The Twin Cities is perfect for a crisp fall day that begs for a family day of apple harvesting. It’s an autumn tradition that our team’s families – including 12 children – would not miss. Apple picking season runs from mid to late August through late October. We hope you’re able to use our Twin Cities Apple Orchards Guide to find details on the most kid-friendly apple orchards in the metro, rediscover an old favorite or try out a new destination:
TWIN CITIES APPLE ORCHARD EVENTS CALENDAR
West Metro Twin Cities apple orchards
Apple Jack Orchards
4875 37th Street SE, Delano, MN 55328
OPENING DAY August 30, 2025
HOURS Daily, 10am-5pm (last Fun Farm entry at 5pm)
COST Starting Labor Day weekend, admission to the Fun Farm is $10 Mon-Thurs with a smaller selection of activities available. Weekend admission is $20 with a large number of classic fall activities included. A season pass is available.
ORCHARD NOTES Apple Jack’s is one of the largest operations in the Twin Cities Northwest Metro. Prepare for crowds and a wide spread of activities to choose from at the Fun Farm – think jumping pillows, giant slide, a cow train an apple cannon and much more.
FRESH PICKS Pick-your-own apples and pumpkins fresh from the patch. A café and bakery onsite will fill your dining needs.
Deardorff Orchards & Vineyard
8282 Parley Lake Rd, Waconia, MN 55387
OPENING DAY Labor Day Weekend 2025
HOURS Orchard: Weekends, 10am-6pm & Parley Lake Winery Tasting Room: Friday 3-8, Sat & Sun 12-6
COST Free admission, free family activities.
ORCHARD NOTES We appreciated that there was no admission charge or nickel-and-diming for any of the simple activities. Our kids found plenty to do clambering on logs, getting up close to the horses, touring the orchard by tractor ride, and enjoying the fresh air. If you have the time and/or inclination, there’s the onsite Parley Lake Winery, located adjacent to the classic white apple barn. Long after the last apples have fallen from the trees, the tasting room is still open Friday-Sunday until mid-December.
FRESH PICKS Pick-your-own apples available here along with pumpkins.
Fall Harvest Orchard
345 County Road 30 SE, Montrose, MN 55363
OPENING DAY August 30, 2025
HOURS Thurs-Sun, 10am-6pm plus Labor Day and Wed of MEA weekend
COST Free admission. Some attractions are ticketed which can be purchased a la carte OR purchase a mostly-inclusive wristband ($12-$25).
ORCHARD NOTES This farm has grown from a smaller operation to one of the largest in the Twin Cities West Metro. There’s a staggering amount of activities here now — rides and slides, mini golf, bouncers, pony rides and a target gallery. But there are still a plethora of FREE family activities to enjoy (small corn pits, tire climb and hay bale mountain, hands-on animal encounters, live music on select days, yard games and photo ops). Have you ever been dying to feed a cow? At this apple orchard with animals, we found it strangely fascinating to watch them chow down on apples.
FRESH PICKS Pick-your-own apples & pumpkins available. Buy a pie mix by the bushel.
This Orchard will also take reservations for private wagon rides and bonfires any time from mid-May through December.
LuceLine Orchard
2755 Rose Ave, Watertown, MN 55388
OPENING DAY August 30, 2025
HOURS Open Wed-Fri, 10am-5pm & Sat-Sun, 10am-6pm.
COST Free admission, some fees for additional activities or purchase a wristband to include unlimited access to activities like the corn maze, hay rides, jumping pillow, apple cannon and more.
ORCHARD NOTES There are lots of other activities onsite to stay busy, including some that are open on weekdays such as the hay mountain, petting zoo, corn boxes and swings. On weekends, plan for live music and other family-friendly entertainment.
FRESH PICKS Apples are pick-your-own from the orchard while supplies last, or you can purchase pre-picked apples (among other goodies) in the charming retail barn.
SPECIAL EVENTS LuceLine is hopping on the weekends with family-friendly entertainment:
- September 6-October 19 – LuceLine Concerts In the Country
Everly Farms
6530 County Road 26, Minnetrista, MN 55364
OPENING DAY Late August 2025
HOURS Open daily, 10am-5pm
COST Free admission weekdays, $7-$10/pp weekends covers all activities including hayrides, lawn games, live music, kids play areas and more. Season passes available.
ORCHARD NOTES This orchard was f/k/a Minnetonka Orchards and retains all of the activities and charm of the previous operation. Refresh after apple-picking with hot apple cider and apple doughnuts.
