Apple Day Across America: 50 States, 50 Activities for Kids & Families to Explore
Updated: Oct 5
By Carol Nelson | Nelson Notes
An apple can take you surprisingly far: into an orchard, through a museum, along a mountain road—or, perhaps best of all, into family memories made while baking together or cuddling up with a wonderful seasonal book.
When my kids were little, we visited an apple orchard nearly every year. Each child wore jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt—we hoped to keep the bees at bay—and carried a little bag, ready to fill it with apples. But the wide-eyed excitement? They brought that all on their own.
We called our yearly excursions, "Apple Day," and today - I'm sharing this excitement with you!
What I didn't know back then was that there is actually an official "Apple Day." The official day began in Britain on October 21, 1990, when Common Ground launched a celebration of apples, orchards, and an effusive gathering of people to celebrate the same. The day includes tastings and graftings, poetry readings and plays, and of course - eating. What a lovely idea to borrow! Take a day to celebrate something commonplace, explore its story, and enjoy it together.
Here in America, you can make your own Apple Day on October 21—or whenever you like! This guide offers one thoughtfully chosen starting point in every state: orchards, cider mills, museums, festivals, libraries, and a few unexpected discoveries.
Of course, this is a list curated from afar. I haven’t personally visited these destinations, so consider this your invitation to share your local knowledge! Know a wonderful apple outing we’ve missed? Write to us with your favorite places and traditions so we can keep making this guide better together.
Whether you are an adult or a child, celebrating the commonplace is a way to bring a little joy into a day—and make that one day a special day. If you are a parent and your children attend public school, private school, or homeschool, a little apple exploring can fit into a brisk autumn weekend, a day off, or even into a bedtime read-aloud.
Bring the learning home: Our free Apple Day Mini Unit brings together all sorts of ideas and it's completely free - more celebratory, right? This mini unit features books, apple anatomy, patterns, and a gluten-free apple crumble recipe, and it is especially suited for Pre-K - Grade 2. Pick one activity or make a little day of it.
Find your state
This isn't a ranked guide, Instead, it's just a collection of a variety of fun things you might do to celebrate apple day in each state. Follow each link for current information including harvest times, opportunities to pick apples, admission fees, and festivals. Check before you travel!
Jump to your State:
Alabama to Georgia: Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia
Hawaii to Maryland: Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland
Massachusetts to New Jersey: Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey
New Mexico to South Carolina: New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina
South Dakota to Wyoming: South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
Alabama–Georgia
Alabama
Scott’s Orchard | Hazel Green. Get a bag, a wagon, and pick-your-own apples at this fun orchard farm store which also features a play area, bounce pad, and more. Try choosing different types of apples for snacking, baking, and graphing activities.
Alaska
Clark’s Apple Orchard | Anchorage. Apples in Alaska? Yes! This small you-pick orchard lists several apple varieties, shares a tree map and teaches you about "apple etiquette." It also has a section with recipes! While you cook, check out their map and imagine how an orchard survives a northern winter.
Arizona
Apple Annie’s | Willcox. Pick apples in the Sulphur Springs Valley, where elevation brings warm days and cool nights. This terrific site boasts special events including an Apple Cider Donut Weekend and "My-Oh-My Apple Pie Weekend." A lovely place to explore critical thinking questions like: How can Arizona be both desert country and apple country?
Arkansas
Ozarks & More. The Ozarks have a long apple-growing history and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas has a wonderful article on the Apple Industry. Arkansas’s orchard and farm-market guide. Shop for seasonal apples, then learn more about the apple economy. Confirm current stock directly.
California
Los Rios Rancho | Oak Glen. Explore a historic apple farm in Southern California’s mountain orchard country or even book events there and give the guests bags of apples as a parting gift! Make it a little history outing: what might an apple harvest have looked like a century ago?
Colorado
A YA Farm & Orchard | Longmont. Heirloom apples on a historic farm as well as an interesting little farm of animals including "Percheron Draft Horses, mini-donkeys, chickens and peacocks" give this stop its character! Ask what makes an apple an “heirloom.”
