Tldr: didn't like the random dust clouds, apples were good, pears were smaller than expected but alright, also didn't like the slope, it's not very flat or smooth except for on the grass in between the rows of apples but depending on if there were lots of rotten fruit on the ground there were also lots of bees. Went with my husband and 10month old to pick some asian pears and honeycrisps. There was organized and ample parking. The main paths have large gravel rocks that were loose and uneven and a grass strip in the middle. It was a bit hard to push through even with our stroller with large wheels. The tractors that occasioned through blew the dust up around the paths too. There were plenty of porta potties and I also liked they have a hand washing station too. We didn't try any of the food trucks but appreciated the option. Farm stand was small, there were some picnic tables but could have been more (potentially near the food trucks) There were some chicks, bunnies, a goat, and donkey? to look at. The kids play area has a 2-5 & 5-12 play structures and water play but they were very close together, not much room to run around between the structures. read more

Review is as a non-apple picker. My friends and I swung by here for lunch in the mid-point of a bike ride, lured in by the promise of apple cider donuts. From what I could tell, there are larger orchards in the area but Shelburne seemed to have everything you need - a food truck (with an excellent burger and pulled pork sandwich), a hard cider place, the aforementioned apple cider donuts, and a little general store selling jams and whatnot. At first glance, there didn't appear to be a ton of seating but if you walk a bit further up the hill, past the grassy patch, there's a good amount of benches and tables. Apple cider donuts review: 4/5? Not as fresh or as warm as I've sampled at other orchards but these had a healthy dusting of cinnamon sugar and a great chew. Downing two of these bad boys was not a great decision for the ride back (plus I had a cheeseburger). Cheeseburger: 4.5/5. Just a bun, patty, cheese, ketchup but listen, this was one of the best cheeseburgers I've had in a while. The bun was perfectly buttered and toasted and there was just the right ratio of meat to bread to condiments. I felt really, really food-drugged after eating this and the donuts. All the burger needed was some pickles. The only thing I didn't love about the layout is the area with the food truck had only three or four tables (no chairs) and faced the row of Porta Potties but I get that space is at a premium. There was also a sizable hill to get from the food truck to the area with tables/benches/donuts, which made walking in cycling shoes an enormous pain, though that's a me-problem. read more

Surprised their ratings aren't higher. Went with a large group in mid-October, and their apples are deliciously crisp, sweet, and juicy. There were ample honey crisp apples available, which are a crowd favorite. Another lesser known delicious variety they have is Ambrosia. Cute location with live music, apple cider donuts, and barn animals! Their only vices are they're a bit pricier than other orchards, and they get BUSY. So, come early! Highly recommend! read more

Shelburne Farm - Comparison of apples with Shelburne Farm honey crisp apples on the right - Farms Near Me - Stow, Massachusetts

This enchanting farm is a blast from the past. Eclectic Apple orchids where you can go apple picking, hayrides, farm animals, & unique playground for kids. The power "Ted" was very gracious and kind to the visiting group of disabled folks we brought. Warm & skilled staff. read more

I bought two bugs as we really like to eat farm fresh apples. I got one bag full, but really could not find anything more appealing. I asked if I could return one of the empty bugs, but was told " No Returns". read more

Over rated. Massive crowds makes everything less enjoyable. Huge line for cider donuts, apple crisp and coffee and you're only told AFTER you order that there is a 45 min wait and your order will only come out all at once. Hot chocolate were watered down,'made with syrup and cold. We sent our hot chocolate back because it was cold and got back two cold hot chocolates. Apple crisp was meager, cold and missing "the crisp." Farm store basically just has apples and farm products made in other states. Cider donuts are good, but given the aforementioned issues either go during the week or find another source for cider donuts. read more

