Five for the following: CT touristy…read moreHarvest Week Vegan wrap Apple cider But the breakdown PARKING I've been during the off season and it's painless to park here. Today was maybe the kickoff to harvest month and some events. IT WAS PACKED. Not to worry, everyone was civilized and there were plenty of attendants. Lots of parking all over. SERVICE Everyone to a person was ready for this crazy rush. Filled with kids and regulars, I think the staff knows what to expect cuz they were all pretty chill. FOOD First: The sandwiches and wraps came with chips AND AN APPLE. Perfect. Dad had the Cuban Sandwich (I've never seen it on a pumpernickel and rye swirl bread) but he loved it. Vegan Macintosh wrap with Portabello and hummus was fantastic. Hit the spot for a cool autumn day. GIFTS Maple sugar candy isn't made here anymore, but the candy is made by a larger company out of New Hampshire. DONUTS They didn't run out of apple donuts today, but they were definitely a hit with almost everyone. ACTIVITIES Today was an event day, with hundreds of families taking part in Clydesdale Horse wagon rides, kiddie train rides, and lots of other family activities. (Seasonal) If you're in the Middlesex area - put it on your list.

Wonderful visit to the Lyman PIck Your Own Orchards on a late Saturday morning in mid-September…read more We've visited lots of Pick Your Own Orchards over the years and most have transitioned over into a festival-styled space with offerings including hayrides, playgrounds and pettings zoos, all for a premium all-inclusive price. Depending on the family, this may not be ideal for some. Some also have, sometimes unreasonable, picking requirements...such as each member of the group over a certain age MUST purchase a picking bag...which, for a family of four, would result in an expensive family visit to the orchard with LOTS of leftover and unused apples. Again, this may not be ideal for some. Lyman was a breath of fresh air. Their entire operation is quite massive and separated: pick your own orchards, massive farm shop, golf center, and pub/grill are in different locations within their entire property. We arrived to the Pick Your Own Orchards area at around 11am on a lovely Saturday morning in mid-September. We expected it to be busy but it wasn't...there were lots ot parking (free) spaces in the dirt/grassed lot and even the picking orchards weren't very crowded...lots of space to pick. After parking, we went to the stand to purchase our picking bag. The options, currently, are $16 for half-peck bag, $26 for a full-peck bag and $47 for half-bushel. For our family, two adults and one small child, we shared a full-peck bag (no "per-person" requirement) which fit about 9 pounds of apples. After choosing our bag, we proceeded to the ochards to pick. There were Gala, McIntosh, Blondee, Jonamac, Spencer and Honey Crisp apples to choose from. Lots of trees to select from at that time...both on the higher and lower branches were available. All staff we encountered, including the parking lot and payment counter attendants were friendly, helpful and efficient. They post updates regularly (sometimes every few hours) on all of their social media platforms and have a hotline, which is very helpful, particularly for harvest and weather updates. Their detailed and thorough website has lots of information so you know what do expect during your visit. Again, great time here at Lyman's no-nonsense PIck-Your-Own Orchards. I can understand why they have been voted the (and among the best) orchards in Connecticut and the entire Nation. We also visited their Farm Store which was also great. Huge store with lots to choose from including fresh product, jarred jams and syrups, and sizeable hot food and bakery sections. Very reasonable prices throughout. After you are finished shopping, there are lots of tables and chairs toward the back of the building where you can sit, relax an eat. There is also a ice-cream window there with some interesting flavors. Would love to return to check out some of their other offerings. The two-hour drive from NYC was definitely worth it!

Courses are beautiful and well kept! Beverage cart service is awesome and pro shop staff is…read moreextremely personable!

My sister and I took a golf lesson with SARAH, and she was excellent. She addressed each of our…read moreindividual golf challenges with simple, effective solutions. She made the experience really fun and inspired us to keep golfing! Sarah also went above and beyond by noticing my sister was struggling with the heat that day. Since it was so sunny and hot, she gave her a seat in the shade and an electrolyte drink. So thoughtful. It was a fun class, and we can't wait to go back. Thank you Sarah.

Jones Winery is one of my new favorites in CT! I went for the first time the other day, and…read moreinitially went to the wrong place! Keep in mind that there is a "Jones Family Farm Pumpkinseed Hill" at 120 Beardsley Rd., and then the "Jones Valley Farm/Jones Winery" at 606 Walnut Tree Rd. My GPS accidentally took me to the Pumpkinseed Farm at first, but it wasn't a big deal because the winery is just a few minutes away. Once I was in the right place, a staff member greeted me and gave me the wine/food menu. They have a lot of different areas to sit, including a patio with tables/umbrellas (where they had live music playing), a pavilion with tables underneath, an upper patio that was covered by a pergola with leaves/vines on top, and an inside bar area with seating. The inside bar area has garage doors that were open, leading out to the upper patio. Even though it was a hot day, I sat under the pergola and it was surprisingly cool underneath! After sitting down, a staff member quickly came over and took my drink/food order. I tried a glass of the Sunshine White, which was delicious! It was on the sweeter side though. Keep in mind that they only sell wine by the glass on the menu, but they do have a store where you can buy bottles to go. I also ordered the Simply Cheese Plate, which came with sharp cheddar cheese, Jones Berry Chutney, and sea salt crackers. This was excellent! They also do have a "Light Fare" menu with things like a hummus plate, cheesecake, popcorn, etc. The service was fast and the staff were friendly. They had a "Bouquet Bar" set up where you could buy fresh cut flowers, as well as a small gift shop. Overall a very cool winery in Shelton, I would definitely recommend!