Connecticut
Lyman Orchards | Middlefield. Pick apples overlooking the Connecticut River Valley, then explore the Apple Barrel market. Let children read tips on the website for storing and freezing, and create a plan for the apples you bring home!
Delaware
Fifer’s | Camden-Wyoming. Apple picking, a farm store, and seasonal farm fun make this a destination for Fall Festivals from September through November. The website encourages visitors to “eat, shop, pick and play.” Consider giving kids an allowance for this excursion and making it a mini-budgeting opportunity: “If you buy lunch here, will you still have enough for apples there?”
Florida
Dade City Farms | Dade City, near Tampa. Enjoy a little autumn, Florida-style. Fresh apple cider donuts, tractor hayrides, pumpkins, and farm animals make this a cheerful stop for a family fall excursion. Come hungry, wander together, and let an apple treat be part of the memory! This is a seasonal fall festival rather than an apple-picking orchard; check the website for dates and tickets.
Georgia
Mercier Orchards | Blue Ridge. Join the Mercier Family who have "dedicated our lives to growing apples for more than 80 years"! U-Pick apple season features multiple varieties, and a tractor ride into the orchard makes the journey part of the fun. Part of the beauty of this excursion? The North Georgia mountains, trees, and blue skies!
Hawaii–Maryland
Hawaii
Mountain Apples: The Complete Guide To Growing and Harvesting (malay apple)| Statewide. Mountain apples aren't your typical apple! Mountain apples thrive in the tropics, and homesteaders and curious kids alike will find all sorts of information about the history, steps for growing, and what to do with a Mountain apple harvest HERE.
Idaho
Cabalo’s Orchard & Gardens | Kuna. Browse a small family farm’s seasonal offerings, including apples. Make the market your starting point and compare varieties at home. At our September 2026 check, the farm reported no apple U-pick after a freeze; purchased apples still offer plenty to explore.
Illinois
Eckert’s Belleville Farm | Belleville. Just minutes from St. Louis, this excursion brings the Illinois apple harvest within reach. This handy site explains just what you need to do to pick just the right apple off the tree: "Choose apples that are free of bruises, fragrant, firm to the touch, and then just pull and twist." Following directions is a key skill for any age, so practice directions in the car even before you arrive!
Indiana
County Line Orchard | Hobart. Apple picking and seasonal farm attractions make this a lively outing near the Chicago region. Go apple picking, attend weekend activities like Barnyard Jams and "Peter Pumpkin Eating Dino." Some kids are amazing at creating their own songs - give them fun ideas based on Barnyards Jams or the memories they make with fun family events like this.
Iowa
Wilson’s Orchard & Farm | Iowa City. Explore the farm and its orchard setting. Part of the farm is open to everyone, while a small admission fee gives access to a corn maze, kids’ playground, and you-pick activities. Use the farm map to let a child become the navigator, then enjoy a hike and a little reward at the end—a lovely way to spend a fall weekend.
Kansas
Cider Hill Family Orchard | Kansas City, Kansas. Apple picking, hayrides, and seasonal treats invite a slower family afternoon. This location boasts not just apples but cider donuts, kettle corn, slushies, and ducks! Study the seasons and discuss how local businesses provide seasonal offerings, like weddings, to keep a seasonal business thriving.
Kentucky
Evans Orchard & Cider Mill | Georgetown. Fresh-picked apples in the market and a cider-mill setting make a welcoming harvest stop. Enjoy fried apples, cider slushies, and a haunted corn maze! Use this stop as an opportunity to research recipes for slushies or unusual apple treats to make at home.
Louisiana
LSU AgCenter’s Southern Apple Story | Statewide; online. “Don’t Give Up on Apples” explores efforts to recover and test old Southern varieties. Older children can follow a real agricultural mystery; younger ones can draw the apple tree they would like to grow.
Maine
Maine Heritage Orchard | Unity. This ten acre preservation orchard is all about educating the community about innovative organic orchard practices. Promoting healthy apples and protecting the ecosystem is pretty fancy - the staff here analyzes and catalogs DNA of all the trees here and throughout the state. For older students, this is a great time to study DNA and why understanding plant and animal DNA can help protect ecosystems.