Had a great experience at this farm on a Sunday in the middle of September. We came with a group of about 10 during Covid, and were able to walk in to the orchards without a reservation and all pick together which was a perk (masks required and good distancing between groups). There was a good variety of apples, even early in the season, and several that were clearly very ripe. There were only a couple trees of peaches left, but the ones we were able to grab were also ripe and delicious. The pricing is a little bit expensive, especially compared to some other local orchards. We paid $27 for a one peck bag. The highlight of the experience, as per usual, with the Apple cider donuts. We grabbed a half dozen of both plain and the sugared kinds, and they had clearly just been made and melted in your mouth. We also picked up some apple cider which was also very tasty. We really wanted to try the pink peach lemonade, but unfortunately they were sold out. Another nice addition was a food truck that was available for those who wanted something heartier or something savory. The farm store had a couple different kinds of apples that weren't available for picking, as well as local honey, maple syrup, and cheese. Overall, we had a great fall afternoon here! read more

Shelburne Farm - Plain apple cider donut - Farms Near Me - Stow, Massachusetts

Haven't been here in years and this place has really changed...for the better! - more kids activities. $10 Fun Pass access to bouncy house, tractor pedals, animals, hay ride, play area - nice clean bouncy house - 5 kids for 5 min - more seating with covered picnic benches - kids playground with slides, water pumps and bunnies - animal area with goats, a donkey & I think lamas? We also saw free ran free chicken and baby bunnies - live music - lots of port-a-potty's with foot pump sinks and soap - individual hay ride $2/per person - wonderful warm cider donuts and these things are light, fluffy, sugary and fresh! I like these best because they are not dense like you get at other farms. - The store has apple cider, pies, baked goods and other little trinkets The only downside is the parking. Going at peak weekend is rough. Go early! read more

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I love picking apples here... you have so many varieties of apples. The line was fairly long but we made it and just had fun . There was a little market there so I grab the pumpkin bread and an apple pie and didn't have a chance I had the apple cider donuts but that's okay. it was just very picturesque and what was interesting is they also had food trucks for people who just want to come and grab some lunch. They had a little zoo with a donkey, alpaca, and a goat. You can also pumpkin pick. Great place for all ages. read more

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I love this place! The apple cider donuts are incredible, and the store is so adorable. I also love how big the apple orchard is.

Had an enjoyable afternoon picking apples, pears, and peaches. The donuts were also quite good as well. We were impressed with the variety of apples we could pick, however the peaches were the best fruit on the farm. read more

They need to have a single price for people who only come by themselves and don't want to pick apples. It's not fair for a person to pay 29 dollars to enter. read more

Great vibes, family friendly. Lots of parking and things to do. I came here late season so didn't do any of the apple picking but instead indulged in their cider donuts, cinnamon donuts and cold apple cider. Donuts were warm and freshly made, they sold pumpkins and other assortments of treats. Best part was the ambiance: sitting by a farm to enjoy a cup of cider, eat some donuts and converse with friends. They also have plenty parking and portable toilets and available. I will definitely be back to plan which weekends to come. From my reading, each week from as early as July to end of October is harvest/prime time to pick certain fruits. So be sure to check their website to see when's the best time. read more

Shelburne Farm - Farms Near Me - Stow, Massachusetts

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Stopped by Shelburne Farms to go apple picking and it was PACKED! Luckily, the orchards are big enough so you are spread out but both the parking lot, line for entrance and line to order apple cider donuts were filled with people. Everyone I saw was wearing a mask but so many people weren't following the 6 foot social distancing rules. The farm had a few different food trucks as wells as apple cider donuts for sale and another area for all the only fall treats they make in their store. The orchard was big enough but alot of apples were on the floor and it somes areas it was barren. But, overall we were able to walk away with super yummy apples and a bag full at that. You just have to do a little digging. The Apple cider donuts were super delicious! My highlight of the trip and really what made it worth it. If you ever visit make sure to grab some. read more

