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I've lived in reno for 4 years and every fall I hear people begin to talk about Apple Hill again.
This year, I decided to be one of them.
I did a bunch of research online as to which farms would be best for my group and I and then we set off on our adventure in the early morning hours of a Saturday.
We arrived to our first farm by 9:15AM. We left the Apple Hill area around 2PM.
Overall, had the instructions on the site been more specific for the shuttle, I would have been WAY happier. Instead, we couldn't find the shuttle parking / main area and wound up driving to several farms. BAD IDEA.
My review would have been 5 stars if I had taken the shuttle - guaranteed.
I had read up enough to know it would be busy... what I didn't know is that the people directing traffic and parking would have NO idea what they were doing.
Abel's Apple Acres - overall fun and AMAZING apple donuts.
High Hill Ranch / Fudge Factory Farms - Not affiliated but a one stop combo. Read my detailed review for more info. Parking = horrible. Fudge = excellent. Hay ride = nostalgia. Cider Mill = cool. Yummy apple juice. Leaving = sigh of relief.
Boa Vista Orchard - Ate tri-tip sandwiches here for lunch. Awesome price. Awesome food. Easy parking. Tons of people.
Apple Ridge Farms - AMAZING dutch apple pie. Great U Pick pumpkins - we got a 20#er for $13 and 12#er for $6. Not bad. Cute area. Easy parking.
Glad I did it once, but i'll pass until I have kids to take.
Making the drive up to Apple Hill is always a good experience. Being surrounded by nature is always calming. There are lots of places to stop by in the area with shops everywhere. It's just fun to drive through all of the roads in the area.
Apple Hill is a great day trip for both kids and adults from the Sacramento area. My favorite place to visit is Plubell's Family Orchard, which has all the great apple pies and goodies, as well as a pumpkin patch, good lunch foods, animals you can feed, and a beautiful property overall (go check out their page for my full review).
*TIP* there's a FREE shuttle bus that takes you from farm to farm on the weekends in October. It was totally empty when I went on a Sunday, which really surprised me. It has a couple of places you can park your car and pick up the shuttle, which runs every 15 minutes from 10am-5pm and has 2 bus lines (red and green) that take you to different farms. It's a great resource that more people should take advantage of! Parking can be tough at some farms, and it's such a waste to do all that driving when you can take a bus.
More info at: http://www.applehill.c...
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What a great place to visit, all year long (but do pay attention to which locations are seasonal, or only wholesale). Lots of activities for the kids (at least seasonally) and adults should have a great time all year long, especially if going for some food and wine.
During harvest season, be sure to try the specialities of each location - but be sure to plan for an entire day, two, or three to see everything without rushing. Also, be sure to get one of the maps, because Apple Hill is a collection of locations\stores\orchards\ranches - and you may want to focus on, or ignore certain locations, as well as pay close attention to hours and the different notations about differences. For example, don't pass up the offerings from the wholesale locations - so do seek out where they're sold (such as Apple Hill's Barsotti Juice Company and sold in many local grocery stores).
Loses one star for a combination of two gripes. Basically, I live somewhat locally, so I see both the benefits and the problems of Apple Hill:
1) Lots of extra traffic, auto exhaust, littering, rude out of towners, etc. during prime Apple Hill season.
2) Apple trees love the climate and elevation, but like many new wineries in the area - clear cutting, chemicals, etc. now exists, instead of oak trees, cedar trees, pines, etc. I know, I know it's always "not in my backyard," huh?
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Duuuuude!
apples, apple wine, apple beer, apple doughnuts, apple pie, apple milkshakes, apple butter, apple cider, apple art, apples with fudge, The Apple Cafe, apple picking, apple fries...
I love fall! I know my peeps in L.A. probably don't make it up to Placerville much, but this place is rad. Most stands even had their little rabbit ear t.v.'s playing the Niners game, that was cool.
