Best Places for Apple and Pumpkin Picking this Fall

Date Published: August 13, 2019

Fall is just around the corner, which  means bring on the crisp apples, sweet cider donuts and perfect pumpkins! Farms are the perfect one-day getaway destination. Enjoy the scenic country views and the brilliant colors of fall while roaming our orchards and pumpkin patches. Your day at the farm is sure to bring wonderful memories with family and friends.

Dutchess County is fortunate to have many pick-your-own farms and farm stands where you can get the freshest produce to savor on the spot or turn into an amazing culinary creation! Groups are welcome and some farms also host Fall Festivals on weekends where you can enjoy hay rides, pony rides, live music, barbecue and more.

If you're in New York City and looking for an easy, car-less getaway, take advantage of our Farm Fresh Tours with Metro-North Railroad and Escapemaker.com. 

Barton Orchards, a working family farm in Poughquag. 2019 Festival weekends: Family Fun Weekend (9/7-8); Oktoberfest (9/14-15); Fall Festival (9/21-22); Jack O’Lantern Jubilee (9/28-29); Country Music Jamboree (10/5-6); Harvest Fair (10/12-14); Boos & Brews (10/19-20) and Trick or Treat Weekend (10/26-27) .  Pick-your-own plus Petting Zoo, Corn Maze, Haunted House, Rotten Core Manor, Midway to shop, eat and play, and Fun Park, with its bounce houses, labyrinth, Go-karts, slides and more. Enjoy a delicious bite to eat in Granny Smith’s Kitchen or the Farm Market & Fudge Kitchen. Hear live music on multiple stages. Sip a craft beer or cider in their Backyard Tap Room. There’s endless fun at their many attractions and games. Open 7 days a week. 63 Apple Tree Lane, Poughquag. 845-227-2306.

Cedar Heights Orchard has been family owned for more than 150 years. Pick your own heirloom apples with the beautiful Catskills as a backdrop. The orchard grows Galas, Cortlands, Gala, Jonamacs, Empires, Macouns and Red Delicious. New varieties include Liberty and Gold Rush. 9am-5pm, 7 days. 8 Crosby Lane, Rhinebeck. 845-876-3231.

Dykeman’s Farm invites you to choose your Halloween pumpkins gourds, and decorative fall items at this 4th generation family farm! There are plenty of in season vegetables, photo spots and a kids’ play area. Hayrides on October weekends only, but the farm stand with fresh picked corn is open 7 days. 10am-5pm. Feed the ducks and enjoy the farm! West Dover Rd., Pawling. 845-832-6068

Fishkill Farms.  40 acres of apples, fruits, vegetables and pasture-raised eggs. Check out harvest festival fun on weekends September 7 through the end of October with live music, wagon rides, corn maze, fresh donuts, fresh & hard cider and apple picking (Eco-Certified Gala, Fuji, Cortland, Macoun, McIntosh, Jonamac, Jonagold, & Spartan apples). Buy fresh fruits and veggies right from the farm, artisanal cheeses, local meats, honey and maple syrup, and a full stock of NYS produced cider, wine, beer and liquor. The back porch has stunning views of the fields and mountains; picnic during store hours. Festivals Sat.-Sun. 9am-5pm, $5/person, kids 12 & under free. Farm market 7 days 9am – 6pm. Fishkill Farm Road, Hopewell Junction. 845-897-4377.

Hahn Farm.  Enjoy hay rides, hay maze & fort, corn mazes, and rides on Patches the pony. Then head for the pumpkin patch! This farm has been in the family since 1798.  Fall festivals on ​the weekend with food and refreshments, 11am-5pm; charge for activities. Farm Market with apples & other fruits & veggies. Open daily 9:30am-6pm. 1697 Salt Point Turnpike, Salt Point, 12578. 845-266-3680.

Hardeman Orchards is a family owned & operated farm stand & orchard, featuring pick-your-own apples with complimentary hay ride to the orchard & pumpkins, homemade apple cider donuts, & much more! Farm store is open 9am-6pm Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. 193 W Market St., Red Hook, 12571. (845) 656-8538

Rose Hill Farm has been in the same family for more than 200 years. They embrace holistic growing practices that focus on plant and soil health. Apples are available for picking. Check their website for their picking schedule. You can also pick raspberries until October and peaches until mid- to late-September. Open Thursday – Sunday from 8am – 4pm.  19 Rose Hill Farm, Red Hook. 845-758-4215.

Greig Farm offers picking of Jonamac, MacIntosh, Gala, Macoun, Empire, Ginger Gold, Jonagold, Staymen and Rome apples, beginning in early September to late October.  Pumpkins are available for picking in late September through early November. Greig’s Farm isn’t just known for its delicious fruit; you can also visit and feed the pygmy goats near the barn. Hudson Valley Farmer’s Market has a daily market there open 9am-7pm, 7 days/week. 227 Pitcher Lane, Red Hook. 845-758-1234.

McEnroe Organic Farm Market  offers certified organic vegetables and meats, specialty items and soils. With 1000 acres, McEnroe Farm produces fruits and vegetables and raises beef, lamb, pork, poultry and plants. The Farm Market is open every day from 9am – 6pm and their offerings are sourced from their own farm as well as from local purveyors. The McEnroe Market Café menu highlights their products in their sandwiches, soups, roasts, prepared dinners, baked goods, and vegetarian dishes. They also offer educational tours, a Discovery Garden and composting tips. Check out the King's Highway Cider Shack on the weekends. Route 22, Millerton. 518-789-4191

Meadowbrook Farm, a three-generation family farm and market, makes soft apple cider donuts on premises every day! Let their fresh pressed apple cider quench your thirst. Products include cider, sweet corn, tomatoes, salsa, homemade pies and baked goods, eggs, honey, maple syrup, jams and jellies. Open daily. Pick-your-own apples on weekends only. 29 Old Myers Corners Road, Wappinger Falls. 845-297-3002.

Mead Orchards, a picturesque, 180-acre fruit orchard and vegetable farm since 1916, grows 40 varieties of apples, winter squashes, pumpkins, and gourds! Pick-your-own apples and pumpkins weekends only. Or stock up on pre-picked seasonal fruit, veggies, and more at their weekend farm stand. Open 10am-6pm weekends and Columbus Day, Monday Oct 8. 15 Scism Rd., Tivoli. 845-756-5641.

Farm Markets Where They’ve Already Picked For You!

Montgomery Place Orchards, in its 32nd year under Doug and Talea Taylor, who follow tenants dating back to the 1700s. MPO offers a wide range of already picked fruits and vegetables at their Wayside Stand, with close to seventy varieties of apples, many of them antique/heirloom.  Wednesday-Sunday, 9am-6pm. Located 3miles north of Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, 4330 Rte. 9G, Red Hook (cor. of Rte. 199 & 9G). 845-758-5476.

Adams Fairacre Farms. If you don’t have time to pick your own, purchase some on your way home! The abundance, the amazing variety and the enormous scope of offerings are unparalleled in the area. Shop a huge selection of locally produced foods—cheeses, baked goods, dairy products, meats, produce and chocolates. They started as a family farm stand in 1919 and now have four stores. 845-454-4330.