Maryland
Baugher’s Orchards & Farms | Westminster.
An orchard market and seasonal picking is more than just an orchard - it's a bakery, restaurant, and "a fun filled day in the country." Their website is filled with fun facts about why fresh is best, which apple varieties are best in winter, and how apples are shipped from orchard to store. This provides a great idea for taste testing store and orchard apples - which is best and why?
Massachusetts–New Jersey
Massachusetts
New England Botanic Garden's Historic Apple Orchard | Boylston. "The Frank L. Harrington Orchard preserves a historic collection of 119 heirloom apples represented by 268 trees." This selection was started in the Great Depression, and features heirloom apple varieties. Discuss stewardship, conservation, and the moments historical figures took to preserve history for future generations.
Michigan
Franklin Cider Mill | Franklin area. A historic mill, fresh cider, and warm doughnuts make this a delicious alternative to picking. Watch fresh apples pressed into cider, visit a water wheel, and if you join over the weekend - listen to jazz after visiting the Apple Shack! Consider ways to create a cider stand or lemonade stand in your own neighborhood!
Minnesota
Arboretum AppleHouse | Chanhassen area, near Chaska. Minnesota-grown apples include varieties from the nearby Horticultural Research Center. This is a wonderful starting point for wondering how people develop a new apple. "AppleHouse also offers delicious Goldy’s Smokehouse meats, ice cream and Bee Lab honey from the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Science (CFANS)."
Mississippi
Pierce Century Farm| Hillsboro. Pick your produce, purchase from the market or join one of the Fall Farm Days or Homeschool Family Days! This farm has a five- generation long History! Do the math to figure out how many years five generation is, then consider making a family tree to learn more about the generations in your family!
Missouri
Apple Butter Makin' Days | Mount Vernon. Watch apple butter being made the old-fashioned way at Apple Butter Makin' Days, where apples cook for hours in huge copper kettles over an open fire. Visitors can even take a turn stirring with a long wooden paddle! This Missouri tradition has been celebrated since 1967 and also includes an apple pie contest, parade, games, crafts, and plenty of unusual festival fun. Find an apple butter recipe and compare it with applesauce: How are the ingredients, cooking time, texture, and taste different?
Montana
McIntosh Apple Day | Hamilton. Ravalli County Museum’s apple celebration brings together local history, apple treats, and community festivities. This is an especially lovely American echo of the British idea: a place celebrating its own apple story.
Nebraska
Apple Jack Festival| Nebraska City. Join 80,000 apple lovers at this apple-themed festival featuring craft shows, carnival rides, apple pies, Caramel-covered apples, and even apple tours. Write a journal article about your ideas for creating an apple festival!
Nevada
Historic Lehman Orchard | Great Basin National Park. Explore a historic orchard in the Nevada desert, where apples, apricots, peaches, and pears once provided food and income for a pioneer family and the surrounding community. "The orchard was likely planted in the 1890s soon after Absalom S. Lehman settled near Lehman Caves." If you could write a story about a settler who planted an orchard, and lived in the desert near a cave - what would you write?
New Hampshire
Appleview Orchard | Pittsfield. Take an orchard tour to learn about apple varieties, the history of the orchard, cider making, and even the proper way to pick an apple! Afterward, visit the farm animals, take a hayride, or try the orchard’s online apple quiz. Pick two different apple varieties and conduct your own taste test. Which is sweeter, crisper, juicier—or better for baking?
New Jersey
Riamede Farm | Chester. Visit Riamede Farm for farm fun, tasty treats and photo ops. Buy tickets for Apple Days to pick pumpkins off the vine, apples off the trees, and flowers from the farm's garden. Listen to live music, take a wagon ride, or try out their tasty apple cider donuts! When going on a wagon ride, consider what it would have been like for original settlers to travel by wagon!
New Mexico–South Carolina
New Mexico
Los Luceros Historic Site | Alcalde. Explore the apple orchard at this historic ranch along the Rio Grande, where thousands of apple trees once grew! Visit for the fall Harvest Festival and apple picking, or explore online to learn about the orchard and Northern New Mexico's history. How many ways can you find that land, agriculture, and culture connect?