The best part for me was the numerous wineries. Yeah, the wines had a bit of an earthy taste if you ask me, but I ate grapes right off the vines and the owners of these wineries are so cool. There is a couple from Alaska who runs the Illuminarie Winery, knew nothing about wine when they started and were so cool. We drank wine and ripped on the Palin Clan.
Even downtowm Placerville is like stepping out of the Old West. Make it up there if you can.
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After all the signs told me to go here I finally went with my man. My Sactown magazine mentioned Apple Hill, a fellow yelper mentioned Apple Hill, then Good Day Sacramento mentioned Apple Hill ... all the signs were telling me that I HAD to go! Apple Hill is not a city or a type of geographic location, rather it is a union of apple orchards and Christmas tree farms about 40 minutes north east of Sacramento. It was like going to an apple food festival except you're driving to different orchards around the area. Think of it as Northern Cali wine country, except apples and other various fruits.
Our first stop was Abel's Acres Orchards where we bought pumpkin apple bread and apple butter. We also shared a candied apple (caramel, chocolate, nuts) and had a chicken apple walnut sandwich. This orchard had pony rides for the kids, sold freshly made pies, and tons of wooden cut outs to take pictures in. (Note to self: Don't ever buy a candied apple unless it's from Apple Hill).
We also checked out Boa Vista Orchards, which was the most crowded of the places we visited. We did wine tasting and ended up buying apple wine and kandie apple wine. We also went a little nuts and bought guava jam, apple pomegranate jelly, apple donut, apple cookie, apple brownie, and washed it down with spiced cider. Next time we go we will buy some pies.
We also checked out High Hill Ranch which was also just as crowded but much bigger. Next to it was the Fudge Factory which was so crowded that you couldn't see the floor. I was disappointed by the chaos in there and had to get out.
I can't wait to check this place out again since we only checked out 5% of what Apple Hill has to offer! The best time to go is in October so you can take advantage of their free shuttle.
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I love, love , love Apple Hill! We go every Fall to gorge on all things Apple. I cannot give Apple Hill five stars, though, because the crowds are just outrageous! The traffic, the lines, the pushing and shoving--you have to be pretty dedicated to eating lots of apples, or you are not going to have a fun time here. And anybody who dislikes crowds or long lines should definitely stay at home.
That said, I LOVE APPLE HILL! If I were more dedicated, I might go through and review each orchard individually, but I really don't feel like doing that, because I have been to many, many orchards in Apple Hill. So here is a list of my favorites:
High Hill: Number one on the Apple Hill map, and right off the highway, this is the largest of all the orchards and also the busiest. You will kill about 30 minutes in your car just trying to get into this place. Every year I'm tempted to skip it, but I never can because this is where we get APPLE CIDER MILKSHAKES. I loves me some apple cider milkshakes. We also buy our cider here.
Boa Vista: Not far from High Hill, so the traffic is pretty bad for this orchard, too. They have the best selection of produce, if that's what you're looking for, and a great selection of jarred foods. We always stop here to get our pumpkin apple butter, a variety of jams, and maybe some olives. I usually nab a caramel apple here, too.
Rainbow Orchards: Three words--APPLE CIDER DOUGHNUTS! I would make the trip to Apple Hill for these doughnuts alone. They are so good fresh and warm; we usually just sit and gorge ourselves on a dozen before they get cold, knowing that once we take them home, they aren't going to be nearly as heavenly. They also have really good corndogs here.
Plubell's Family Orchards: We usually come here for the petting zoo and the pumpkins and the tire swing, but I have to say they seem to be slacking a bit. Our visit here this year wasn't nearly as enjoyable as it usually is. They just don't seem to be trying very hard.
Abel's Apple Acres: Pony rides and a hay maze make this a great place for kids, plus they have outstanding pies and fudge. Good BBQ here, too. I am guessing that they have good apple fritters, but I can only guess because every time I come here, they are out of them.
Grandpa's Cellar: My favorite place for pies. They have an amazing selection! It's also a beautiful place for a picnic.
And there are also some disappointing orchards...
