Around every mid-September, the photos of icy margaritas and beach holidays are replaced with back-to-school montages and photos of apple orchards. Although the typical fall farm activity is picking pumpkins, there’s something else that beats it all. An apple orchard with a winery. Yes, that’s right, and today we’ll share with you the top three best locations, where you can find spectacular orchards and sip on wine while taking in the fall breeze.
Apple Barn Orchard & Winery, Elkhorn, WI
Situated north of Lake Geneva and less than a two-hour drive from Chicago, this lovely family-run farm looks like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. With endless green fields and a classic old red barn, Apple Barn Orchard & Winery offers visitors the chance to scout the fields for mouth-watering summer strawberries and in the fall, choose from a variety of sweet organic apples.
Some of the orchard’s apples are used to create their legendary Honey Crisp Apple Harvest wine, which is non-grape fruit wine that comes in fruity flavors including strawberry, peach, and pear. This month, the Orchard will celebrate its 30th annual Apple Fest, which will include hayrides, pumpkin patches, apple treats, and of course, endless wine samples.
Terhune Orchards, Princeton, NJ
Terhune Orchards is one of New Jersey’s only farms with a winery and tasting room. For that reason, it’s an excellent place to visit when the fall season sets in. Spread throughout 185 acres, this family-run farm produces more than 40 different types of crops including cherries, kale, carrots, and rhubarb.
Around half of the property is covered in apple orchards and five acres are dedicated to a pumpkin patch. The farm produces red and white wine, made of grapes grown in the vineyards, while fruit wines are made with the orchard’s fresh apple cider. Inside a 50-year-old red barn, you’ll discover a quaint tasting room and browse a selection of homemade fruit pies and other sweet munchies.
Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery, Warwick, NY
From September to October, this Hudson Valley winery is open for apple picking and even offers tractor rides to the orchards, where you can fill sacks with 60 different types of apples. When you’re done picking, you can make your way over to a rustic tasting room, which was once used as an old apple packing house. The structure has a lovely spacious patio, where you can sip on a Bourbon Barrel Aged Apple Luquer and enjoy the live music and incredible fall views.
