Jack-o'-Lanterns, Pumpkins on the Pier, Apple Fests and Food Trucks: Top New England Events for Oct 1-7, 2014

Welcome October! Nothing says fall like looking at the calendar and seeing that we have landed in the loveliest month of the year. It seems like everywhere you look the leaves are working their way into brighter hues and even a drive to the store is made more scenic with the arrival of fall colors. In short, it's time for a road-trip!

Even if you want to hit the road for a day-long drive don't know where to end up, New England Fall Events provides you with quick and easy guides for every New England state. 

Walk out on the Walnut Beach Pier
to enjoy the jack-o-lantern display

One of our very favorite annual festivals is coming up this Sunday October 5th--The Pumpkins on the Pier Festival in Milford, CT. When a MA-based friend of mine asked me for a worthwhile road-trip (under 2 hour drive) for her family with children ages 3 and 6, this was my top choice. For one, even though their travel time will be just shy of 2 hours the festival provides a full-day of varied activities starting at 11am and running through 7pm ending with a laser light show so they'll be there for hours and the kids will be tuckered out for the drive home. 

With pie-eating contest (for adults and kids), magicians, plentiful activities like pumpkins golf, carving, play areas, pumpkin painting and a pumpkin patch you'll happily spend hours here. Best of all is the lovely display of jack-o'-lanterns lined up along the pier stretching into Long Island Sound--it's just a beautiful event. We have festival tips and will give you the low-down on Pumpkins on the Pier on our blog feature.

Gorgeous foliage at last year's Apple Days

Another favorite event of ours this weekend is Apple Days at Old Sturbridge Village.  Taking place on Saturday and Sunday, this charming celebration of the apple offers tastings of antique apples, make your own sachets, DIY orange and clove pomanders, cider boil down demonstrations, cider making demos, and ox-powered cider mill, lovely foliage, hiking trails, old-fashioned games and much more.
We love this 1830 New England living history museum and it's a lovely place to spend a fall day.

It's Pumpkin Season! With endless ways to admire, eat, and carve up those cheerful orange globes, remember that New England Fall Events has a list of Pumpkin Patches and PYO Pumpkins for every New England state. Please support your local farms and swing by to enjoy their pumpkin bounty.
Quick and Easy Guide to Pumpkin Patches in New England.

Where is New England Fall Events Headed this Weekend?

Six Flags transforms into Fright Fest

With October underway, we're heading off to Connecticut for a few days to cover some events for our companion website Halloween New England but we'll pop by the Southington Apple Festival and Pumpkins on the Pier on our way back.

We may even swing through Six Flags New England to take in their special fall Fright Fest activities for a second time and we'll carve out a few hours for more apple picking!

New England Foliage Report from Jeff-Foliage:

Leaving Errol, NH ~ Jeff Foliage

This week Jeff Foliage gives us a Fall Foliage report from Maine:

"Maybe you missed it? The peak fall colors have arrived!
Frosty temps earlier in September have created favorable conditions for turning colors. We drove from Rangeley Lake Maine on Sunday the 28th and all along Route 16 into NH, we saw high color straining towards peak fall color. We got a flat and this caused us to …" Click here to read Jeff's full report.

New England Fall Events' Top Recommendations for this Weekend's Fall Fun

Here's a sample of some wonderful events to keep on your radar heading into the weekend! Find even more terrific events listed on every New England state’s Fall & Activities guide and Food & Harvest Festival Guide.

Here are our recommended activities for Oct 1-6:

Jack-o’-Lantern Spectacular at the Roger Williams Park and Zoo
Providence, RI  Click for event details.
Opens Thursday, Oct 2nd and runs nightly through November 2nd, 2014

Penguin Book of Witches Party at the Salem Witch Museum – FREE
Salem, MA   Click for event details.
Thursday, Oct 2nd, 2014

Pumpkins on the Pier Festival – FREE
Milford, CT  Click for details.
Sunday, October 5th, 2014
Read about why Pumpkins on the Pier is one of our favorite annual events!