Larsen Apple Barn: I HEAR they have amazing apple turnovers here, but I wouldn't know because they are ALWAYS CLOSED!
Bavarian Hills Orchard: I like it when they do their little Octoberfest thing, but they are SO SLOOOOOW that I no longer bother with this place. You can stand in line there for an hour!
Kids Inc.: We visited this orchard for the first time this year, and I have to agree with other reviewers--there aren't many great things for kids here. Kind of boring, actually. I think Abel's is a much better place for kids.
Any of the Christmas Tree Farms: I got the swell idea one year that if Fall was so fun at Apple Hill, going Christmas Tree hunting would be, too. WRONG! What a mistake! The tree farms don't do nearly as much to welcome guests, and the whole experience left me cold and angry.
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Fun Day at Apple Hill!"
Julie and I went up to Apple Hill after hearing about it and driving by the signs for years. We had a lot of fun! Highly recommended for couples and Families with kids.
WARNING: Whatever you do.. Buy some Barsottis Apple Juice.. oh man, this is not the sugar water we grew up on.. This is the BEST apple juice. I didnt know it could taste this good...Buy enough to take home.. like $6.00 for big jug.. Go to Barsottis itself or get it at the growers. They sell other kinds, but this is Da Kine...
We went in Late October so I dont know if that's hi season or not but it had a good crowd.
Essentially its an area along Highway 50 after Placerville (heading East) and near the little town of Camino. I'd say its 20 square miles within which there are maybe 25 growers, bake shops, breweries, shops, along the windy roads
It's a lot of fun. you get a map and just drive down the road, or catch a shuttle that leaves from a nice park and ride type of lot near the freeway. The shuttles seemed to come by every 10 minutes or so at the major growers. We drove. It was a nice scenic drive too.
Most of the growers have similar types of venues and food but it is still really fun. Each place has its own flavor:
Picnic tables, patios, open areas, stores selling apple centric foods; Pies, Pastries, Fudge, apple juice, BBQ, Hamburgers, Veggie Burgers, Salads, etc..and oh yeah APPLES and other fruits too.. Pears!
Lots of places have neat stuff for kids to do. All the places have some handful of crafts booths. And yes, they are the typical jewelry, soaps, signs, and t-shirts crafts..so that's not why ya go.
We first stopped at Mill View where they have a PIg Roasting in a Big BBQ every day. They sell a Pulled Pork Sandwich there from the pigs. It was very tasty but not super sauced and sweet. For $8.50 ya get a Pulled pork Sandwich, a little cup of salad that had apples, walnuts, pears and a really good windsor sauce., A little cup of applesauce and a fat slice of pie. Not a bad deal. The pie was quite good. Here you could sit on a patio or under apple trees. Slices of different pies is a fun thing to do!
This place had little Pony Cart rides for kids. A cart pulled by the 2 littlest ponies ya ever saw.
Then there is Eldorado. Buy your Apples here.
They have crates and crates of about 15 different apples outside. Some I never heard of. I bought some WineSaps. MAN ARE THEY GOOD! Roma, Gala....They had the Arkansas Black.. Didnt try that.. All the apples were about half what you would pay at Safeway. So buy a bag.
I also bought Bartlett and Asian pears here. Cheap...
They had a big pond with a little train that goes around it. and a picnic area.
Jack Russel Brewery had Tri Tip BBQ, a tasting room with great beer and $3.00 10 oz pints. We had the Apple Ale (of course) and a Lager. you can taste the beer then buy a "Growler" - a big jug of beer they tape the cap on and you buy it take away. Fun place.
Big open area out front, Kids and dogs playing.
Not much shade though.
Then We went to Honey Bear.. A nice place with a big, well stocked store of apple pies , slices, food to go pies unbaked and baked, fudges, and carmel apples, pastries, etc..
BBQ of course!
A big patio overlooking an open area where they had a hay maze for kids.