FRESH PICKS Visit during the weekday if you plan only to pick apples as the fall fun activities are not open.
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Apple House: 7485 Rolling Acres Rd, Chaska, MN 55318
Arboretum: 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska, MN 55318
OPENING DAY Apple House opens August 21, 2025
HOURS Apple House 9am-6pm daily; Arborteum grounds: 8am-8pm daily.
COST Apple House is free to visit. The arboretum admission is $20-$25 for anyone 16+.
ORCHARD NOTES Combine your apple shopping with a visit to the Arb’s orchards to see where they are grown!
FRESH PICKS While there is no picking at Arb, I think we would be remiss if we neglected the birthplace of the Honeycrisp Apple! The shop includes a rotating crop of in-season apples, plus North Star Donuts from 10am-6pm Tuesday-Sunday.
Arboretum Photo by Susie Hopper- Crabapples Spring
East Metro Twin Cities apple orchards
Aamodt’s Apple Farm
6428 Manning Avenue North, Stillwater, MN 55082
OPENING DAY August 1, 2025. Fall activities begin after Labor Day and thru mid October.
HOURS 10am-6pm daily, PYO 10am-5pm daily
COST Free admission
ORCHARD NOTES There are a couple free activities (such as meeting the resident goats) and much to do that requires a small fee (sweet little wagon and train rides pictured below, weekends only, $5/child). Adults who’d like something to sip on may enjoy the onsite winery or hard cider, also brewed right on the farm. Plus treats galore in the Apple Barn. he play area and goats are open to visitors, as is a stroll through the orchards. Donuts are for sale.
FRESH PICKS Pay for the bag in advance in quarter or half peck sizes. Not all varieties of apples will be available when you come out so you’ll want to check their picking schedule (website) or call in advance.
Jacobson’s Pine Tree Apple Orchard
450 Apple Orchard Rd, White Bear Lake, MN 55110
OPENING DAY Orchard is open daily mid-August through October.
HOURS Find current hours here.
COST Admission is free to the retail shop and grounds. There is an extra fee for the wagon & pony rides and for the corn maze.
ORCHARD NOTES Don’t come expecting to hit the orchard and pick yourself a peck of Zestars; pre-picked apples only here. This is a tough pill for my children to take; they love to spend a fall day wandering through an apple orchard and sizing up a good pick. Harvesting is half the fun. As a consolation, Pine Tree offers a very short “orchard trail” to walk with informational signs meant to teach about harvesting and such. Weekends get hopping with families enjoying the live music, wagon and pony rides, corn maze and other various special events hosted by the orchard. Take your little ones through the big red retail barn; they’ll be mesmerized by the apple sorting equipment. Pine Tree Orchard is well-known for its tasty bakery menu.
White Pine Berry Farm
1482 Oak Drive River Falls, WI 54022
HOURS Open 9am-6pm Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
COST Free admission to enter the farm and enjoy a wagon ride or shop in the general store. Admission to the corn maze and Fall Family Zone require an admission fee ($4-$8/pp) or an all-access pass ($9-$11).
ORCHARD NOTES Family Fun on the weekend includes a corn maze, pumpkin patch, corn boxes, jumping castles, tire mountain, farm animals, guided wagon ride tours, food & berry desserts for sale.
FRESH PICKS U-pick apples are not available but you can harvest raspberries, pumpkins and sunflowers. Locally grown apples have been bagged up and are for sale.
SPECIAL EVENTS Saturdays in September & October are “Fall Family Days” – starting mid-September though Halloween.
South Metro Twin Cities apple orchards
Afton Apple Orchard
14421 South 90th Street, Hastings, MN 55033
OPENING DAY August 23, 2025
HOURS Daily through October 31st, 10am-6pm
COST A reasonable fee ($7 per person ages 5+ and $5 per child under 5) is charged immediately upon your arrival. We find it nice to have that squared away, to know the children are now free to explore the very large, unique playground at will.
ORCHARD NOTES Afton Apple Orchard sprawls over 190 acres into the pastoral country. There is lots to do here that is included with the admission fee such as the playground, huge retread hill (for the uninitiated, it’s a mountain of tires with tube slides running through it), swings, hay bales to climb, and a pretty decent petting farm. and petting farm. We’ve easily made a full day of it just with those diversions and riding the hay wagon into the orchard. It’s almost impossible to bypass the cow train (and your tots will want to ride it) but it’s a little easier to avoid paying extra for the jumping pillow and corn maze (opening Sept 18) if you’ve got a budget. Limited hayrides will be offered weekends 10am-6pm until Labor Day. Starting Labor Day Weekend, hayrides run daily. Pay activities are $2 apiece.
