We went here for the 1st time this past September- I love that this is just a mom n' pop operation- orchards, a shed where you pay and can buy novelties, a simple swingset for the kids, and the house where the owners live. They have wagons available so you can haul your apples (or kids) around without too much fuss. TONS of varieties of apples- several kinds all on the same tree (check out the website- they explain grafting and how they got so many varieties). They have a limited # of Honecrisp trees- they were all picked clean by the time we got there early in the season. Had so much fun with the family doing this as a Rosh Hashannah event- I think we'll make this a yearly tradition!
We went this past weekend and it was perfect. Low key, no big crowds, no other stuff... just trees with apples & pears. They do have a couple of ladders to help get the fruit at the top of the tree which the kids thought was a big thrill. We walked away with a bag full of apples and a fancy apple peeler. Ahhh, the simple things in life.
We had a fantastic time apple picking at Apples on Oak yesterday. The orchard backs up to the Peceniak's family home, and when we pulled up we were greeted by 3 friendly generations of the family. Unlike other u-pick spots we've visited in the past, there are no admission fees and no minimum amounts to pick. What we did find were lots of varieties of apples we'd never heard of before (though they did have the currently poplular honey crisps pre-picked and available for purchase at check-out). We filled our bags with Beths, Timothys, Freedoms, and other varieties that we'd never be able to find at the grocery store... and they are delicious!
Aside from a swing set, there were no "extra attractions" at the orchard (bouncy castles, hayrides, petting zoos, etc.) which was fine with us - we were in search of a more pastoral, less commercialized experience, and we definitely found that at Apples on Oak.
One more thing: if you go, be sure to heed their instructions when getting directions from a GPS or Google Maps, etc. (type in Gougar Rd. at Oak Ave.) otherwise you'll end up on Oak St. somewhere else in the middle of Joliet :O
This is our new favorite place for apple picking.