Then on to Boa View, a nice place with a HUGE Market that has every type of apple food item, garlic, olives, and all manner of fresh fruits, Apples, Lemons, pears, everything..
I had a Corn Dog here... oh man.. it was tasty...
Go to Apple Hill and EAT!!
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CHEERS TO SUNDAY!
Yesterday was the perfect day. The night before over a round we decided it would be fun to go up to apple hill and wine taste. Boy were we right! Apple hill's wineries in general aren't the best, but they offer free tasting, hospitality, and they are just a skip away from Sac. And nestled in the winding roads there are a couple of gems. Big ups to the lady at Fenton Herriott for being a wonderful person to talk to, and having a great syrah too! Boeger, you're Milagro was aight... Everything else, just okay. Though there were several more, Primus topped it off. A wonderful lady poured us wine. She had a great personality, made me want to give her a hug when i left. she didn't seem to into it though. and they had the best wine! I gotta give my props to Jodar too! I LOVE yesterday! Thank you Apple Hill for growing wines.
And if you go, make sure you grab an El Dorado map. They have a few wineries that aren't on Apple Hill map inside Apple Hill. I asked about it and they said they weren't a part of the "growers association" so they didn't get to be on the apple hill map. we almost missed a GREAT champagne at Stone's Throw Vineyard
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They have the most yummiest apples here... and some pretty darn good BBQ as well.
Our first stop was at Rainbow Farms, small farm with a few vendors... we were starving so the BBQ counter was our number one stop. We all tried the Tri Tip Sandwich, finger licking good BBQ sauce, tender meat with some tomatoes, mustard and a slice of onion... how does that Carl's JR commercial go? - "Don't bother me I'm eating" Yeah, that's pretty much how I felt until I wolfed down the whole sandwich.
Now that my tummy is full time for some sweets... the line was sooo long we ended up buying a full apple crisp at the produce counter instead of waiting for the warm apple pie. But the crisp is oh so yummy.
Next stop was Kids Inc. Which turned out to be kind of a disappointment... considering the name I was expecting a whole bunch of fun kids activities but besides the farm animals - of which the turkey is 10 years old - there was not much else that was free and much fun. Face painting for $4 seemed a little excessive, $4 for the small corn maze too much. However, they did have some wonderful desserts... we tried the farmhouse apple pie, which was delicious and the apple cheesecake... I am a cheesecake lover so I fell in love with the apple cheesecake... what a perfect combination apple pie and cheesecake who could ask for more?
Those were pretty much are two stops because by this point it was about 1PM and the place was packed with people... parking was becoming an issue and hubby was getting irritated with all the crowds, so we decided to call it the day at Apple Hill and return to grandma's house.
Apple Hill is a very neat place to check out... just make sure you go early to beat all the traffic at the exits and not to have to fight for parking.... plus all those long lines at the counters.
It's gorgeous up here. It's about an hour away from Lake Tahoe and an hour away from Sacramento. This place has a great display of the fall colors as well as the best apple pie I have ever tasted. Apple wine, apple beer, apples, honey, candied apples, pumpkins...
It's fun to do at least once and probably people with kids would enjoy it as well. One place has a "trout pond" where mostly just kids were fishing. This place seemed to be the most popular with tons of craft booths, a market and the place where we bought our apple pie. Frozen baked ($11) or unbaked frozen ($10), dutch apple, sourcream apple, etc. etc. The dutch apple was my favorite, but the "regular" apple pie is delicious as well. We bought that unbaked and yummmm - it's made with golden delicious apples.
We went to argyres farm to pick our apples. We got a 1/2 bushel for $8 and Mrs. Argyres was very nice. We picked golden delicious apples and red romes. I recommend going earlier in October, because most places were already picked over and closed.
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The best time to go is on a bit of a cloudy weekend day in late September, like last weekend actually. The area was really nice, nice green grass, beautiful orchards and lots and lots of country style gift shops. yeah just what we need. (the last part was sarcastic).
