The kids and I visited Apple Jack Orchards today. The weather was great and the orchard was a fun family event. I will probably visit this orchard again next year. My only complaint is that it got extremely busy in the afternoon, so next time I think we’ll be there right when they open so that we can be leaving as things start to get crowded. Noteworthy things to do included:

• Playing on the hay mountain (kids only). (free)
• Feeding and petting the goats. (free)
• Pony rides, which we didn’t do because the line was too long. ($4)
• Orchard tour, towed behind a tractor. This saved us a walk that would seem long to my 4-year-old and got us right into the orchards with ripe apples. ($1)
• Exploring the orchards on foot, and picking apples. We agreed that apples fresh from the tree taste better than store bought apples. ($1.50 per pound for apples)
• The huge corn maze covering 5 acres, which we didn’t do because I feared that the kids would get tired of it part way through. ($4)
• The Apple Cannon. A compressed air gun that fires apples out into a field. The kids wanted to do it, but the line was long and the payoff seemed limited, so we moved on. ($1)
• The Cow Train ride. 10 55-gallon barrels decorated to look like cows, mounted on wheels and towed behind an ATV. My boys (6 & 4) were instantly entranced and enjoyed their ride. ($1.50)

Do you have a favorite orchard suitable for family time?

PS. I’m sorry about the lame title. I couldn’t help myself.