Adventure #11: Apple Orchard

In order to enjoy a gorgeous fall weekend day, we decided to visit an apple farm!  One of the great things about living very close to a rural area is the access to farm stands, pumpkin patches, Christmas tree farms, and all that good, fun stuff.  The one downside, it occasionally smells a little like cows outside.  And by a little, I mean a lot.  

We drove about 5 minutes from our house to Oregon Heritage Farms.  If you have driven down Scholls Ferry Road you may have noticed their cute rhyming signs that lead you to their front gate.  This farm is not a u-pick, but picking the fruit sounds suspiciously like work, so I am great with just purchasing at their quaint store.

We have a routine when we go, explore the grounds, then hit the store.  We start with the animals, goats and pigs are live in pens right next to their field.  And, if you head to the far back fence, there are some secret horses.  No one seems to notice these beauties, but we head over there every time we go.  They usually will let Noah pet their noses.

After our animal visit, we climb into the hay ride wagon!  Then we go through the hay bale maze.   Owen loves the hay bale maze, which as you can see from the photos is intended for children.  Noah doesn't like walking around the grounds too much.  Uneven ground makes him feel especially unsteady.

We finish up in front and I head to the store with Noah while Geoff takes Owen to the bouncy apple.  If you don't mind being crammed into an apple shaped bounce house with billion kids that you have seen no where else on the farm grounds, then this is for you.  It is a little to much for Noah and I so we gather serveral different apple varieties to purchase.  We also browse the cute store with other produce and crafts.   We grab the kids honey sticks, bag up our apples and head home.  Fun Autumn adventure for just the price of some apples!


If you go:  2 apple farms that are close enough to each other that you can easily do both in one outing.  They both have upcoming festivals, but are also open each weekend for impromptu farm fun.





Apple Fest at Oregon Heritage Farms -http://www.oregonheritagefarm.com/
Sunday, October 9th
22801 SW Scholls Ferry Road, Hillsboro, Oregon 97123. Phone: 503-628-2775. We will have Good Old Country Music, Face painting, Hay Rides and other activities to help raise funds for the Aloha and Southridge High School Ski Teams. 


Heirloom Apple Festival at Smith Berry Barn -http://www.smithberrybarn.com/scripts/openExtra.asp?extra=6
Saturday, October 16th and Sunday October 17th
24500 SW Scholls Ferry Road, Hillsboro, Oregon, 97123 Phone: 503-628-2172. Many other fruits, vegetables and nuts, honey, jam, hayrides, country store open daily thru Dec. 23, & more. Local crafts, antiques, gifts, and much more. We also feature herbs, perennials, and hanging baskets.  March - Dec. 23, Monday to Saturday. 9 am to 7pm, Sunday 10am-5pm ,