Apple Days at Old Sturbridge Village 
Sturbridge, MA  Click for event details.
Saturday and Sunday, October 4th & 5th, 2014

Southington CT Apple Festival and Fireworks – FREE
Southington, CT   Click for event details.
Friday through Sunday, October 3rd - 5th, 2014

Champlain Mini-Maker Faire at Shelburne Farms
Shelburne, VT   Click for event details.
Saturday and Sunday, October 4th & 5th, 2014

Pumpkin Festival at DeMeritt Hill Farm – FREE
Lee, NH   Click for event details.
Saturday and Sunday, October 4th & 5th 2014

Adam Fears and Adam Craig headline Country Music Concert for a Cause
Easthampton, MA   Click for event details.
Saturday, October 4, 2014

NH Lakes Region Barrel Tasting Weekend at Hermit Woods Winery
Meredith, NH   Click for event details.
Saturday and Sunday, October 4th & 5th 2014

Bike Applecycle Maine 
Lymnan, ME  Click for event details.
Sunday, Oct 5th, 2014

NH Food Truck Festival at Redhook Brewery
Portsmouth, NH  Click for event details.
Sunday, October 5th, 2014

Heading out apple picking this weekend? New England Fall Events has complete guides, features, maps, and contact info for New England PYO apple orchards. Here are your quick links to the apple picking guides:

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

Need help mapping out where to go? New England Fall Events’ state page maps are handy for scrolling and spotting farms near home or near your road-trip destination. Orchard and fall attraction maps for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Remember, always call ahead before heading out to PYO as some farms will adjust their hours for weather or they close to allow more time for fruit to ripen.

Fluff, Fall Fests, Funghi, Pumpkin Chuckin', PTown Theater, and Game of Thrones: Top Events for Sept 24-30, 2014

Holy cow is this a white-hot weekend for fall festivities! You will either love us for tuning you in to some quirky, offbeat picks or you will hate us for making you choose between so many deserving activities—ignorance is bliss after all. (Of course, we hope you love us.)

Where is New England Fall Events Headed this Weekend?

Poolside theater venue at the renowned
Tennessee Williams Theater Festival

We’ve had the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival circled on our calendar for nearly a year now. We are thrilled to experience this acclaimed 4-day festival featuring many of the lesser-known, rarely-produced, or newly interpreted Williams’ plays often in unconventional settings (inside a home, at a boat slip). New England is incredibly fortunate to host a festival of this stature right here in our own backyard (or peninsula as it were). Tickets are limited for the performances running Thursday through Sunday and we hope you will have a chance to go. If you do make it, let us know and we’d love to meet up with you!

A full day of fun at Autumn-Fest

Saturday will be a whirlwind of fun with our day starting off with the Autum-Fest in Bridgewater, MA--their 26^th year of bringing fall fun to the residents of Bridgewater and beyond. Autumn-Fest will be jam-packed with kids’ activities, performances, crafts, vendors, train rides, live music, bouncy houses, petting zoo, and more all on the expansive, grassy quad at Bridgewater State University. We're super excited to check out this free community festival first-hand and we hope you'll join us.

What the Fluff? Festival in Somerville (MA) celebrates Fluff inventor Archibald Query who developed MarshmallowFluff right in Somerville’s Union Square in 97 years ago. This year is being called “SteamFluff” as it takes on a steampunk theme.

“Archiald Query was born in the nineteenth century and shares the steampunk desire to make something new.  An immigrant to Somerville, he knew a thing about perilous journeys.
Marshmallow Fluff itself, made the same way today as when Archie first whipped it up, is a magical substance that allows everyone who eats it to return to the time of their own childhoods.  We therefore declare SteamFluff as our vehicle for this year’s state of play.”

Well, Steampunk theme or not, all we know is that eating FlufferNutters is a New England childhood rite of passage and we plan to pay our respects to the man who gave us sticky fingers. Plus, we're a sucker for the fabulous Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band who will be adding their oopmah to the day. We'll see you there Saturday afternoon.

How far can YOU chuck a pumpkin?

The 6th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' has you covered in the wacky and clever categories this week. Set in a wide open field, competitors engineer DIY trebuchets to see how far their catapult can launch a pumpkin!
Last year nineteen teams from the northeast competed and nearly 2000 spectators came out to cheer them on.
With three rounds of launching in four different "weight" categories, this fun fall event also features a chili cook-off, live bands, children's activities and more. 
Pumpkin Chuckin' Event details.