Owner is a raving bitch. Came on 3rd of July with our Service Animal and owner was nasty and cold…read more Refused to swap out one wine from a wine flight because of an allergy and only offered one flight of wine. Place was not busy so no reason to be so non-service oriented. Wine was just OK never coming back where they treat customers so bad.

Enjoyed a free historical tour of the Lyman Homestead, led by historian Diana Ross McCain…read more The Lyman homestead (1741) is the 15th oldest running farm in America and has been in the family for 8 generations. In 1864, The Lyman Homestead house (the original) moved from the homestead location to across what is now the apple barrel David Lyman 2nd being a prominent Lyman heir to the property, was many things, including an abolitionist who was part of the Freedom trail, aiding run away slaves. Part of the Underground Railroad, the Lyman family would house those seeking refuge. David Lyman the 2nd is also responsible for the completion of the Airline trail (due to their farm productions/supply/demand), an innovative and state of the line washing machine (for that time) and the production of the train tracks that cross the Connecticut River in Middletown. In 1917, a massive frost killed all the peach trees, but they converted to apple trees, which is what took off the Lyman's famous apple picking today! They also had cattle, but unfortunately the barn burned down and was replaced with the golf courses that are here today

While I have yet to tour the Homestead, I have attended 2 events in the general area, adjacent to…read morethe Golf course. The first was in the summer for a sound/ gong bath outdoors. Peaceful, quiet surroundings to fully immerse into complete relaxation. I believe this was Lyman's first event of this kind. To celebrate the Lunar New Year 2023, Lyman's had a wonderful display of lanterns of all kinds to view on a half mile stroll on its grounds. Fabulous. I believe they have this every year. Remarkable artistry and really unique and beautiful. Check out their website for a variety of events (outside of pick your own).

From the friendly staff, to great drinks, and amazing choice of food. You cannot go wrong here…read moreespecially with Michelle's help in the pick your own flowers. She knew exactly how to build a bouquet of flowers and used her vast knowledge on what colors paired with others. 10/10 highly recommended.

This place has the arrogance to charge $2 for the privilege of entering the orchard and paying for…read morealready overpriced fruit. What an absolute joke of an establishment. They've turned a quaint orchard into a dog and pony show amusement park. Shame on them

It is a great place to bring the kids to look at animals, to eat and of course have the fresh apple…read morecider they have been making for over 50 years. We buy cider to bring home too!

We are so disappointed drove 20 minutes to take 2 children apple picking on a Wednesday afternoon -…read moreclimbed up a rocky hill to the top to find 3 bins of apples- none on trees. No one said they were no apples on trees when we purchased bags(?) . Filled 1 bag and went to store to get refunded on 2nd I filled bag, (which the cashier did not seem to care that I was requesting $ back , or why and reimbursed me.) After all that- apples were horrible ( gala,Mac's and honey crisp) - mealy and old. Will not go back. Bishops is worth an extra 10 min drive for me.

Great for apple picking! We stopped by on a Saturday afternoon - wasn't too picked over. They only…read morepick certain apples at certain times, but have a large variety. We had a great time. A bag was $25 - I have no idea how this compares to other spots but it felt like a decent price. Great to be able to grab an apple cider donut afterwards too!

I had such an amazing time at the Beardsley Cider Mill for apple picking. This was my first time…read moreand I couldn't have asked for a much better experience. It was a beautiful fall day with clear skies and lots of apples to choose from. Definitely plan to come early as parking can be limited. It cost $20 for one bag of apples. The bag is pretty small and you're not able to bring in your own personal bags. This wasn't a big issue since one bag was enough for both my husband and I. Also, they have a small shop that sells the best apple cider donuts! This is a must try!!

I enjoyed going to blue Hills Orchards this afternoon with my daughter. We had no problems parking…read more We had no problems getting to the Orchards we were actually brought there by a tractor. What a fun afternoon and we brought home probably five or 6 pounds of apples. My daughter is making apple bread right now. Should be delicious I can't wait.

Good apple orchard with tractor rides to the picking areas. Seasonal shop with apples and other…read morefood items.

An amazing family farm. Fresh produce and bakery items. Very friendly people that make your visit…read moreenjoyable. Truly, a diamond in the rough..A+

I love this location because it's a step away from some larger, more commercial and brand-based…read moreorchards you might find around CT. This spot would be a great place to take small children, people with different ability levels, etc. It's not over-stimulating and busy/crowded, and it offers a large span of options so there's an intimacy you might not find at other orchards.

Another wonderful pick your own orchard in CT. Glastonbury has some great views and Belltown Hill…read moreis one of them! Lots of berry farms in this area, but what sets them apart are the ones that make their own products. Salad dressing, jams, sauces, pickles, honey, honeybee pollen fresh produce and so much more.

Very nice orchard, not overcrowded at all. Has a nice market that sells a little of everything!…read morePies, chips, jams, fruits, ect.. and nice for those who enjoy fruit picking! Definitely a place to check out! They don't serve donuts or food to sit and eat there. But the store is nice to pick up fresh items!