Shelburne Farm - Apple Cider Donut - Farms Near Me - Stow, Massachusetts

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Social distancing is enforced slightly though people try to push it when in food lines. Otherwise they have staff going around the farm watching for people not using masks etc. I did notice many people still eat apples while picking which I think is fine and most people put their masks back on when they see strangers approaching. Most people stay far away from other groups but I did notice some groups bigger than 10 people. The apples were delicious and there were plenty of kinds to pick. At the time I went there were no peaches or Asian pears. I noticed there was an abundance of apples on the ground under the trees which is no fault of the farm but I assume people are picking apples and throwing them on the floor. That made it hard to get bigger apples because the only ones available for some of the trees were at the very top of apple tree and there aren't many ladders available. Also be careful to sanitize after using the ladders, I didn't notice staff sanitizing them. The shop was full of lots of desserts, apples, cider, popcorn, and donuts! I recommend the donuts and the desserts as I loved every single one I bought. I personally got: kettle corn, apple cider, apple cider donuts, mulled cider, and caramel apple cake. The caramel apple cake seems like a pound cake made with real apples and topped with a caramel glaze. It was delicious and you can really taste the apple pieces inside the cake, it is soft and moist even up to a week later. Definitely a sweet dessert but not artificially sweet. The kettle corn was great but isn't made on site if you are looking for fresh popcorn. Still tasted amazing, salty and sweet. Apple cider donuts are made fresh and you can only buy one dozen per customer so if you want more than that you will have to get back in line. Definitely worth the wait! They are so sweet and soft, I loved the donuts with cinnamon sugar but they have a plain option in case you can't handle all the sugar topping. You can also get half plain and half with the sugar topping. The apple cider has to be bought in the shop but ask for cups if you want to drink while on the farm. Tasted great! You could tell it is fresh and made only of apples, not too sweet and not too tart. The hot mulled cider: This was my first time trying mulled cider and it was not what I expected. I assumed it just would be hot cider but it has some seasonings in it, so be aware of that. Seemed like typical fall seasonings but it was very strong, almost a little bitter at first. After getting used to the seasonings inside it was pretty good but I wish there was an option to just have warm cider. read more

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Peaches on the brain, we scooted over to Shelburne Farm in Stow on the sunny Saturday of Labor Day weekend. When we arrived, the staff explained that we could choose from one of 2 sizes of bags for apples (peck or 1/2 peck) or a basket for peaches. We'd read on their website that Asian pears should be good to pick as well, but unfortunately they weren't quite there yet. We were a little disappointed that we couldn't mix the fruit (decisions are hard!) but decided to commit to the peaches ($23 for the bushel) since apple season was just getting started (we can always come back!). Upon entering the orchard, a very friendly employee explained where to go to find the peaches and also that they had been struck by an unfortunate hail storm, so much of the fruit had holes in them from the hail, not from insects. We then trudged into the fields, past the apple trees, on our way to the back where the peaches were. We could pick two peach varieties: yellow and white. The fruits varied in size and ripeness, and although many did have hail holes, they were otherwise very good. We were able to find a solid amount of near-perfect ones to pack in our basket, which holds about 8 pounds. After storing our peachy treasures in the car, we wandered over toward the farm store to sample the cider donuts and listen to some live music. The cinnamon & sugar cider donuts were good, although I would have preferred them to be served warm. They also offer peach bars, apple crisp, cider, and ice cream to order & had a grill set up with hot dogs and burgers. The music, families, and animals made the area very lively and hospitable. Inside the store, you'll find cookbooks, jams, baked goods, and other autumnal treats. If you want to feel a little like a farmer, without all of the real work, head over to Shelburne and pick yourself silly! read more

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I wouldn't call myself an expert on Apple picking and apple orchards. With that said, I did enjoy the experience at this farm. Hay rides, seasonal ice cream flavors, live acoustic guitar music, and nice shady lawn to relax on after a honey crisp hunt are all of the features of Shelburne. The ice cream is great! I tried the pumpkin flavor and Maine blueberry, and they were both creamy and flavorful. The orchard itself is large and has 82 types of apples (as of September 2019). The honey crisp were the most popular (expected), but those trees were relatively scant unfortunately. The other types of apples had plenty to choose from. Most of the crowds here are families, though I came here on a sorority retreat. It's perfect for a relaxing afternoon, a great New England experience! read more

