor was very odd. I had to throw the rest of the dozen donuts out. I was very disappointed. On the other hand, the cheeseburger and apple crisp were both delicious!

I didn't review them last year because I wasn't on yelp yet-- and so I fear this review may now be tainted by nostalgia and by the terrible experience I had over the weekend at Honeypot Hill Orchrads....but...from what I remember, I LOVED Shelburne farms. The picking was effortless and fun, the pumpkin patch was neat, we brought the dogs, we ate cider donuts, we took lots of pictures. We were happy...all but the allergic-to-bees friend who didn't really think the ( orchard+early fall+downed apples+sunshine = fermenting rotting apples * drunken bees ) thing through all the way. I'd go back here in a heartbeat.

I love this farm. My family has been coming here for as many years as I have been alive and now we are bringing the next generation. They have revamped their farm from just having hay rides from my childhood to jungle gyms, petting zoos, moon bounces and more. They also have more that the best apples, they also grow peaches, Asian pears, and pumpkins. Possibly more that I am forgetting. Their hot cider donuts are also the stuff of dreams, because I think about them all year long. This is a fall tradition that will never change.

One of my favorite local farms. Living in Stow there are many options for local farms. I always look forward to apple season and trying their cider donuts, apple sauce and other apple products. I've never picked my own but buy prepicked at the store and I'm never disappointed. I love visiting the animals. Parking can be difficult during peak season.

One of the things I love about fall is picking apples and making a home made apple pie (or pies!) with my daughters. We have a great time every year and it is one of those family activities that just signifies the turning of the seasons for us and we all look forward to. Since 2004 we have been going to Shelburne Farms at least once a season and we love it. We just went this past Sunday (10/16/11) and it was as great as ever. We started out with a dozen cider donuts, half w/ sugar-n-cinnamon and half without (some came home w/ us!). There is something extra delicious about a donut less than 60 seconds from the fryer with a hot cider in your hand that says Autumn! You can see them being made through the window, dusted w/ sugar and spice and put in the bag that gets handed to you. Too yummy for words. From there it was straight to the orchards. Macun and Courtland are in season and as they are two of our favorites we timed a late season visit. We trekked to the back of the orchard and managed to find one of the tree-ladders so we could hunt the tops of all the trees (see posted pictures) where the reddest sweetest apples awaited us. There were plenty of Macs as well (none of us like Macs!). No Gala or Red Delicious left - but still tons of apples even though it appears this was the last day of pick your own in the orchard this year. From there we selected two perfect pumpkins (12 lbs and 21 lbs), and added a couple of packages of the cider mulling spice - because if there is anything that makes your home smell as wonderful as a cooking apple pie, it is mulled cider warming on the stove. *sigh* The girls are 11 and 9 so we skipped the hay ride and the bouncy house this year (they grow up so fast) but drove home talking about how we should make some apple crisp this year as well. It was as nice a family Sunday morning as you get. :-) I just want to add some thoughts for the families that had a bad experience. All I can say is we always go way early (opens at 9 am). Going between 11am and 3 pm on a Saturday or Sunday is a total rookie mistake - don't make it!