We stopped in at a nursery to get a map and chatted with the owner who was a bit bitter how Apple Hill has become so commercial and how more of the products come from China.
We stopped at a few different growers. One we just picked up a bad of apple and left because it was pretty busy. 2 bucks for a bag of medium to small apples, yummy.
Then we stopped at a pick your own place. We got about a dozen apples for $6, okay price. It was fun to pick your own though. I guess you pay for the experience.
Next we stopped at Jack Russell Brewery. We love breweries. This place had a few good beers but it was a bit off that in their front lawn area they rent space out for vendors to sell their Celtic art, pet clothing and accessories and sterling silver jewelry. The BBQ was good though.
The last place we went to was Grandpas cellar. They had one of those tourist trap gift shops as well but the apple pie was pretty good and behind the bakery they have a nice grassy orchard to sit and enjoy our apple dumplings and berry pie. Very relaxing.
Now in October I hear its another story...traffic, lots of people and large families and no parking. This would be a great place to take the kiddies.
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First, the good news - it is outside and there is apple pie. Mmmm. This seems like a place that used to be a very nice "undiscovered" little nook. On weekends, it is now bursting at the seams like most of the tourists' denim jean-shorts.
Three stars because the apple pie is very good. Maybe this would be a better experience during the week???
Take a hayride if you can. Going through the apple orchard was pretty fun. Lots of candy, carnival food, and fudge to eat. Kids will like it.
My friends and I saw a sweatshirt at one of the booths that had an airbrushed cat on it with a caption that said, "It's all about me-ow." Nice. There are lots of booths vending airbrushed and puffy paint sweatshirts with eagles, Indian chiefs, and wolves in the moonlight.
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Apple Hill is a wonderful place to stop after a trip up to Tahoe.
It's all about apples! We ate apple fritters and drank apple beer and apple wine when I went.
More info: http://www.applehill.com
Stumbled upon some Apple Hill brochures while staying at a Best Western in Cedar Grove. Looked interesting and since we were so close, why not. I'm glad we did.
The Apple Hill Growers Association is an collection of ranches, wineries, spas and even a micro brewery that is on a scenic drive. It allows you to cruise around and stop at whatever orchard/winery/etc. catches your eye.
We stopped at the High Hill Ranch, Abel's Apple Acres and the Boeger Winery. Purchased an apple pie at High Hill. The pie was freshly baked, but packed it up to go. We walked around their grounds, which has a craft fair, picnic grounds and a small pond.
Abel's Apple Acres has a great bakery. We stopped and got some apple turnovers, fritters and apple butter. The turnovers were soooo good. I kicked myself for not buying more.
The Apple Hill scenic drive is really nice if you have a family with small kids and want to do a picnic or family road trip. You can go to their website download a map and see the current events and festivals that are going on. Most of the events seem to be in the fall.
http://www.applehill.c...
Had a wonderful time here with the family! Great place to spend a day outdoors, sipping on the freshest apple cider and noshing delicious, homemade apple pie.
This is a sprawling collection of independent fruit orchards and farms, each having unique fresh fruit and baked delicacies. You can certainly spend a day tooling around the various ranches, and there are plenty of local vinyards in the vicinity as well!
I couldn't imagine a more perfect setting for the Apple Hill Orchards--prime smack in the gently rolling foothills of the Sierra.
The prices on fruit are very reasonable, and there are a ton of different kinds of apples alone. We liked Rainbow (great apple doughnuts), Larsen (cool farm "museum") and Kids Inc. (excellent baked apple pies) the best, but each ranch has its own individual charm. Enjoy a leisurely day out at Apple Hill, it's entirely worth it.
Its impossible to eat storebought apples after picking up a bushel (or 2 or 3) from any of the growers out here. Also, at the end of Cherry season, you can go out and pick your own cherries, theyre soooo good, but you end up with a giant stomach ache and purple poop for the next 3 days. Gross I know, but its fun....pop those cherries in the freezer and you'll never buy popsicles again!