FRESH PICKS Come pick your own apples, fall raspberries & pumpkins on a crisp fall day. Can’t wait for fall? Afton also has a beautiful sunflower field to explore and pick from.
SPECIAL EVENTS Afton Apple offers many special events during the season including:
- August 23-24 & August 30-31 – Flower Extravaganza!
- September 6-7 – Anniversary Weekend Celebration
- September 13-14 & 20-21 – Touch a Tractor weekend at the orchard – check out some equipment and machinery.
- September 20 – Corn Maze Opens
- September 27-28, October 4-5, 11-12 – Apple Festival Weekends
Applewood Orchard
22702 Hamburg Ave, Lakeville, MN 55044
OPENING DAY August 30, 2025
COST Free admission
HOURS Daily, 9am-6pm
ORCHARD NOTES This little haven is one of the few places to pick-your-own apples in Dakota County. The farm was sold by its longtime family in 2024 – but is open again this fall under ownership! Come out and support them and the activities that continue: u-pick apples, hedge maze, hayrides and little pedal tractors.
Brand Farms
18605 Biscayne Ave W, Farmington, MN 55024
OPENING DAY Fall Fun Opening Weekend is September 6-7, 2025
HOURS Daily, 10am-6pm
COST Free admission. Option to pre-purchase vouchers in advance for apple picking and activities.
ORCHARD NOTES Activities including the hayride, apple cannon and pumpkin jump pillow are available for a small fee weekends only. Want to get a jump on farm and orchard season? Brand Farms has a beautiful yellow sunflower field and special weekends to visit for photos.
FRESH PICKS Pick a peck or half any day of the week.
Carpenter St Croix Valley Nature Center Orchard
12805 St Croix Trail S, Hastings, MN 55033,
OPENING DAY Apple Shack opening Labor Day Weekend in 2025
HOURS Wednesday-Sunday, 9am-5pm
COST Free admission
ORCHARD NOTES Stop in at the nature center for some animal exhibits (open 8am-4:30pm). The annual Apple Festival will be held October 11-12, 2025 and is free to attend (hayrides! Stuff for kids!).
FRESH PICKS Pre-picked apples only from St Croix Valley’s own orchard.
SPECIAL EVENTS Annually, the nature center hosts a fall festival with free admission:
- October 11-12 – Carpenter Nature Center Apple Festival
Ferguson’s Minnesota Harvest
Apple Lovers Lane, 8251 Old Hwy 169 Blvd, Jordan, MN 55352
OPENING DAY August 16, 2025
HOURS Daily, 10am-6pm
COST Admission to Apple Blossom Park with its fall activities is $19 ages 2+ (includes a FREE season pass).
ORCHARD NOTES One of the apple orchards with animals, you’ll want to visit the barnyard for a visit with the critters, try out the apple cannon or brave the corn maze. Gianna loves this orchards and says she appreciated that the orchard was tucked away from the busy road, that there was a big barn, and that you were surrounded by the quintessential apple orchard atmosphere.
FRESH PICKS PYO apples available.
Whistling Well Farm
8973 St Croix Trail S, Hastings, MN 55033
OPENING DAY Labor Day weekend 2025
HOURS Daily, 9am-6pm
COST Free admission
ORCHARD NOTES The draw here is a lovely small farm setting scattered with chickens and a picturesque well that donates its change to charity (fall family photo op, anyone?). Whistling Well Farm is a maintained with the help of a springer spaniel named Emmy. In fact, she has her own picture book for sale in the gift barn!
FRESH PICKS There are pick-your-own apples or pre-picked options available.
North Metro Twin Cities apple orchards
Applecrest Orchards
7306 24th Avenue North, Hugo, MN 55038
OPENING DAY August 23, 2025
HOURS Open 2pm-6pm weekdays; 10am-4pm weekends.
COST Free admission.
ORCHARD NOTES This orchard has minimal activities like yard games.
FRESH PICKS Only pre-picked apples (and pears) are available.
Deer Lake Orchard
1903 10th St SW, Buffalo MN 55313
OPENING DAY August 23, 2025. “Fall Fun” activities start the weekend of September 6-7.
HOURS Open Tues-Sun, 10am-6pm.
COST Free admission, activities $5 each or $15/wristband.
ORCHARD NOTES Enjoy live music on fall weekends, a corn maze to meander through, wagon rides, a little train, animals to meet…all the classic orchard activities you’d hope to find.