I liked this place, but honestly I like Carlson Orchards better. I think it's MORE fun for young kids. There's a small animal farm. The goat really likes to be pet by humans. The llama just likes to watch everybody, and sometimes lie down. There are some sheep, a Shetland pony and a horse...but they are not really near the fence where the humans are. You can tell when they are about to be fed though! They go nuts. What animals they are! :) There's a hay mound for kids...that seemed wildly popular. Heard lots of little kid happy screams. There's a massive concession stand. On really busy days, if you REALLY want a burger, you may wait 40 minutes. Thankfully I don't like burgers. :) Their chocolate chip cookies are good. Their (gluten free) sugar cookies are NOT. My husband enjoyed his hotdog and my friend enjoyed her veggie burger. Prices are reasonable! I thought the apple picking was decent- that part isn't really any different from other orchards. I beileve at this time we had our choice of McIntosh, Gala, Macoun, Courtand, Empire, Fuji, Jonah Gold and Red Delicious. (I believe the Fiji weren't ready yet!) A peck is $18, a bushel is $26. If this is your first time apple picking, you can eat apples right of the tree! If it looks dirty, just wipe the dirt off or rinse it with water from a water bottle and it looks crisp and amazing. The gift shop is quaint. Delicious cheese and fudge on sale! Lots of fun knick knacks. Their apple donuts, served piping hot (I recommend rolled in cinnamon and sugar) IS TO DIE FOR. I would go back just for the donuts... The feel of the place is different from other orchards. This one seems to be geared a LOT toward families with kids (when we arrived a small band was playing). The young workers seemed overwhelmed with the Columbus Day weekend crowd. But they were nice! I love fall in New England! The leaves haven't changed yet, but I bet the farm/orchard is AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS when the leaves do change! Thanks for the good day, Shelburne!

I've come here for two seasons and had very enjoyable experiences both times. We went in early October and didn't have an issue getting into the farm after a short wait to purchase a bag and enter the field. We bought a large bag (full peck) that cost $35 which allowed a group of 6 to enter the field. The variety of apples is the primary appeal to come to this orchard. The size of the apples are also nice. With the help of a ladder, the larger apples can be picked, but the smaller apples are just as good and easily reachable based on the growth in early October. There is a "farm house" that sells cider donuts and a variety of snacks to full-on meals such as hamburgers. Overall, it was a pleasant day activity and would be great for families with small children.

There are a few things about living in New England that I absolutely love. Apple picking is one of those things. When I go apple picking I really have a one track mind. Apples. What I will do with the apples I pick. Apple Crisp? Apple pie with cheddar cheese crust? Oh the decisions. If you are like me and the apples are your main goal, this place is pretty great. We went in mid to late October and the there were still trees that were full of apples. Granted, we had to go pretty deep into the orchard to find them but if you don't want to work for it you should probably just skip the "pick your own" part anyway. The point is to hunt them down and fill the bag. The shop was nice and offered the basics and then some, yummy locally made cheddar cheese, pre-made pies and crisps. The cider donuts are delicious served piping hot. I will say that the "Hay Maze" was pretty lame. Good for kids I guess but you shouldn't go there thinking "Hey, lets hit the hay maze" 'cause it's pretty much just a walkway with hay bales so low that anyone over 3 feet tall can see the way through no problem and in the middle is a hay mountain. Like I said ok for kids but not a big grown-up draw. The pony rides were cute. Hay rides seemed pretty legit. I filled my bag with beautiful apples of at least 5 different varieties so I'm pretty happy.

I have been going to Shelburne Farms for about 25 years with my kids since they were very young. I have tried a couple other farms in the area and while we are very lucky to have these natural resources available to us and have become spoiled, Shelburne does it right! I see a few others complaining about the crowds, well something good and worth going to is going to have crowds and lines. Although both can be long at times, they aren't long for long to wait in. They have things down to an art form and go as quickly as they can. Pony & horse rides, hay rides through the orchard, a pumpkin patch to pick your own farm grown pumpkins, a petting zoo of basic barnyard animals, hay mazes for the kids to ride toy tractors and tricycles around, a bouncy house and a dixieland old-time band for your listening entertainment. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things too. The place SCREAMS New England in the Fall! It just doesn't get any better! Plenty to do and enjoy for those looking to stay busy and keep the kids entertained. Oh and the apples.....the apples come in as many varieties as you can imagine and big, ripe and plump for the picking. There is even a map of where the different varieties are located on both size bags you can pick from. There is also the farm stand where they sell all sorts of Fall goodies, apple and non-apple related. There are cheeses from local farms, fudge, candy, cookbooks and of course so many apple products to choose from! They have their own homemade fresh apple cider, pies, cider donuts, candy/caramel dipped apples decorated in about a hundred different ways and warm cider too! I've been to the rest and for me Shelburne Farms is simply the best! Hopefully they will still be around when I have grand kids and I'll get to pass on my enjoyment of this wonderful place to them and for future generations to come!