I went here about two weeks ago to go Apple picking with my family and we had a blast! This place is awesome! We came on a Sunday and it wasn't too crowded. Pros: They had a wide variety of apples with 17 different tree types to pick from. The employees were helpful in asking any questions I had such as what apples were the softest and where each type of apple tree was. My favorites were the Golden Delicious and Red Delicious. For the kids, they have an animal farm, a jump castle, and a small playground area. If you're hungry, they have an Apple shop where you can buy anything apple related e.g. apple pies, apple cider, pre-picked apple bags. There's also a tent that serves food like hamburgers and hotdogs. Across from that is the main store that sells the infamous awesome fresh apple donuts which I do recommend, grilled food (hamburger, sausage, grilled cheese), and dessert like caramel apples and apple ice cream. They have a lot of picnic tables that you can sit it and relax to the live music. Cons: It was roughly the middle of Apple-picking season so there are now less variety than before. There were also a lot of apples just rotting on the ground due to bug marks or people just discarding them. I would say maybe 1/10 apples that I picked would be free of any insects or holes. There are also A LOT OF BEES! This can't be helped, but be aware of them. Also, it would have been helpful to have ladders to get the high hanging fruit since most people got the lower ones, but I couldn't find them anywhere. Advice for anyone going Apple picking for the first time: Bring napkins and water! The apples are fresh from the tree so you need to wash and clean them up before you take a bite. Also, I recommend long sleeves/pants due to the bees. The question is always here vs Honey Pot Farm. For my family, we chose here because I think this place is a good price because of instead of charging individual entry prices like Honey Pot, this place charges by the bag ($20 for a small bag, $30 for the large bag). This can work to your advance if you're bringing a lot of people. We got the big one and we probably took home like over 20 lbs in apples! Moreover, I went with my grandparents who have trouble walking so it helped that the apple trees are closer here to the parking lot than Honey Pot. There's also more variety of apples here vs Apple Pot. However, I think Honey Pot wins when it comes to the quality of the apples. For us, this was just for fun and the experience. read more

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So it was time to do my yearly, 'Pay $33 for a bag of apples, fight maddening crowds of badly behaved kids and ruin another pair of new running shoes in mud' trip for apple picking. Apple orchards are like methamphetamine to upper middle class suburban dwellers on weekends. Instead of heading to seedy city neighborhoods and heating their fix in spoons ... they head to muddy Range Rover packed parking lots and engulf themselves in a fix of cider donuts and instagram stories. If you go on the weekend, yes ... there will be lines ... and yes it will be packed. However, unlike the maddening lines at Honeypot or the scant trees almost devoid of apples at Bolton orchards ... Shelburne Farm has plenty of space. There is a big orchard ... very spread out ... and lots of very full trees (as of Oct. 14.) You won't feel like you are on your own, but with plenty of apples you also won't be vying against an Indian software developer and his family for the couple of apples at the top of a scraggly tree. These aren't climbing trees ... most are fairly 'bushlike' and the tallest tree we encountered was just a shade over 10 feet tall. The trees were loaded with big, beautiful apples ... some of the tasiest macs and courtland Ive had. But the Mutsu (big, sweet green apples) were the star of the show ... a single one being adequate size for a meal. Another plus is that Shelburne Farms seems to let you do your thing without jamming tons of rules on everything. A majority of other orchards have 'apple monitors' to wander in and out of the rows to scold you for taking a bite of an apple to sample or jumping up to grab a perfect apple from a high branch. Dont fill your pockets with apples and they pretty much leave you to your fun. The hayride costs $2 per person and is very worth it. It says it lasts 20 minutes and it does. Its a beautiful little loop around the orchard. They dont pack them to the max like other orchards. The only bad part is that the smoke from the exhaust on the tractor is pointed right at the wagon and we were a bit lightheaded from all the strong diesel fumes at the ride's end. They have a somewhat chaotic food line ... I would redesign this. There isn't much line order and its fairly confusing. You wait in an order line, which kind of overlaps with the waiting for food line. If you get grilled stuff (typical concession stand grilled burgers, hot dogs, sausage and grilled cheese sandwiches) you must order and stand in a line near the grill. If you order ice cream or apple crisp or cider donuts ... you stand in a horrible 'every man for himself' line which resembles an aircraft boarding zone. Having said that, the apple crisp is fantastic ... the burger was tasty but a Wholesale Club-type premade hockeypuck type. We didn't try the cider donuts because at $1.50 each, our favorites are down the street at the (much less fun) Bolton Orchard. So we stopped on the way past. Overall, the experience was a great one here ... from the longer than usual and more comfortable hayride ... to the full trees in a large spacious orchard. The only bad part was that parking was a big, muddy lot and there were no assistants helping park cars, so it was a free for all with cars jockeying for spots and blocking rows while they waited for families to get situated, pack the car and leave. We would however come here out of any other area orchard, if given the choice. read more

