25 apple orchards in Minnesota to visit this fall

(FOX 9) - Apple picking is a classic fall activity in Minnesota, with several homegrown varieties available throughout the season. Below are some of the best orchards for your fall frolic!

If you would like your orchard featured email adelaide.vanpelt@fox.com with details.

Aamodt's Apple Farm

• Location: 6428 Manning Ave., Stillwater
• Hours: Apple barn is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This farm offers apple picking, homemade hard cider, and wine tastings with St. Croix Vineyards. Music, local food, and a goat farm are also available at the farm. Dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas.

For details on which types of apples are available in the barn and the status of apple picking, visit Aamodt's website.

Afton Apple Orchard

• Location: 14421 90th St., South Hastings
• Hours: Orchard open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

This 250-acre orchard offers a massive 15-acre corn maze, daily hayrides, a petting farm, a playground, and a huge selection of fruits.

Check out special events throughout the fall, including their Apple Festival Weekends featuring magic shows, music, yard games, and more.

Apple Jack Orchards

• Location: 4875 37th St. SE, Delano
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Apple Jack Orchards is home to over 10,000 trees on 90 acres, with 29 apple varieties available. In addition, their 100-year-old barn on the property serves as the location of the Olde Barn Gift Shop, which offers vintage items, jams, jellies, BBQ sauces, and fall decor.

The orchard also offers a pumpkin patch, a 5-acre corn field, and beautiful river views.

Applecrest Orchards

• Location: 7306 24th Ave. N, Hugo
• Hours: Wednesday through Friday 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

This orchard is fun for the whole family, including the dog or cat! Just keep your pet leashed for a gorgeous walk around the property. 

The orchard is home to well over 1,000 trees on more than 10 acres that surround an 1884 farmhouse the Peltier family originally owned. This orchard is not pick your own but is known for the delicious apples they sell at both the White Bear and Stillwater Farmers Markets.

Food trucks arrive at the orchard every weekend, making it a great place to grab lunch and spend the afternoon.

Applewood Orchard

• Location: 22702 Hamburg Ave., Lakeville
• Hours: Closed Mondays. Tuesday through Sunday open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Applewood offers a wood-framed playground and hedge maze for younger visitors, 25 acres of pick-your-own orchard, and fresh-grown pumpkins for the holidays. Bakery items from Farmington Bakery and caramel apples from Abdullah candies are available at the orchard, along with jams, jellies, salsas, butter, and mixes. However, this orchard warns certain apple varieties might be in short supply due to the lack of rainfall this year.

Related: Ways to use up all of your apples from the orchard

Blossom Hill Orchard and Farm

• Location: 645 Highway 52, East Preston
• Hours: Monday through Friday open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All the apples at this orchard are pre-picked and bagged. Baked goods, specialty foods, and local crafts are available in the orchard market. 

The farm added pigs in 2018, and they play a pivotal role in the orchard. The pigs are brought into the orchard after harvest to help clean up all the dropped fruit that can harbor unwanted pests and funguses. Contact the orchard directly if you are interested in purchasing pork.

Country Blossom Farm

• Location: 1951 Englund Road SW, Alexandria
• Hours: Tuesday through Thursday open 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This farm features an apple orchard, pumpkin patch, corn maze, gift shop, and  a farm-to-table bakery. Pick your own raspberries, apples and strawberries are also offered at the farm.

Deardorff Orchard

• Location: 8282 Parley Lake Road, Waconia
• Hours: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This historic farm dates back to 1888 and spans 120 acres. Over 4,000 apples grow in the orchard, including Honeycrisp, Haralson, Zestar, and more.

The apple barn shares its space with the Parley Lake Winery tasting room. The winery also hosts food trucks and events on the orchard grounds throughout the season.

Deer Lake Orchard

• Location: 1903 10th St. SW, Buffalo
• Hours: Closed Mondays. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

At this orchard, guests can visit with the animals, take a leisurely wagon ride through the maple forest, and get lost in a corn maze. In addition, a 100-year-old barn on the property provides a beautiful backdrop for weddings and photos.

Emma Krumbee's Orchard

• Location: 311 E Enterprise Drive E, Belle Plaine
• Hours: Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout apple season

This orchard offers several farm-grown treats, including over 12 varieties of apples, pumpkins, gourds, and a wide array of summer vegetables and plants. A tractor-pulled hayride into the orchard is fun for the whole family. 

Every October, Emma Krumbee’s grows the perfect pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns and hosts their famous Scarecrow Festival.

Fall Harvest Orchard

• Location: 345 County Road 30 SE, Montrose
• Hours: Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This orchard offers free parking and admission to a farm with over 20 apple varietals. Most Saturdays and Sundays during the season, food trucks provide unique local dishes, including food found at the State Fair! Check out their weekly update for more details.

Doxy's Donuts sells apple cider mini donuts and pumpkin spice mini donuts throughout the season for a sweet treat to enjoy while picking apples or pumpkins at the orchard.