I went last weekend and it was fun. Price wise, they don't charge entry fee. Which is good. They have a lot of different varieties of Apples and some of them you don't find in grocery stores. So that's interesting. The orchard is pretty large and I guess it may be even too large for some people. But you don't have to go everywhere. They provide ladders so that was fun for me to climb it. The apples smell so good in the orchard I was totally in love with the air. They have some animals but not a lot. It is just some added fun if you have animal lovers in your family or group. Their farm stand is ok but I didn't feel it was very special.

2020 update, this year the apples were just fine, A full packed place on a Saturday in the midst of a pandemic, everyone wearing masks and socially distancing. The apple cider donuts were good, except they took over an hour for our order to come in.

I loved this place but do NOT go in the 2017 season, go to Honey Pot- you will thank me. 95 percent of the apples here are damaged from a storm. The bags of apples are still full price and we left only being able to fill the bag half way because there are NO good apples. My toddler was SO sad. We met a family who went to honey pot the same day (yesterday) who said the apples were great. Sorry but this place should have closed for the season

I'm writing this review as I'm eating a delicious Spencer apple. That is the only reason this place gets a second star. I've been apple picking before so I have a basis of comparison when I say that this is the worst place for apple picking I've ever been to. The prices ($16 for a peck, $23 for a half bushel) were outrageous, the apple cider dougnuts were not worth the cost or wait in line, and the trees were thoroughly picked through midway through October. Such a shame. There are so many local farms that do apple picking - I suggest going to any other one.

I came here with my mom this past weekend to go apple picking and we were so excited! Although the farm looked amazing and there was plenty to do, we left shortly after arriving solely because of the crazy Disney-like crowds and lines. A wait of 200+ people to pick some apples off a tree? No thank you! The line for food/cider donuts and the line inside at the market was equally bad. The porta potties were overused and overflowing. The parking lot looked like a Patriots game day tailgate. Insanity. We ended up going down the street to Carver Hill orchards which was exactly what we were hoping for, quieter and much more relaxing. I hate to knock them for something that is great for their business (big crowds). Especially since I should have known better going on a long weekend, but the experience was just not enjoyable at all.

This review is for early September peach picking. I went with a group of mothers with kids ranging from toddler to 10 years old and everyone had a great time. What a charming little farm. All the employees went above and beyond to make this a great experience. When peach picking they gave me very detailed directions on where to find the best peaches and boy did they know what they were talking about. The peaches were delicious. One of the employees picked dandelion leaves for my toddler to feed to the bunny rabbits. Another employee spend a good 15 minutes showing the children in my group the horses telling the children the names and answering all the kids questions. They have picnic tables, trash cans, portapotties and sinks to wash your hands. Lots to do and see. We went on a weekday and we had the whole place to ourselves.

Disappointing. The website states that the tractor playground and hayrides are open 7 days a week, but I drove 30 minutes with my two sons to find out that the tractor playground was closed and there was a smaller playground with sit on tractors available and the hayrides weren't running. My sons were really looking forward to the bigger tractor playground and especially the hayrides. When we were leaving, we found out that they had decided to start the hayrides but they were only running every hour and we had just missed the first ride. The next ride wasn't for another 45 minutes. Very confusing and disappointing for my little ones. Poor communication and advertising and not great attitude by the staff where the hayrides were operating. Honey Pot Farm in Stowe is far better and a much nicer experience.

This is my favorite farm to pick apples. Sometimes the line for food is long but it's sooooo worth it!

