Apple Picking, Pumpkin Patch & Cider Tasting Near New York City: Fishkill Farm
This fall season, grab a friend - or five and visit an orchard! With the global pandemic still around, it may be difficult to find activities to engage in with all of the social distancing requirements. However, an orchard is a great experience to have some fun while being able to social distance. About two years ago I visited Fishkill Farm and had a great experience. After being stuck in the house (besides when I visit Target lol) for so long, I suggested to my friend, Sharma, that we should visit an orchard for some fall fun before the weather gets too chilly. She was down & we decided to go on Saturday, October 10th. We had such a great time & would definitely recommend to you all & for us to do again next fall season!
What to Wear?
If you’re visiting an orchard to get some content (like I did lol) then your first concern is probably - what should I wear? I searched on Pinterest for hours trying to find outfit inspiration for my day trip. However, I didn’t find anything that was fitting. So I visited my recently purchased fall items and whipped something together from my closet.
While picking out an outfit for visiting an Orchard, here are some additional things to keep in mind to ensure a comfortable experience:
Check the weather before the date of your visit. Fishkill Farm is located “Upstate New York” so keep in mind that it tends to get cooler in the evenings. So I would recommend to bring a sweater/coat and incorporate it in your outfit if you can.
Keep in mind that there are tons of smushed apples on the floor throughout the orchard, therefore I would recommend wearing flat shoes (sneakers, flat boots, etc) that you don’t mind if they get messed up. I wore sneakers that had suede panels and thankfully they didn’t get messed up.
Also, keep in mind that the orchard tends to be dusty. Therefore, I would recommend wearing a pair of sunglasses to help prevent dust from getting in your eyes.
You can check out my ‘Fall 2020 Fashion Trends’ and ‘Fall Fashion Haul’ (linked down below) for fall outfit inspiration if you’re attending an orchard or for fall in general.
How To Get There?
Fishkill Farms (located at 9 Fishkill Farm Road Hopewell Junction, NY 12533) is an hour drive from the Bronx. Sharma & I drove there on a Sunday afternoon and experienced a little bit of traffic, and got there in an hour and 5 minutes. If you own a vehicle, you can make the drive to Fishkill Farm and if not you can always rent a car to drive. I do not believe there are any sources of public transportation that you can take to Fishkill Farm. The drive had beautiful views and relaxing vibes. On the way there we listened to Trey Songz new album, ‘Back Home’ (which is bomb af by the way lol). But the fall foliage is absolutely breathtaking !
Admission
Due to the global pandemic and social distancing requirements, the farm does require that all visitors make a reservation online before visiting. We booked the ‘Weekend - Classic Pick Your Own Apple Package’ for 2:30pm. This package included admission for up to five people & a half bushel of apples (see website for more information). Upon arrival to the farm, we were asked if we had a reservation in order to enter the parking lot. We found parking easily and went to a check in counter where we collected our bag for our apples and a map of the orchard. We were then free to explore and pick our apples! You are also required to wear your mask the entire time of your visit.
What You Can Do At Fishkill Farm?
At Fishkill Farm, there are a lot of activities to do! It is friend, couple & family friendly so feel free to attend with who ever you would like:
Apple Picking: There are dozens of types of apples to choose from. Just keep in mind that each type of apple ripes within certain months of the end of summer/early fall season. Therefore, if there is a certain apple you would like to pick, do research before choosing your date for apple picking to see when it will ripe.
Pumpkin Picking: On the orchard there is also a pumpkin patch where you can pick your own pumpkin (may be an additional charge depending on the reservation you purchase). If you do end up picking pumpkins, the orchard has wagons for rent (similar to the one pictured above) for $10 (you give them $20 and they return $10 once you return the wagon) so that you don’t have to carry it back.
Cider Tasting: There’s a separate reservation if you would like to do cider tasting. This option includes cheese & a charcuterie board (they have vegan options).
Other Add-Ons: You can also pick organic herbs, organic flowers & organic peppers which will be an additional charge.
Indoor Grocery Store: You can purchase cider, pies, souvenirs, etc. to go home with.
Outdoor Grocery Store: You can purchase pumpkins, squash, plants for your home garden, etc. to go home with.
Hayride: On weekends, there is a hayride which can get your around if you need assistance getting around the orchard. The hayride goes in a single loop and makes a total of four stops.
Have Lunch: At the farm, there are several restaurants and food trucks to buy lunch from. The day we went, we saw a Mexican restaurant, a general restaurant and some food trucks. We ended up buying lunch from “the general restaurant” - Jamaican jerk chicken, rice & peas & a code froze. The jerk chicken and rice was good but the chicken tasted more like baked chicken, rather than jerk. The pricing of food was also kind of expensive (I paid $25 for everything) so if you would like to save some coin, you can pack your own lunch to go.
Donut Counter: The most anticipated part of any apple picking experience lol. DONUTS! If you have never tried donuts from an orchard then I would highly recommend to get your life together & try it out. My mother specifically told me - do not come home without her donuts lol. They sell them 6 (half dozen) for $7 or a dozen for $12. They offer plan & cinnamon sugar flavors. I ended up getting two dozen (one dozen plan & one dozen mixed - half plain, half cinnamon sugar).
Be mindful that there will be lines for almost every food & shopping experience (especially if you go one a weekend). Which is another reason that I recommend you wear comfortable shoes! The lines ended up moving pretty quickly so it didn’t end up being too bad.
How to Apple Pick? What You Need To Know
I’m going to honest. I don’t know one lick about picking an apple lol. But don’t worry, the orchard does an amazing job helping with that! At the beginning of each aisle of apples, there’s a post with the type of apple you can find within the aisle & when it typically ripes. There’s also a sign noting if the apple is ripe and ready to be picked. This was super helpful because we just ended up wandering to pick apples in the aisles that noted the type of apple was ripe and ready to be picked.
When picking apples we also made sure that there were not any bugs on them and the apple didn’t have any defects (holes, bumps, rotting, etc.)
As I noted earlier, you will find a bunch of apples on the ground throughout the orchard so be careful while walking around. I also would’nt recommend picking apples that have fallen off the tree.
Overall, if you’re in the New York City or surrounding area, I would recommend visiting Fishkill Farm for fall activities. It can be a full day adventure, so I would recommend planning to make it one. For more photos from my Fishkill Farm experience, be sure to follow me on Instagram. I’ll also be sure to share other fall acitivities that I do with you all.