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i haven't visited apple hill since i was a kid. i wanted to share a bit of my childhood with my husband so we drove up here for a day to enjoy all the many ways apples are turned into the many delicious things.
what i don't remember is the traffic! geez- here we were trying to get away from la! it took quite a while to get through placerville. we thought we were in the clear, but apparently some of the farms have turned into mini-amusement parks for kids. aka- traffic nightmare.
we were relieved for parts of our drive, to take in the beautiful fall scenery away from all the craziness. the apple pantry farm has some wonderful apple pie, both ready to eat and to take-and-bake. $4 for slightly warm, fresh-baked apple pie, not too sweet and delicious. this place was not too crowded and was a good place to enjoy a slice of apple pie watching the cows graze.
things to know before you come up here:
1. expect traffic. especially in october around farms that cater to children. when you are here, you will know why everyone else wants to be here too.
2. bring hand sanitizer. all bathrooms are gumpers and i don't recommend using the sanitizer in the stalls.
3. watch-out for children wandering in parking lots at some of the farms. there were more than a few times a child wandered in front of my car not noticing that i was there- and neither were their parents careful to teach them to beware of cars in parking lots.
4. at the time of this review, they apple hill maps are not really accurate. some farms were closed, some designated to offer bbq lunches did not (and vice versa), and not drawn to scale at all.
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Apple Hill is our family fall tradition. We usually stay overnight somewhere, so we can spend a couple leisurely days exploring the farms. The apple products are five star! Reminds me of the guy on Forest Gump talking about all the different kinds of shrimp to eat...well, here it's all about the apples: apple pie, apple fritter, apple ice cream, apple beer, apple wine, apple donuts, apple cake, apple shakes, you get the picture!
Some of our favorites: Mill View Ranch ~ apple fritters! Eat these while sitting on the swing with the grape vines lush with grapes above your head, doesn't get much better than that...unless your sipping some of Boa Vista's wines or ports...or biting into a freshly peeled apple that Bill, of Bill & Felicia's Farm has just peeled for you.
When we leave to come home, the car is loaded with wine, a box or two of apples, five or six half gallons of fresh cider (these freeze well, I'm down to our last one) and pumpkins to take home and carve.
We always arrive early. We go to High Hill Ranch first, because this place gets crazy crowded quickly. Parking is generally not a problem at the farms, be aware that the 'lots' are not paved...some of these places you are parking under the apple trees! Crafters abound, we've picked up some nice Christmas gifts here. Lots of fun stuff for kids: hay mazes, pony rides, face painting, and farm animals.
There is a bus that drives from farm to farm (free) but we much prefer just meandering down those country roads on our own.
Our first year we went here, I bought one of those apple peelers. I highly recommend them! Mine is still in top notched condition after 12 years or so and I can't even count how many bushels of apples it has peeled!
Every time I come up here I want to stay...and live! The cutest area, any season of the year. Of course to get the full effect September through December is prime time. Apple everything, donuts, fritter, pies, cider, dumplings. Many farms also sell other fresh produce. Boa and Abel's sell Arkansas Black...an almost purple skinned, tart apple, my current FAV. Love the pies from The Barn. High Hill is always good for the kids, trout fishing pond, hay rides, pony rides. There are wineries with tastings if you're so inclined. And this place is so close to another cute town, Placerville. LOVE this whole area. Another hour and you're in S Lake Tahoe. Come early so you can check all the family orchards out and pick your favorites.
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My first time at Apple Hill and it reminds me of the Gilroy Garlic Festival, only it's not scorching hot here, there's no garlic simmering in the air and parking's loads better.
It's up on US 50 heading towards lake tahoe (about an hour away from Sac)....and I've been passing by this little gem for years on my way to board! It's kinda far out there and I thought I missed the exit a few times. When one thinks of farms....I think of flat orchards....not rolling hills of dense trees. Soo, if you think you went too far, you probably didn't. Keep on truckin'.