Called ahead to inquire about Asian Pears. They said they had plenty. Got there and also asked about Honeycrisp. They said there should still be some for picking. We went to the apples first. We found 3 OK apples and that was all. Couldn't even fill a small bag so we returned the bag. Went over to the asian pears. There were only 2 rows. There was plenty of fruit, but they were all small and not ripe yet. There was some asian pears at the top of the trees that looked Ok but couldn't reach them. Asked about ladders, but they told us they don't have any out. Saw a bunch of folks walking around with empty boxes. Ended up with 7 or 8 small asian pears and 3 peaches just to fill the box. Way too expensive for mediocre fruit. They should be honest with customers and not waste their time! May be fine if you come at the right time, but I wouldn't have come if they told me the asia pears weren't ready.

Lots is varieties of apples, hayride, pumpkin patch, pony ride, animals, fresh cider donuts! Can't go wrong here! Easy for kiddos too!

To the people complaining that in mid-October there weren't many apples left, do you realize that by now most Orchards are completely out of apples and apple picking season is pretty much over? Also, $16 for a peck of apples isn't that bad when you consider that a peck weighs about 10 pounds. That's under $2 per pound of apples. You get apples at the grocery store for that price but not fresh ones, in a gorgoeus setting. One last thing, can you really blame the Orchard for a hail storm in July?

Apple donuts, cider, turnovers, apple butter, oh and whole apples have been keeping me apple picking every season for 4 years. I have always come to this place. First time was because these apple places are hard to find and the ever so popular one we never did find. But this one is better anyway I'm sure...I mean it has apple picking for a HUGE bag for $23. But I recommend (for normal people anyway) the $16 and splitting it with another person. There are PLENTY of apples that fill this size. (it ends up being less than $.50 an apple which I think is better than the grocery store. They have cortland (baking apples) Macoun, Empire, well you can look that up. Also look up when they are open to pick before you go. The season begins in mid sept-late oct. I would say go the second weekend of Oct so you can get some of the unique varieties like idared. Also a little tip, apples ALL look the same. Get some colored stickers, Blue = Empire, Green = Cortland, Red = Macoum, etc Then divide by how many of each you really wanted =) Pick away....

Apples and foliage! Autumn is upon us! I have gone to Shelburne Farms every year for the past 11 years! This place rocks for several reasons. 1. It is a smaller orchard so doesn't get as super crowded as some of the larger places like honeypot farms. It also gets fewer kids- not that I don't like children but this place isn't crawling with the buggers. 2. There is a good variety of apples and many rows but it's walkable and not crazy huge. The trees aren't crazy tall so you can reach most of the apples. 3. CHEESE- they bring out a special wheel of aged cheedar which will be the best dairy product, over even the best ice cream, that you have ever had. They give samples and you can buy a block. 4. DONUTS- fresh made in front of your eyes. With or without cinnamon and sugar- amazing, melts in your mouth like an autumn kiss. Perfect with a fresh, hot cup of cider! 5. Caramel and Candy apples- also fresh dipped in front of you. You can even get fancy ones with m&m's or peanuts. 6. The Price is Right- not expensive at all. A great way to enjoy a fall day and fill your belly with fall delights. They also have a cute shop which sells pies, apple cider, pumpkins, fudge, craftsy things etc. FUN!

Had such a great time here apple picking! This is a great spot to go to with your family and get a variety of apples. Macintosh, Delicious, Fuji all kinds! There are 2 types of bag sizes and prices, and parking can get crowded so go early. You are going to get dirty so be sure to wear comfortable shoes and clothing. There are animals to see: bunnies, chicks, Llamas, goats, donkeys and lots of fun things for the kids. (hayrides, jumpy house, donkey rides) Check the weather before coming, we were blessed to have such a great sunny day. Highlights: New Orleans type band playing, they were good and upbeat The apple cider is GOOD and fresh! They even show you how they make it! Inside the store they sell fresh and frozen pies, Various pumpkins to buy for the kids hot donuts and ice cream for sale! We had a great day at the Shelburne Farm so much fun!