New England Fall Events' Top Recommendations for this Weekend's Fall Fun

With plenty of fantastic festivities going on this weekend we don't envy you having to narrow down your fun. As always, there are even more terrific events listed on every New England state’s Fall & Activities guide and Food & Harvest Festival Guide.

Here are our recommended activities for Sept 24-30:

Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival
Provincetown, MA   Click for event details.
Thursday through Sunday, Sept 25^th & 28^th, 2014

Autumn-Fest– FREE

Bridgewater, MA  Click for details.
Saturday, September 27^th, 2014

Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival
Stowe, VT  Click for event details.
Sunday, September 28^th, 2014 

Pumpkin Festival at Escobar’s Highland Farm 

Portsmouth, RI   Click for event details. 
Saturday, September 27^th, 2014   Coupon

Game of Thrones Day at King Richard’s Renaissance Faire

Carver, MA   Click for event details. 
Saturday, September 27^th, 2014 

What the Fluff? Festival (Steampunk Edition) – FREE
Somerville, MA  Click for event details.

Wild Mushroom Festival 
Mystic, CT   Click for event details.
Sunday, Sept 28^th, 2014
Read why we recommend and love this festival - festival tips included!

Acadia Night Sky Festival
Bar Harbor, ME  Click for event details.
Thursday through Monday, Sept 25^th & 29^th, 2014

Peru Fair
Peru, VT   Click for event details.
Saturday, September 27^th, 2014.

White Mountain Storytelling Festival
Waterville Valley, NH  Click for event details.
Friday through Sunday September 26^th – 28^th, 2014 

Moon over Drumlin Fundraiser
Lincoln, MA  Click for event details.
Saturday, September 27^th, 2014

North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival
Orange, MA  Click for event details.
Saturday and Sunday, September 27^th-28^th, 2014

Heading out apple picking this weekend? New England Fall Events has complete guides, features, maps, and contact info for New England PYO apple orchards. Here are your quick links to the apple picking guides:

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

Need help mapping out where to go? New England Fall Events’ state page maps are handy for scrolling and spotting farms near home or near your road-trip destination. Orchard and fall attraction maps for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Remember, always call ahead before heading out to PYO as some farms will adjust their hours for weather or they close to allow more time for fruit to ripen.

Expert Tip # 5 Successful Apple Picking is All in the Timing

      Expert Tip #5: It’s All in the Timing

On a weekday morning you may very well be sharing the rows with hundreds of schoolchildren on a field trip. If you visit on a sunny October weekend, steel yourself for longer lines, particularly if you need to be transported by tractor to the orchard. 

If your orchard of choice is in “apple country” in your state, don’t be shocked if the traffic is crawling all the way to your destination. An orchard is a fall weekend destination (think Cape Cod in July) so if you go on a weekend, be flexible and patient. 

On Mondays, the trees may be picked bare from the busy weekend—and what is left is out of reach for your kiddos to twist and pull off themselves. If you can, make your visit during “off peak” days and times, you’ll be happy you did!

Tip for Planning Your Orchard Visit - Check with your orchard to know which apple varieties are being picked at the moment. Don’t even think of heading out unless you know a) they’re not temporarily closed to allow time for fruit to ripen and b) the variety you have your heart set on is in still season and still open for picking. 

Looking for a guide to help you plan your apple picking this fall?

New England Fall Events offers easy to follow guides, features, maps, and contact info for your local or vacation-area New England PYO apple orchards. 

Here are your quick links to the apple picking guides:

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

Find orchard markers and fall attraction maps for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

We've got your guides to Hayrides, Corn Mazes, Food Festivals, and Fall Events guides for every New England State! Visit New England Fall Events for a full list of events and family activities happening this fall.

Expert Tip # 4 Seek Out a Peaceful Apple Orchard in New England

Expert Tip #4: Seeking Peace and Quiet at the Apple Orchard

Few things are lovelier than meandering through a row of fat, juicy honey crisps on a perfect late-September day. 

For a peaceful apple picking experience, stick to the low-profile orchards—the ones that advertise apples and only apples. Often these farms are so low key they don’t even have a website and you might only hear about them through word of mouth.