We visited High Hill Farm first off of Carson Road exit. It's the most populated because it's right off the freeway and they have the most amazing pies. Safeway/Bel Air has got nothing on these babies. They stack huge mounds of apples into the pie pan and when they cover it...it literally looks like a hill of apples. I think one slice would suffice. Or two.
Before entering the restaurant where all the pies are made, we sampled some apple juice. Sold! 5 dollars for a gallon of the most freshly made apple juice i've ever tasted. I don't think I can drink Treetop or Motts ever again.
We sampled a slice of caramel crunch apple pie, an apple turnover and bought a loaf of apple cake. I didn't get chunks of apples in my apple cake (which was a let down), but it's reminiscent of banana bread. The caramel crunch is super sweet, but delicious. Whole pies cost 13 dollars whereas slices are around 3.
There's tons of crafts here from windchimes and magnets to beautiful paintings and carved wood sculptures. The artists here are friendly but look like they can care less whether they sell their pieces or not, which takes alot of pressure off of me for looking and not buying.
High Hill has a great little picnic area with a small pond for people to fish in. Bring a blanket and your pies and have a seat under the trees.
I stopped by Mill View Farm because they're known for their Apple Cider donuts. The aroma in their little shop makes me wanna stuff my mouth with something..right now! 55cents a donut, I slammed one down by the time I stepped out of the door. It was much denser than a regular donut, but it embodied everything about Apple Hill....rich, fresh, the comforting aroma of apples and sugary deliciousness.
I'm definitely coming back for the apple juice and pies. What I failed to experience were their caramel apples, wines and apple butter.
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Haven't been up to Apple Hill's collection of local farmers in a couple of years so took advantage of the Veteran's day holiday to ride up. From Stockton, a nice side trip is to go to Placerville by way of Jackson and Highway 49. Get off the highway and ride in the country. Once there, made stops at places that had not failed us before. First, Abel's farm, the apples had given way to various local artisan's many of whom were pushing the same imported junk one finds at the flea market these days. Very few apples, all smallish and poor in quality. In and out of there in about 30 minutes, saved lots of money, spent none. They used to have these to-die-for applesauce donuts, still had them, but they they look like the head baker may have been Little Debbie.
Next a few miles up the road to Boa vista. To their credit plenty of apples, reasonably priced, and pretty good size and quality, but 14.95 for a take and bake apple pie....no way!!
A few other stops, then on to the trap known as High Hill. Lines in the parking lots, among the apple trees, and huge lines for every thing inside, poor quality on the produce, and line were such that we could not really sample much else. They do have a few more local artists doing different types of jewelry and artsy crafts type things. The one thing that struck us was the commercialization, and attitude of get em in, get their money, and get them out. Not quite rude, but very indifferent.
Thinking my next ride for apples may be up to the Sonoma area of Sebastapol
Fun place to drive around and sample the pies. I recoment Kids inc the home of the "Mile High Apple Pie". Be sure to buy a bottle of "Sauce" to go on top of the pie. Ive been going here for at least 12 back when they used to have saw dust all over the floor. The place smells great and the pies are full of apple cinnamon goodness.You also have to check out the little farm animals they have below the bakery.
My boyfriend and I made 3 trips to apple hill in the last week (once on the weekend and twice during the week) and we didn't have any parking issues at all--in fact, we got parking right in front of the door of some places. I guess it just depends on which stops you make. We got a bunch of fresh apple pies ($10.95 and under), fritters, and apples. We also picked up a cool "souvenir" as a Christmas present for my boss (and no, it didn't involve any eagles, Indian chiefs, or wolves in the moonlight!). We had lunch at some place at Abe's--I think it was called "Terri-yaki" or something like that--it was just okay. The food at some of the other places looked better AND was cheaper. We had an issue with one of our pies, so I brought it back the next day without a receipt and had no problems exchanging it, and got a couple of freebies on top of that--very friendly customer service at Abe's. Overall, I think it's a great environment to spend some time and money--they have a bunch of things to look at and do.
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