New York
LaFayette Apple Festival | LaFayette. Watch apples become cider at the LaFayette Apple Festival, where children can even help operate an antique cider press! Apple pies, an apple pancake breakfast, fresh apples, and plenty of family activities make this a true celebration of New York's apple harvest. At home, draw the steps an apple takes from tree to cider—or try writing them as directions for someone else to follow.
North Carolina
Horne Creek Farm's Southern Heritage Apple Orchard| Pinnacle. This historical working farm enables families to experience what farm life would have been like in the early 1900s by viewing farm animals, a tobacco curing barn, a corn crib, and of course an apple orchard!
North Dakota
North Dakota Community Orchards | Statewide. North Dakota has more than 20 community orchards planted with apples, plums, pears, berries, and other fruits—and they're intended to provide both free fresh fruit and educational opportunities. Use the state's interactive map to find an orchard, then make your Apple Day a scavenger hunt: how many different fruits, trees, and berry bushes can you identify?
Ohio
The Johnny Appleseed Educational Center and Museum | Urbana. Learn about the legend of Johnny Appleseed with the "world's largest collection of memorabilia and information about the life of John "Appleseed" Chapman." This site boasts a memorial orchard, a Bible purported to be Johnny's own, and a lovely children's garden. Print your photos to make a family collage of memories!
Oklahoma
Livesay Orchards | Porter. Pick apples and explore Fall Harvest Fun at this working Oklahoma farm. Challenge yourself to a corn maze, follow a storybook trail, take a hayride, or wander through the sunflower field. Draw your own imaginary corn maze for a family member or friend.
Oregon
Kiyokawa Family Orchards | Mount Hood. Explore an orchard growing an astonishing variety of apples and pears—and, during its annual apple tasting, sample more than 80 apple varieties! Instead of simply choosing your favorite, invent your own apple awards: Best Crunch, Strangest Name, Best Pie Apple, Sweetest, Tartest, or Apple Most Likely to Surprise You.
Pennsylvania
National Apple Museum | Biglerville. An apple museum in a restored pre-Civil War bank barn makes a memorable history stop. Explore how growing, packing, and selling fruit shaped a community. This museum even includes a "Delicious Apple Podcast." Listen to podcasts, explore the website, and build excitement even before your visit!
Rhode Island
Coggeshall Farm Museum | Bristol. At the annual Harvest Festival, families can taste heirloom apples, watch cider being made, learn about the apple trees, ride in a horse-drawn wagon, see working oxen, and even hear the story of Johnny Appleseed. Coggeshall Farm Museum After the heirloom apple tasting, invent an apple name of your own. What would it look and taste like—and what would you call it?
South Carolina
Windy Hill Orchard | York. Create your own tradition with Windy Hill Orchard & Cidery. Pick your own apples, watch for fresh-pressed cider, and enjoy warm cider doughnuts at this South Carolina orchard. Try an apple-to-cider investigation: before tasting the cider, predict how many apples you think it takes to make a gallon. Then find out—and calculate how many apples your family might need to press its own pitcher.
South Dakota–Wyoming
South Dakota
Country Apple Orchard | Harrisburg. An orchard, country store, and seasonal fall festival make this a lively family destination. Take a tractor train ride, pick your own apples, and visit the marketplace! This site has all sorts of creative activities including MegaChess, Rubber Duck Races,120ft POET Corn Pit, Wild Tree Tube Tunnel, Grain Cart Basketball, and more! If you could invent an activity for this orchard, what would you invent?
Tennessee
Jones Orchard | Millington. Seasonal pick-your-own fruit and roadside markets show how a working farm connects with its community. Jones Orchard is just 10 miles from Memphis, and they have over 600 acres of produce. Jelly sales and "Fall Fun Events" are part of their offerings. Do a little research and then do the math - how much produce does just one acre produce? If you had an acre, what would you grow?