The family went to pick peaches for a peach cobbler I'm planning on making and we've decided to go to a farm that was less crowded. Shelburne was perfect! We went on a Sunday late afternoon, and the peaches were plentiful and juicy. The ppl were nice, and the hay ride was nice, peaceful and scenic. Of course we had to start the end of the Summer (almost Fall) with apple cider donuts and apple cider. It was delicious, and the little shop had the best smelling soap by 62 soap! The girl behind the counter was so nice and super sweet to my 4 yo son who was rather rambunctious, hence I bought more stuff bc she was so awesome! Can't wait to come back for apply picking season in the fall of 2021. As long as there isn't that many ppl, and ppl who work at the farm are friendly, my family and I will definitely make a few more trips here before the winter begins. Thank you! read more

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Wide variety of apple trees for picking, $41 for half bushel admits 5. Hayride at $3 pax goes around the farm. Pumpkin patch has large traditional pumpkins for carving. Donuts and ciders are amazingly good! read more

$18 for half peck. $0.95/lb for sugar pumpkins. I really like this farm because they have a ton of different types of apples AND they keep their website updated. They also have heirloom varieties of apples (sheep nose, Braeburn, etc etc) so you get to taste something pretty unique and local. The staff who work in the apple orchards are really nice too and will give you directions if you're lost and looking for a specific type. Their cider donuts were Delicious last year but today when I visited them again and got "plain" cider donuts instead of the "cinnamon sugar" cider donuts, we got a bag of stone cold donuts. I should have said something but I thought maybe they're still be tasty, but nope, they tasted exactly like what you think stone cold donuts would taste like. Rubbery. Sigh. So don't get the plain ones!!! I bought the cutest ornamental gourds/pumpkins from here last year, and I came back today expecting more (especially since the website said they still had them) but...I didn't find any in the farm stand. So I was surprised.. Usually the site's updated. All in all great farm with nice ppl. read more

Shelburne Farm - Handy guide! Tons of variety at this farm including heirloom apples! - Farms Near Me - Stow, Massachusetts

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Visited your farm today with a group of 20. Fiance and I were here to ride hayride with group, pick pumpkins, and shop in the store, was not going to pick apples. Was told by Tina I had to purchase a bag to do all these activities because the hayride brings us into the orchard. The hayride did not stop in the orchard. I find it very unethical and a scam that families are required a mandatory $30-40 just to enter your premise, even when they have the intention of spending their money on all the other things besides apple picking. I will not be returning to this orchard in the future after being a customer for the past 4 years read more

Shelburne Farm - Farms Near Me - Stow, Massachusetts

My friends and I went for a Fall outing for apple picking. The farm was easy to find and parking was plentiful. I appreciated that the farm is on the smaller side and everything was within close walking distance. This is important for those with small children. The apple orchard is right by the parking lot so it was easy to drop off the harvested apples before heading to the gift store and grill. The trees and apples were in great condition. We did the $2.00 hayride and it was a cute and quick ride along the perimeters of the orchard. I like that it was optional and not something that we needed to do to pick apples. Pricing was very reasonable, we paid $34.00 for the large bag and even found it difficult to fill even with 4 adults and 2 kids. The apple donuts are heavenly and the pumpkin whoopie pie was to die for. There was a live band playing that day which added a great ambiance to the venue. Although the bathrooms are all port a potties, they were all clean and had sinks outside of them. We didn't participate in any of the kids play zones or petting farms. I recommend this place for families. read more