FRESH PICKS Apples both u-pick and pre-picked.
SPECIAL EVENTS Deer Lake offers plenty of diversions on the weekends:
- Weekends starting September 6 – Deer Lake Orchard Fall Fun
- Oct 17-18 & Oct 24-25: Not-So-Haunted Hayrides
Knapton’s
5695 Hwy 55, Rockford, MN 55373
OPENING DAY Late August through October
HOURS Open daily, 9am-5pm
COST Free admission
FRESH PICKS A limited variety of pick-your-own apples are available plus a long lineup of other fresh produce. Make sure to check the website to determine what’ll be picking when you plan to arrive.
Pleasant Valley Orchard
17325 Pleasant Valley Rd, Shafer, MN 55074
OPENING DAY Labor Day Weekend 2025
HOURS Open daily, 10am-6pm
COST Free admission
ORCHARD NOTES Free activities and -kinda fun and unique for an orchard – an annual 12 Days of Halloween event. We’ve enjoyed this orchard so much we include it on our list of the Top 10 Things for Families in Taylors Falls.
FRESH PICKS Pick your own apples available weekends only, pumpkins can be picked mid-Sept thru October.
Sunrise River Farm
7602 Wyoming Trail, Wyoming, MN 55092
OPENING DAY Labor Day weekend 2025
HOURS Open Thur-Sun, 10am-6pm
COST Free admission
ORCHARD NOTES We were completely charmed by the atmosphere on the outskirts of Wyoming. We loved that even on a weekend, the orchard never felt crowded, that we could wander through the apple trees and pick without bumping into fellow harvesters, and the kids adored visiting with all the farm critters. Prepare to spend lots of time wandering the barn stalls and meeting the resident donkeys, chickens, pigs and more Take some time to groom the pets and let your teen beat you at the giant lawn games. Kids visiting the farm can play with the trikes and wagons, or burn off some energy on the playground. There’s no admission charge to enter the farm or for any of the activities beyond a small fee for the hayrides and the barrel train.
FRESH PICKS Apples are sold by half and quart-peck bags. Purchase your bag in the Farm Market before going out into the orchard to pick.
Woods’ Edge Apples Orchard
1901 50th St NE, Buffalo, MN 55313
ORCHARD NOTES A small, family-run farm and orchard where you can pick your own apples this fall. Plus, u-pick raspberries and sweet resident goats to greet you. Slow down your pace out here in the Twin Cities northwest suburbs.
Twin Cities apple orchards: gone, but not forgotten
Apple Tree-O
5667 90th St SE, Delano MN 55328
Apple Tree-O Orchard stopped providing open hours to the public in 2024. Last we followed on Facebook, they did offer pop-up picking at select times last year.
Emma Krumbee’s Orchard & Farm
311 E Enterprise Dr, Belle Plaine, MN 56011
Emma Krumbees has permanently closed and the land sold for re-development.
Fisher’s Croix Farm Orchard
12971 St. Croix Trail South, Hastings, MN 55033
Closed since 2022, Fischer’s Croix Farm Orchard is a beautiful apple orchard run by a multi-generational family. A sampling of some of the ways to spend a fall day: Scout for apples (pick-your-own and pre-picked), climb the hay pile, or take a wagon ride out to the corn maze ($3/pp, weekends only).
Remick’s Orchard
2418978 Lake George Blvd. NW, Anoka, MN 55303
We were sad to learn that Remick’s announced the sale of their orchard to developers in the spring of 2022. We’ll miss them, but we have several other North Metro options above.
Victoria Valley Orchard
4304 North Victoria Street, Shoreview, MN 55126
Closed indefinitely. Read the family’s Facebook post here.
Minnesota has some world-renowned apples – Honeycrisp, for instance, but there are also many types that don’t grow as well here. We recommend picking from local varieties during the harvest season and saving apple varieties like Fuji, Braeburn, Pippin, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious for off-season or baking. Leave us a message on our Facebook page or in the comments to let us know how your apple picking day goes:
- Where did you go and would you recommend the orchard to other families?
- What was the best family activity at the farm you visited?
- Did you bake something with your apples — apple pie, apple turnovers, apple cider doughnuts?
- What else did you find that your family loved? Pumpkins, local honey, baked goods?
We’ll share your recommendations with the community.
Related articles:
- Twin Cities Pick-Your-Own Produce Farms – A year-round guide to picking berries, fruits, veggies and more.
- Harvest Time: Twin Cities Fall Farmers Markets & Outings
- Find hundreds more things to do in Minneapolis & St Paul with kids
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