Few things complement one another better than apple picking and autumn. The sweet smell of ripe apples and the satisfying crunch of fallen leaves, hot apple cider and a crisp breeze rustling through the trees… it’s a match made in autumnal heaven — especially in the Northeast.
From Upstate New York to the coast of Rhode Island, this region of the U.S. is rife with independent orchards and apple varieties not found anywhere else. To get the full fall experience, plan your getaway to one of these five countryside locales, all located within a short drive from one of Tradewind Aviation’s private charter destinations.
Rocky Brook Orchard — Middletown, Rhode Island
Photo: Rocky Brook Orchard website / CC BY
More than 80 apple varieties fill the trees at Rocky Brook Orchard. The family-run orchard is open Friday-Sunday for you-pick guests, and they update their Facebook page weekly with which apple varieties will be ripe the following weekend. Additionally, every tree is color-coded based on the time of year that it’s ripe; in October, look for trees tagged yellow, green, and blue.
Among the varieties available at this Aquidneck Island orchard is the Rhode Island Greening, the state’s namesake apple, first discovered in the mid-1600s and ideal for making pies, crisps, and other appley treats.
Recommended airport: Newport State Airport (NPT)
Nashoba Valley Winery — Bolton, Massachusetts
A farm, winery, brewery, distillery, restaurant, and pick-your-own apple orchard all wrapped up into one picturesque package, Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, Massachusetts, takes “a day at the orchard” to a whole new level. Nashoba grows more than a dozen varieties of apples available for picking and offers three different “experiences” for visitors interested in filling up their bags. Reservations are required, and picking time this year is limited to 45 minutes per group (no more than five people allowed per group).
Before and after loading up on Golden Delicious, Mutsu, Baldwin, and Rhode Island Greenings, enjoy a picnic lunch of salads and sandwiches (including several vegan options) or dinner from J’s Restaurant (reservation required; open for lunch Thursday-Sunday, and dinner Thursday-Saturday).
Beer and cider enthusiasts will love the options at Bolton Beer Works, all brewed onsite using local grains, fruits, and herbs. For wine drinkers, there are more than 30 bottles to choose from at Nashoba Valley Winery, including non-grape offerings (think peach, plum, pear, and blueberry) as well as traditional varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc, Vignoles, and Malbec.
For something a little stronger, head over to Nashoba Valley Spirits. The distillery was the first in Massachusetts to receive a farmer-distiller license in 2003, and produces and sells brandies, eau de vie, cordials, and 100% apple-distilled vodka.
Recommended airport: Minute Man Air Field (6B6)
Hickory Hill Orchards — Cheshire, Connecticut
Owned and operated by Fred and Lynn Kudish for more than 40 years, Hickory Hill Orchards is a 33-acre fruit-filled paradise. Peaches, pears, plums, and nectarines grow alongside more than 20 varieties of apples — all available for picking, or to purchase at the onsite country store. Also grown at Hickory Hill are gourds and pumpkins, which can also be purchased at the store or hand-picked from the field.
The orchard’s pick-your-own schedule is easy to remember: 9:30am – 6pm daily, from mid-August through November. In October, look for the following apple varieties to take home, listed in order of early- to late-ripening: Ida Red, Golden Delicious, Mutzu, Cameo, Rome, Winesap, Braeburn, and Granny Smith.
Before you head home with your bushels of fruit, be sure to grab a few snacks from the store for the road. In addition to their fruit, the Kudish’s sell cider donuts, apple fritters, local goodies including Vermont maple syrup, and fresh-pressed cider to wash it all down.
Recommended airport: Meriden Markham Municipal Airport (MMK)
Poverty Lane Orchards — Lebanon, New Hampshire
Photo by Brenda Bailey Collins
Apples are king at Poverty Lane Orchards, a picture-perfect hillside farm overlooking the Connecticut River Valley. Owned and operated by Steve Wood and Louisa Spencer, who also run Farnum Hill Ciders on the same property, the fields of Poverty Lane once belonged to dairy farmers, but starting in the 1960s were planted to classic New England apple varieties for local consumption and regional wholesale.
When top-quality McIntosh, Macoun, and Cortland became less popular in the market, Wood and Spencer began cultivating apple varieties foreign to most everyday apple eaters, many of which are pressed and fermented for their traditionally made Farnum Hill Ciders. (In 2014, Steve Wood was a James Beard Award semifinalist in the “Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional” category due to his cidermaking achievements.) Today, their most marketable apples are “bittersweet” and “bittersharp” cider varieties, grown for their fermentable juices and which help other cidermakers achieve more complex flavors.
New policies for pick-your-own guests in 2020 include pre-purchasing a bag to fill in the fields — half-peck (about 5 pounds full), peck (about 10 pounds), or half-bushel (about 20 pounds) — and the requirement that anyone over the age of 2 wear a mask. Pick-your-own apple varieties are most plentiful in the earlier months of autumn in northern New England, so picking may not be available come mid- to late-October. However, the orchard is open through Halloween (Monday, Thursday, and Friday, 9am – 6pm; and weekends, 10am – 5pm), offering tractor rides, room to roam, cider tasting, and a retail stand full of apples and other local treats for purchase.
Recommended airport: Lebanon Municipal Airport (LEB)
Indian Creek Farm — Ithaca, New York
Tucked away in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, Indian Creek Farm is more than 100 years old and is home to 60 apple varieties, plus dozens of vegetables and fruits available for you-pick June through November.
Northern Spy, Rome Beauty, Red Delicious, and Mutsu apples are the stars of the show in late autumn. The orchard was brought back to life in 1997 by Stephen Cummins: son of Dr. Jim Cummins who, during his tenure at the Cornell University Experiment Station, cross-pollinated and produced more than 30,000 hybrid apple seeds. Together with a crew of dedicated co-founders, farmers, friends, and relatives, Cummins ensures that his 60-acre farm honors the land upon which it resides through education and careful cultivation.
Indian Creek Farm updates its homepage seasonally with available you-pick produce, hours, farm-stand goodies (don’t miss the fresh cider donuts), and “fresh crop alerts.”
Recommended airport: Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport (ITH)
Tradewind offers charter flights year-round to Newport, Bolton, Cheshire, Lebanon, and Ithaca. To receive a quote, please visit our charter request form or contact our charter specialists at charter@flytradewind.com or 1-800-376-7922. To learn more about Tradewind’s comprehensive safety plan, please visit our COVID-19 Response page. For the latest travel updates, please visit our Travel Advisory page.