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It was a cute farm at first glance and seemed like a fun family activity. HOWEVER, the labels on the trees were wrong!!!! We went specifically to pick honeycrisp apples from the trees and followed the signs to the supposed trees. We picked a bunch of apples from these trees thinking they were honeycrisp apples, and we were none the wiser. Unfortunately upon returning home, we found that the apples we got were NOT honeycrisp! I think they were Macintosh? Still fresh and yummy apples but I would've appreciated the truth about the type of trees!! Additionally the line for the apple store to get cider donuts and candy apples and etc was SUPER long and honestly not many people were socially distancing (otherwise the line would've been all the way across the farm). Maybe it had something to do with the time that we got there (around 3:45-4pm) but what are you gonna do. Really wish I could give this place a higher star rating but the incorrect labels on the apples really put a downer on my apple picking experience :((((( read more

I used to love coming here It's a fun place for apple picking but I feel like it's changed a bit over the years. The place is overcrowded on the weekends and be warned that you must purchase a $30 apple bag to enter the apple orchard. My daughter did not want to pick apples that day but wanted to do the $3 hayride. They wouldn't sell us the hayride tickets because we weren't picking apples. I even offered to buy apples from the stores but nope it had to be an apple picking bag! Anyway so many other apple farms in the area. We won't be coming back here. read more

I didn't review them last year because I wasn't on yelp yet-- and so I fear this review may now be tainted by nostalgia and by the terrible experience I had over the weekend at Honeypot Hill Orchrads....but...from what I remember, I LOVED Shelburne farms. The picking was effortless and fun, the pumpkin patch was neat, we brought the dogs, we ate cider donuts, we took lots of pictures. We were happy...all but the allergic-to-bees friend who didn't really think the ( orchard+early fall+downed apples+sunshine = fermenting rotting apples * drunken bees ) thing through all the way. I'd go back here in a heartbeat. read more

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One of the things I love about fall is picking apples and making a home made apple pie (or pies!) with my daughters. We have a great time every year and it is one of those family activities that just signifies the turning of the seasons for us and we all look forward to. Since 2004 we have been going to Shelburne Farms at least once a season and we love it. We just went this past Sunday (10/16/11) and it was as great as ever. We started out with a dozen cider donuts, half w/ sugar-n-cinnamon and half without (some came home w/ us!). There is something extra delicious about a donut less than 60 seconds from the fryer with a hot cider in your hand that says Autumn! You can see them being made through the window, dusted w/ sugar and spice and put in the bag that gets handed to you. Too yummy for words. From there it was straight to the orchards. Macun and Courtland are in season and as they are two of our favorites we timed a late season visit. We trekked to the back of the orchard and managed to find one of the tree-ladders so we could hunt the tops of all the trees (see posted pictures) where the reddest sweetest apples awaited us. There were plenty of Macs as well (none of us like Macs!). No Gala or Red Delicious left - but still tons of apples even though it appears this was the last day of pick your own in the orchard this year. From there we selected two perfect pumpkins (12 lbs and 21 lbs), and added a couple of packages of the cider mulling spice - because if there is anything that makes your home smell as wonderful as a cooking apple pie, it is mulled cider warming on the stove. *sigh* The girls are 11 and 9 so we skipped the hay ride and the bouncy house this year (they grow up so fast) but drove home talking about how we should make some apple crisp this year as well. It was as nice a family Sunday morning as you get. :-) I just want to add some thoughts for the families that had a bad experience. All I can say is we always go way early (opens at 9 am). Going between 11am and 3 pm on a Saturday or Sunday is a total rookie mistake - don't make it! read more

Shelburne Farm - fresh and hot cider donuts! - Farms Near Me - Stow, Massachusetts