Texas
Love Creek Orchards | Medina. This orchard began with a mission to share "a taste of Texas Hill Country" with apple treats including pies, strudels, apple butter, cider, and even apple cinnamon ice cream. Love Creek Orchards also has some great gift options: You can order Apple Pie Delight, Billionaire Pie, and Jam Boxes! Find a bake sale and bake and name your own treats - think about pricing, boxing, and supply channels!
Utah
Torrey Apple Days | Torrey. Celebrate apples with a wonderfully quirky small-town July tradition at Torrey Apple Days. Children can even build apple boats and race them down the canal along Main Street during the Apple Derby! Make your own apple boat and think like an engineer: what could you modify to help your apple float straighter or travel faster?
Vermont
Scott Farm Orchard's Heirloom Apple Day | Dummerston. Celebrate apples at Heirloom Apple Day. This historic farm grows more than 100 varieties of heirloom apples, and its annual celebration invites non-profits and other exhibitors to cider tastings, apple displays, talks by apple historians, children's activities, and even music. Choose the apple with the strangest name you can find, then invent a story explaining how you think it got its name.
Virginia
Monticello | Charlottesville. Thomas Jefferson named the Taliaferro apple the best for making cider. Jefferson wrote a letter from Paris comparing the fruits of Paris with those of Virginia and explained the superiority of the "Newtown Pippin." This trip is a great opportunity to write a letter about your visit to your grandparents, a neighbor, or another person who would love a letter!
Washington
Washington State Apple Blossom Festival | Wenatchee. Spread out your apple love to other seasons by joining Washington State's oldest festival, which is held in spring. The festival includes carnival rides, games, live entertainment - all in the midst of apple blossom season. Draw pictures of apple blossoms, study the importance of bees during pollination, and explore all four seasons of the apple tree!
West Virginia
Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival | Martinsburg. Celebrate West Virginia's orchard heritage at a festival whose roots stretch back to apple carnivals held in Martinsburg in the 1890s. Today's festival includes an apple-pie baking contest, agricultural activities, a parade, and even a historical Johnny Appleseed performer. There's also an unusual bit of mythology to explore: the festival crowns Queen Pomona, named for the Roman goddess of fruit trees and orchards. Look up Pomona and design your own apple-festival crown. What symbols would you put on it?
Wisconsin
Gays Mills Apple Festival | Gays Mills. Celebrate the apple harvest in a Wisconsin village surrounded by orchards. The annual Apple Festival spreads throughout town with a parade, carnival, music, dancing, food and festivities—and the website includes an orchard map, so families can turn the festival into an apple-country excursion. Give students a map and let them plan the route: which orchard would they visit first, second, and third, and why?
Wyoming
Apple Fest at the Fremont County Pioneer Museum | Lander. Lander was once known as “Apple City” because of the orchards that flourished there. Apple Fest brings that nearly forgotten history back to life with an old-fashioned cider press in action, apple activities, orchard history, and an apple-pie contest. Imagine you are designing a sign for the old “Apple City.” What would you put on it to convince travelers to stop in Lander?
Apple Activities for Kids & Families: Make a Little Apple Day of Your Own
You do not need a full itinerary. Pick one place, one book, or one bag of apples—and make a little adventure out of an ordinary apple:
Read: Pair an apple story with a nonfiction book about trees or growing food.
Notice: Cut an apple crosswise and look at the pattern inside.
Compare: Taste two varieties. Use words such as crisp, juicy, tart, mild, or fragrant.
Make: Bake something together, measuring and reading as you go.
Remember: Invite each person to share one discovery at dinner.
These apple activities for kids can be as simple as sorting, patterns, and learning apple parts. Older children can explore geography, family businesses, food transport, climate, or the science behind apple varieties.
Our free Apple Day Mini Unit gives you a simple place to begin, with books, an apple-parts activity, cut-and-paste patterns, and a gluten-free apple crumble recipe.
One apple. A little curiosity. Plenty to explore.
Learn. Improve. Grow.
If you want to stay connected with us
and get more free resources just like this:
If you are a parent, teacher, or student in need of support services,
feel free to get in touch!
Comments