One of our favorite apples-only orchards is Highland Farm in Holliston, MA. We always find the apples are plentiful with lots of fruit still on low branches. We have great fondness for the extended-day apple picking adventure but there are times when you simply want to stock up on fresh apples or don't have an afternoon to give.  

Tips for Avoiding Over-Stimulation while Apple Picking with Young Children and Toddlers

Apples-only orchards may have plenty
of fruit at child-height for easy picking 

Low key orchards may fit the bill for your little ones. Apple picking is a great excuse to carry your toddler in your Ergo or Boba carrier and, when everyone has had their fill, it’s easy to wrap up and head to the car. A low-key orchard will offer a swifter picking experience which might be ideal for a young child's first time or when they're still at an age with a shorter attention span. 

Another benefit we've noticed is that the straightforward apple orchards also tend to have more apples left on the lower branches--an important feature if your child wants to pick their own fruit. 

The busier, activity-filled orchards can get a bit picked over, especially on the weekends. There may be still be fruit for picking but what is available may be far above the heads of your tykes. Save your back and the heavy-lifting by finding an orchard with plenty of low-hanging fruit.

Though a tractor hayride to an outer orchard certainly is memorable (as the larger operations often have) it is not convenient at all if your own little pumpkin is starting to tucker out quickly and you need to hit the road but you're too far to walk back to your car on your own.

Looking for a guide to help you plan your apple picking this fall?

New England Fall Events offers easy to follow guides, features, maps, and contact info for your local or vacation-area New England PYO apple orchards. 

Here are your quick links to the apple picking guides:

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

Find interactive orchard and fall attraction maps for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

We've got the scoop on Hayrides, Corn Mazes, Food Festivals, and Fall Events guides for every New England State! Visit New England Fall Events for a complete list of wonderful events and family activities happening this fall.

Quick-and-Easy Guide to PYO Apple Orchards across New England

An abundance of apples - More varieties ripen every week!

Are you headed apple picking this weekend? 

Looking to break out of your stand-by and try a new place? 

Need an excuse for a road trip? 

Can't wait to get started now that apple picking season is in full swing?

New England Fall Events has you covered with our state-by-state guides, our individual farm pages, lists of farm features, maps, directions and more!

Your Quick and Easy Guide to Apple Picking in New England:
(click on the link below for your state's guide)

Pick-Your-Own Apple Orchards in Massachusetts

Pick-Your-Own Apple Orchards in Connecticut

Pick-Your-Own Apple Orchards in Rhode Island

Pick-Your-Own Apple Orchards in New Hampshire

Pick-Your-Own Apple Orchards in Vermont

Pick-Your-Own Apple Orchards in Maine

Remember, we have state guides for Hayrides, Corn Mazes, and Pumpkin Patches too if you’re looking to expand your farm visit beyond apples!

Expert Tip # 3 for Apple Picking in New England--With or Without Kids

Expert Tip #3: Apple Picking for Fabulous Family Photos

If capturing priceless moments of your little ones (or big ones!) on camera is top priority, try to coordinate a visit midweek or early in the season.  A super busy orchard dramatically increases your chance of capturing perfect strangers in the background of your family photos so plan accordingly!

Midweek visit not in the cards? Aim to visit a PYO orchard with fewer "extra" activities. You may have to forgo the hayride or the mini-maze but you might also find you have a whole row of apples all to yourself!

Tip for Capturing Beautiful Apple Picking Photos – Dressing in bright colors will stand out nicely against the glossy green leaves of the apple trees. Apple picking is a very favorable activity for capturing beautiful candid moments. 

Looking for a guide to help you plan your apple picking this fall?

New England Fall Events has done all the research for and compiled guide, features, maps, and contact info for your local or vacation-area New England PYO apple orchards. 

Here are your quick links to the apple picking guides:

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

Find interactive orchard and fall attraction maps for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

We've got you covered with Hayrides, Corn Mazes, Food Festivals, and Fall Events guides for every New England State! Visit New England Fall Events for a complete list of great fall events and family activities.

Fairy Houses, Foodies, Harry Potter Day, Chalk Walk, and Chowdah: Top New England Events for Sept 17-23, 2014

Apples! Apples! MORE Apples! 

We know—you can’t get enough. Neither can we! With apple season getting a little farther along every week, we have even more varieties popping up and ready for PYO.

