Ah, fall! It's my favorite time of year to make precious family memories. From apple orchards and pumpkin patches to family meals together, I have more pictures and sweet memories from this time of year than any other. One of my absolute favorite things to experience with my family during the fall season is to enjoy a day of apple picking!
While we used to stick with strawberry picking in the spring/summer, and then pumpkin patch visits in the fall, this year, we added in apple picking for the very first time. We're fortunate to live only about two hours away from the NC mountains, so day trips are totally doable. We do also have some farms even closer to home who have lots of apple trees for visitors to pick fresh apples from.
A couple of weeks ago, we ventured to Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard in Hendersonville, NC. There are lots of apple orchards in Hendersonville, which is NC's apple country. I researched a few different orchards online, and decided to go with Stepp's for our inaugural apple picking adventure because it looked to be incredibly family friendly! With several acres of apple trees to pick from, along with many varieties, you'll be at your heart's content for apple baking this season!
We purchased a large box and small bushel basket to fill with our freshly picked apples! Wagons are free to use at Stepp's so you can haul your apples as you pick them! The kids loved taking turns riding on the wagon when their little feet became tired of walking, too.
Apples are high and low! It's easy for kids to reach in and grab their own apples off of the trees. Both of my kiddos really loved looking for the 'good ones' and picking them. Beanie loved carrying her own little basket of apples- which has now doubled as fall decor for our home.
There were quite a few varieties of apples to choose from, including gala, golden delicious, fuji, honeycrisp, granny smith, and many more!
$30.00 gets you a huge box filled with fresh apples to take home! We had so many apples that we divided them among several family members so they could enjoy the sweet flavors of fall, too! We turned our apples into hand pies, apple crisp, apple butter, apple sauce, fried apples, and more! Yum!
A sweet day was enjoyed by all! I loved picking apples and my kids had the best time! It was such a great way to spend the day as a family- out in the fresh air, and still remaining safe and socially distanced from others. After we picked our apples, we made our way through the orchard's store to pick up some hot apple cider donuts! They were so delicious! You'll definitely want to buy an extra dozen to take back home with you!
Stepp's also has an apple launch area! Pay just a few dollars per person to receive a little basket of blemished apples to load into the apple cannons. Blast them into the fields and try to hit the targets! The kids have talked endlessly about these apple cannons and how much fun they were- they have begged us to go back just so they could do this, numerous times already!
Apples away! The launch area is perfect for all ages. Little ones will need a little help from a grown up to operate the launcher. Hubs thought this was pretty fun, too! I could see him wanting to challenge his friends to a launch battle!
Want to plan your own apple picking adventure?
This is the perfect time to experience apple picking! We highly recommend visiting
Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard if you're in the Hendersonville, NC area! There are also lots of other
NC Apple Orchards to plan to visit this fall!
Do you go apple picking with your family during the fall season? We'd love to hear about it!
Drop a comment below or comment over on MBP social media:
@mommysblockparty on Facebook
@mommysblckparty on Twitter and IG
Wishing you the warmest fall memory-making days!
No comments
We love hearing from you! Thanks for leaving us some comment love! If you're a new follower, please leave your link, so we can follow you back!