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Apple picking. Live music. Cheeseburgers. Cider donuts made hot and fresh. Biting flies at your ankles. Pumpkins by the pound. Hay rides. $20/peck of pick your own apples ($33/half bushel). Varieties from mainstream to extremely rare are available. Often the search is difficult as many trees have been over picked. But fun it is. read more

I liked this place, but honestly I like Carlson Orchards better. I think it's MORE fun for young kids. There's a small animal farm. The goat really likes to be pet by humans. The llama just likes to watch everybody, and sometimes lie down. There are some sheep, a Shetland pony and a horse...but they are not really near the fence where the humans are. You can tell when they are about to be fed though! They go nuts. What animals they are! :) There's a hay mound for kids...that seemed wildly popular. Heard lots of little kid happy screams. There's a massive concession stand. On really busy days, if you REALLY want a burger, you may wait 40 minutes. Thankfully I don't like burgers. :) Their chocolate chip cookies are good. Their (gluten free) sugar cookies are NOT. My husband enjoyed his hotdog and my friend enjoyed her veggie burger. Prices are reasonable! I thought the apple picking was decent- that part isn't really any different from other orchards. I beileve at this time we had our choice of McIntosh, Gala, Macoun, Courtand, Empire, Fuji, Jonah Gold and Red Delicious. (I believe the Fiji weren't ready yet!) A peck is $18, a bushel is $26. If this is your first time apple picking, you can eat apples right of the tree! If it looks dirty, just wipe the dirt off or rinse it with water from a water bottle and it looks crisp and amazing. The gift shop is quaint. Delicious cheese and fudge on sale! Lots of fun knick knacks. Their apple donuts, served piping hot (I recommend rolled in cinnamon and sugar) IS TO DIE FOR. I would go back just for the donuts... The feel of the place is different from other orchards. This one seems to be geared a LOT toward families with kids (when we arrived a small band was playing). The young workers seemed overwhelmed with the Columbus Day weekend crowd. But they were nice! I love fall in New England! The leaves haven't changed yet, but I bet the farm/orchard is AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS when the leaves do change! Thanks for the good day, Shelburne! read more

There are a few things about living in New England that I absolutely love. Apple picking is one of those things. When I go apple picking I really have a one track mind. Apples. What I will do with the apples I pick. Apple Crisp? Apple pie with cheddar cheese crust? Oh the decisions. If you are like me and the apples are your main goal, this place is pretty great. We went in mid to late October and the there were still trees that were full of apples. Granted, we had to go pretty deep into the orchard to find them but if you don't want to work for it you should probably just skip the "pick your own" part anyway. The point is to hunt them down and fill the bag. The shop was nice and offered the basics and then some, yummy locally made cheddar cheese, pre-made pies and crisps. The cider donuts are delicious served piping hot. I will say that the "Hay Maze" was pretty lame. Good for kids I guess but you shouldn't go there thinking "Hey, lets hit the hay maze" 'cause it's pretty much just a walkway with hay bales so low that anyone over 3 feet tall can see the way through no problem and in the middle is a hay mountain. Like I said ok for kids but not a big grown-up draw. The pony rides were cute. Hay rides seemed pretty legit. I filled my bag with beautiful apples of at least 5 different varieties so I'm pretty happy. read more

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This place is great if you like Fuji apples and Jonagolds. The Fuji apples had a slightly tougher skin than the Jonagolds. The peck (10 lbs) is $19 while the bushel is $27. Check the middle of rows for the best apples as people like to pick on the edge of the rows. The apple orchard is not too far from the main entrance. The Hayride costs money along with the hay maze and some tractor driving activity. Bathrooms are porta potties, but there is a sink to wash your hands. Cider donuts are very light! You can eat two and not feel heavy. There are two kinds: plain and cinnamon sugar. The plain were sweet enough without the sugar. Cost is $5 for half dozen and $9 for a dozen. Orders were fresh and made to order. read more