Fireside Orchard and Gardens

• Location: 2225 Lonsdale Blvd. E, Northfield
• Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This orchard grows 27 Minnesota varieties and has cold storage facilities to guarantee crispness and freshness for their apples. Fireside also offers rose, perennial, and water gardens on the property. A comfortable pavilion near the gardens is the perfect spot to enjoy caramel apples and fudge on a sunny autumn afternoon.

Gilby's Nursery and Orchard

• Location: 30069 State Hwy. 210, Aitkin
• Hours: Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This orchard started by planting 300 apple trees and has continued to add every year, with now over 1,000 trees on the property. Gilby's also hosts weekend fall festivals culminating with an Oktoberfest celebration featuring live music on October 8.

Hidden Cove Orchard

• Location: 27524 Hidden Cove Road, Cold Spring
• Hours: Open Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This orchard's layout is similar to a park, allowing visitors to stroll through the apple trees and flowers on the property. Offerings include pre-picked apples and a gift shop filled with seasonal food items and holiday décor.

LuceLine Orchard

• Location: 2755 Rose Ave., Watertown
• Hours: Open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Free admission and parking are available at this 155-acre orchard. A grill and a pub make this orchard the perfect place to stop for a fall lunch. Options include bloody marys, beer, burgers, brats, sweet corn, cheese curds, and more.

Weekend concerts happen throughout the season, weather permitting. Friendly dogs are welcome on leashes.

Minnesota Harvest

• Location: 8251 Old Highway 169 Blvd. at Apple Lover’s Lane, Jordan
• Hours: Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This orchard offers a hard cider bar, bakery, pizza oven, and general store on the property. Other activities include gem mining, yard games, a duck pond, a straw bale pyramid, wagon rides, and a corn maze.

With new owners this year, guests can purchase season passes to keep the fun going all throughout the fall.

Minnetonka Orchard

• Location: 6530 County Road 26, Minnetrista
• Hours: Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

At Minnetonka Orchard all weekday admission is free. On the weekend, tickets give guests access to unlimited hayrides, and more.

This orchard also offers a hay mountain, an apple express train, a giant sandbox, live music, corn hole, food booths, and animals. Minnetonka Orchard also hosts weddings and private events when fall festivities are not in full swing.

Montgomery Orchard

• Location: 15953 State Highway 99, Montgomery
• Hours: Open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This orchard offers nature walks, apple picking, music, and food trucks. A corn maze with two sides of varying difficulty is also on the property. Admission provides access to both sides of the maze. Locally made cider and wine are also available at the orchard.

Nystrom Orchard

• Location: 30679 Quine Ave., Worthington
• Hours: Open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Nystrom Orchard offers a free guide to their property for picking your own apples. This orchard also offers honey, beef, cider, and pies. 

Ticketed evening events, including artisan apple and cider tastings, occur throughout the season.

Organic Breezy Hill

• Location: 3944 Iresfeld Ave. NW, Maple Lake
• Hours: Open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Organic Breezy focuses on the craft of sustainable and environmentally conscious fruit production. This farm includes four orchards and gardens spanning on 15-acres. Pick your own apples and pears are available here.

Pine Tree Apple Orchard

• Location: 450 Apple Orchard Road, White Bear Lake
• Hours: Hours may vary throughout the season, so call 651-429-7202 before you stop out.

This orchard spans more than 300 acres and grows 22 varieties of apples along with strawberries, pumpkins, and corn for the seasonal corn maze. 

During the fall, Pine Tree offers a corn maze, pick your own pumpkins, homemade bakery products, caramel apples, fresh cider, gifts, and more. Cider donuts are a highlight at this orchard!

Sekapp Orchard

• Location: 3415 Collegeview Road E, Rochester
• Hours: Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through October

This family-friendly farm and orchard has more than 170 acres of over 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables and is Rochester’s largest grower of fresh produce. Sekapp sets up a corn maze, straw bail maze, and straw bale mountain perfect for climbing during the peak of the harvest season.

Sunrise River Farm

• Location: 7602 Wyoming Trail, Wyoming
• Hours: Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout September

Head to Sunrise River Farm to pick your apples right off the tree. The orchard also sells its apples by the pound. The farm also has a playground, petting zoo, and hayrides around the property.

The owners of this orchard are particularly unique because they are practicing dentists in the Wyoming area.

Sweetland Orchard

• Location: 26205 Fairlawn Ave., Webster
• Hours: Open Fridays, 3 p.m to sunset, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to sunset, and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sweetland Orchard grows apple varieties developed by the University of Minnesota, heirloom varieties, and cider varieties, all raised with minimal intervention. Tasting kits and food for picnics are available. Tasting kits must be reserved 12 hours in advance.

The orchard added pigs in 2018. They are raised and butchered on the orchard property. This year's pigs arrived late and will be ready in time for Christmas. Reserve a whole or half hog here. 

Whistling Well Farm

• Location: 8973 St Croix Trail S, Hastings
• Hours: Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The namesake of this orchard is the wishing well that makes a soft whistling sound when the wind hits it the right way. Customers can throw coins into the well, and all of them are collected, matched, and donated to the University of Minnesota's Masonic Children's Hospital. The farm has donated over $12,000 to this fund to date.

The country store on the property offers preserves, jellies, pumpkin butter, pancake mixes, maple syrup, and more.