We’ve begun posting our “9 Expert Tips for Apple Picking in New England—With, or Without Kids” series so stay tuned to our Facebook page for surefire strategies (yep, sometimes you need a strategy) for getting best and most from your orchard adventures this fall.

Last weekend New England Fall Events ventured to the Salem Spice Festival, the Slater Park Fall Fest, and the Vermont Mac & Cheese Challenge. We’ll be posting our wrap-ups over the next week about our wonderful (and creamy, cheesy delicious) weekend. 

Where is New England Fall Events Headed this Weekend?

We’re headed to the Portsmouth, NH Fairy House Tour—the largest event like this of its kind! With over 200 fairy house tours on display and—wait for it—you can BUILD YOUR OWN fairy house at the end! [mind blown]

Tracy Kane, the award-winning author and illustrator of the Fairy Houses Series® (which served as the inspiration for the Portsmouth Fairy House Tour), will be at the festival on both days to meet your little fairies (tall and small!) and sign her books. The Southern NH Dance Theater and the NH Theatre Project will be treating you to performances throughout the day at the Prescott Park stage. 

Here are the details on the Fairy House Tour happening on Saturday and Sunday, September 20th and 21st. 

Then we’ll be swinging (or flying on our fairy wings!) over to Salem, MA to tag along on a foodie adventure with Salem Food Tours! We caught up with Karen Scalia of Salem Food Tours at last weekend’s Spice Festival and we are thrilled to discover more about local restaurants, foodie finds, and learn more about local food producers. New England Fall Events and Salem Food Tours share the same passion and mission in doing our part to support local farms, farmers, New England food producers, and small businesses. Check out Salem Food Tours.

New England Foliage Report from our favorite foliage tracker Jeff-Foliage:

Iconic covered bridge in Northfield, VT

This week Jeff Foliage give us a Fall Foliage report from Bethlehem, NH:

"Autumn colors are starting to spring up around every corner here in the northern White Mountain region. While still primarily green across the countryside, splashes of yellow, red and orange are appearing on the…"
 Click here to read Jeff's full report.


New England Fall Events' Top Recommendations for this Weekend's Fall Fun
With so many wonderful events and festivals going on this weekend it keeps getting harder to pare down to a handful of top picks across the region.

Remember, these are just a few of the dozens of terrific and worthy events listed on every New England state’s Fall & Activities guide and Food & Harvest Festival Guide.

Here are our recommended activities for Sept 17-23:

10th Annual Portsmouth NH Fairy House Tour
Portsmouth, NH   Click for event details.
Saturday and Sunday, Sept 20th & 21st, 2014

Harry Potter Day at Escobar’s Highland Farm 
Portsmouth, RI   Click for event details.
Saturday, September 20th, 2014   (rain date: 9/21) And here's a coupon! 
Read about our adventure at Escobar Farm this month.

Taste of Local Apple Edition at Lanni Orchards – FREE
Lunenburg, MA  Click for details.
Saturday and Sunday, September 20th & 21st, 2014

Newington CT Waterfall Festival and Chalk Walk – FREE
Newington, CT  Click for event details.
Saturday, September 20th, 2014 (rain date: 9/27)

FirstWorks Urban Carnevale - FREE
Providence, RI  Click for event details.
Saturday, September 20th, 2014

NH Highland Games and Festival 
Lincoln, NH   Click for event details.
Friday, Saturday & Sunday, Sept 19th – 21st, 2014

Bethel HarvestFest and Chowdah Cookoff
Bethel, ME  Click for event details.
Saturday, September 20th, 2014

Soule Homestead Harvest Fair and Joe Davies Folk Festival
Middleborough, MA  Click for event details.
Saturday & Sunday, September 20th & 21st, 2014

Williston VT Chowder Challenge 
Williston, VT  Click for event details.
Sunday, September  21st, 2014

Heading out apple picking this weekend? 

New England Fall Events has done all the work to bring you complete guides, features, maps, and contact info for your local or vacation-area New England PYO apple orchards. Here are your quick links to the apple picking guides:

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. 

Need help mapping out where to go? New England Fall Events’ state page maps are handy for scrolling and spotting farms near home or near your road-trip destination. Orchard and fall attraction maps for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Remember, always call ahead before heading out to PYO as some farms will adjust their hours for weather or they close to allow more time for fruit to ripen.

