Steff D.
Yelp
Thompson's is a lovely orchard set just outside of Portland. The drive out in the autumn is beautiful and totally worth it. It can get INSANELY busy on the weekends with families, so take that into consideration. However, that IS when they have the majority of their delicious appley sweet treats. If that doesn't matter to you, and you prefer a quieter experience (and are lucky enough to be able to do so), then week days are just as wonderful.
Hot cider in hand (two for $3; gotta love those just-outside-of-Portland-prices), we wandered through the orchard on a Monday afternoon with no one else around us. We picked just a few pounds of Macs and Cortlands to go home and make apple crisp with. The leftover apples just for eating, my boyfriend swears were the best he's ever had in his life. I have to agree - the apple I ate while picking (sorry about that, Thompson's!, I promise it was only one) was so crisp and juicy and flavorful - unlike anything I had had in a long time.
We spent a few minutes warming up inside at Thompson's because it was bitter cold when we were there. It was really pleasant - there were some octogenarians sitting in rockers around the wood stove chatting while a teenage girl with her headphones in made donuts in the bakery. Just a really charming juxtaposition. The vintage stuff they have throughout the inside wooden structure is really fascinating stuff, so if you're into that sort of thing, definitely make it a point to look through it all!
Finally, the baked goods were so delicious looking it was almost unbearable. From apple cream puff pastries to raspberry turnovers, from a variety of cupcakes to the most enormous and gooey looking chocolate-sea salt-caramel brownies in the world... they definitely have a variety of options for very palette. When we were there they had just two donut types for sale: chocolate and plain. Unfortunately, the plain donuts are literally just that... plain (vanilla), not apple cider flavored. So we decided to forgo getting anything. But don't let that stop you from getting in on all that wonderfulness!