Very nice selection of apples! It was pretty chaotic with people, but it was large enough that you aren't smashing Into other people and it dodnt look like Disney world like honeypot did. A half bushel is $33 which is pretty standard. Parking was easy but muddy. read more

First off mistake #1 was going on Columbus Day weekend. However this place leaves a lot less to be desired. The Russ to get into the farm was only allowed in one direction. The staff told us to drive all the way down the road and turn around basically hinfdteds do people are turning around in or around other neighbors driveways. Instead of letting some people in each way to keep it moving. Oh well. Then you are sitting in a windy turnabout to park in a fiend where there was zero help so it was a free for all. Lanes were one way as they blocked the ends with cones and turning around was impossible without someone getting out of the car and guiding me. Picking a half peck of apples was 30$!! Which I know is on par with other farms but that's absurd when you are picking your own apples. I understand winter was bad this year but with thousands of visitors I don't believe they are doing bad for themselves. Especially with the long lines for food and donuts they are making out very well. I wanted to go to the pumpkin patch but this was not allowed unless you paid 30$ to pick apples. Pumpkin picking only was not an option. At this point I didn't care about going into their store and buying a single thing. We ended up going to a nice farm stand which was calmer than this experience. read more

I went last weekend and it was fun. Price wise, they don't charge entry fee. Which is good. They have a lot of different varieties of Apples and some of them you don't find in grocery stores. So that's interesting. The orchard is pretty large and I guess it may be even too large for some people. But you don't have to go everywhere. They provide ladders so that was fun for me to climb it. The apples smell so good in the orchard I was totally in love with the air. They have some animals but not a lot. It is just some added fun if you have animal lovers in your family or group. Their farm stand is ok but I didn't feel it was very special. read more

Shelburne Farm - Cute Rabbit! - Farms Near Me - Stow, Massachusetts

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I'm writing this review as I'm eating a delicious Spencer apple. That is the only reason this place gets a second star. I've been apple picking before so I have a basis of comparison when I say that this is the worst place for apple picking I've ever been to. The prices ($16 for a peck, $23 for a half bushel) were outrageous, the apple cider dougnuts were not worth the cost or wait in line, and the trees were thoroughly picked through midway through October. Such a shame. There are so many local farms that do apple picking - I suggest going to any other one. read more

No dogs despite what other reviews said. Overrun with people and expensive too. For pumpkins, it's just pumpkins off the vine, no pick your own patch. read more

Once every year, my wife Lucinda and I make the pilgrimage to Shelburne Farm to get a hot cider donut. This year, we eagerly made our order - "Half dozen hot donuts, please! We're more than happy to wait for them to be hot. Half with sugar and half without. Thank you!" Moments later, our number was called. The young woman said, "Sorry - the sugar ones are hot but the plain ones are not." The plain ones were for me. "Again, I'm happy to wait," I pleaded. "Sorry, we're not making any more today," she said. Despondent and bitter, we went and sat at a table trying in vain to comfort each other. I began wondering how I could join the Alt-Right movement. Enter Audrey. Audrey was the young woman who gave us our order. She was carrying a bag of steaming hot plain donuts! "I snatched them from the assembly line before they got sugared," she told us. "How did you even find our table?" I asked, but she was off again - off to fulfill someone else's dreams. Thank you, Audrey - thank you, Shelburne Farm! read more

This review is for early September peach picking. I went with a group of mothers with kids ranging from toddler to 10 years old and everyone had a great time. What a charming little farm. All the employees went above and beyond to make this a great experience. When peach picking they gave me very detailed directions on where to find the best peaches and boy did they know what they were talking about. The peaches were delicious. One of the employees picked dandelion leaves for my toddler to feed to the bunny rabbits. Another employee spend a good 15 minutes showing the children in my group the horses telling the children the names and answering all the kids questions. They have picnic tables, trash cans, portapotties and sinks to wash your hands. Lots to do and see. We went on a weekday and we had the whole place to ourselves. read more

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This apple orchard is really great! They have a variety of apples and cute activities for kids. The hayride is also only $2 a person ! The cider donuts are some of the best I've had read more