Expert Tip # 2 for Apple Picking in New England--With or Without Kids

Expert Tip #2: Make the Most of Time You Have

Peaceful row after row of apple trees
at Highland Farm, Holliston, MA

Sometimes it can seem like the weekend is already spoken for and it can be a challenge to work in your favorite fall activities. Don't stress about it and don't make yourself nuts trying to pack in a storybook day at the orchard if it's really not in the cards. 

Let's be honest, the more ambitious your apple picking plans are, the more time you will need--for travel, for the hot donuts, for the pumpkin patch, for the hayride--and that's all before you even pick your first apple!

If you’re short on time, seek out a local orchard so you can spend your time amongst the rows of fruit, not driving in your car. If you’re really only looking to pick apples—and only apples- select a straightforward orchard that is tailored just to fruit picking. In fact, consult one of our interactive state maps to identify an orchard set apart from the others--why? Less traffic! You won't find yourself bottlenecked with every other orchard-goer heading to the same apple region at the same time.

Find interactive orchard and fall attraction maps for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Tips for Apple Picking with Kids – Sometimes less is more. If your budget doesn’t allow for the pony rides, pumpkin picking, or an ice cream treat at the end, then stick to the still very fun, no- frills, apple-only orchards.

Looking for a guide to help you plan your apple picking this fall?

New England Fall Events has done all the research for and compiled guide, features, maps, and contact info for your local or vacation-area New England PYO apple orchards. 

Here are your quick links to the apple picking guides:

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

We've got you covered with Hayrides, Corn Mazes, Food Festivals, and Fall Events guides for every New England State! Visit New England Fall Events for a complete list of great fall events and family activities.

Expert Tip # 1 for Apple Picking in New England--With or Without Kids

Expert Tips for Apple Picking--With or Without Kids

Absolutely nothing outranks apple picking as the quintessential fall tradition in New England. New Englanders have strong opinions about our favorite orchard and why it’s the one we go to every year. Thankfully, there is no shortage of scenic, charming, and downright special orchards to choose from—truly something for every kind of apple lover. We’re not here to tell you where to go, but these surefire tips will help you savor the experience—with, or without kids in tow.

Expert Tip # 1: 

Find Your Motivation

Whether your plan is to stock up on ripe local fruit for baking pies or simply to have an outdoorsy family outing, if you know what you're looking to get out of the experience you won’t feel overwhelmed by the multitude of fabulous New England orchards and their abundance of offerings and activities. 

Apple picking is fun at every age!

Larger orchards have picnic tables, kitchens, farm stands, ice cream, petting zoos, playgrounds, pumpkin patches, and more. In turn, the larger orchards also tend to be abuzz on the weekends with kids, families, strollers, general noise, lines, and yep, traffic. Still, you can certainly have a blast at this special kind of all-day adventure but be prepared for added stimulation.

If you are seeking to make a full day out of your trip to the orchard, find a farm that has more than one activity to enjoy.

Remember, smaller or moderate-sized farms, particularly those just outside of “apple country” can also provide you with very sweet experience, even without the “extras.” Look for a farm that features apples....and pretty much just apples...and you will be treated to a distraction-free visit to pick a peck of juicy, crunchy apples. It's a different kind of experience and you will need to be willing to forgo the hayrides and the maybe even the cider donuts.

Tips for Avoiding the Apple Picking Crowds – If you can, go on a weekday afternoon after the school field trips and buses have departed.

Remember, always call ahead before heading out to PYO as some farms will adjust their hours for weather or they close to allow more time for fruit to ripen.

Looking for a guide to help you plan your apple picking this fall?

New England Fall Events has done all the research for and compiled guide, features, maps, and contact info for your local or vacation-area New England PYO apple orchards. 

Here are your quick links to the apple picking guides:

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

New England Fall Events allows you to scroll and spot farm locations on the interactive state maps to help you plot out and plan your trip! 

Find orchard and fall attraction maps for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

We've got you covered with Hayrides, Corn Mazes, Food Festivals, and Fall Events guides for every New England State! Visit New England Fall Events for a complete list of great fall events and family activities.