Pick Your Own Apple Picking Farms for Families on Long Island

Apple picking is a great all around family outing. Fresh air, a little exercise, a bit of a treasure hunt, and bounty at the end. I'm feeling optimistic, so despite Hurricane Irene's recent visit, I'm going to share our u-pick orchard favorites with you. Whether you're looking for an orchard with all the bells and whistles or an orchard with trees perfectly sized for wee ones, you can find it at one of Long Island's Pick Your Own Apple Farms. Just make sure to call ahead to verify hours and orchard conditions, especially after the storm.

Lewin Farms
812 Sound Avenue
Wading River
631-929-4327
Season: Open Now
Late August- Late October
Wednesday-Monday/9am-4:30pm
Known as the first pick your own farm on Long Island, this family operated farm specializes in several different kinds of apples as well as a wide variety of farm fresh fruits and vegetables. They also boast a roasted corn stand where you sample some of their roasted corn on the cob and baked potatoes. Lewin Farms ask that you call ahead for availability and days that the fields are open.

The Milk Pail Farmstand
1346 Montauk Hwy
Water Mill
631-537-2565
Season: Opening Labor Day Weekend
Early September-Late October
Open daily, 10am-5:30pm
With more than 20 different varieties of apples to choose from, The Milk Pail is the perfect destination for you and your family to enjoy an apple picking adventure! The Milk Pail grows over 20 acres of apples on trees that are semi dwarf. These trees only grow to be eight to ten feet tall, making the apple picking process a bit easier. The Milk Pail’s website lists detailed information for visitors such as weekly updated variety listings, a description of each of the apples grown on the farm, cost of apples by the pound, recipes and current weather conditions for the day.

Woodside Orchards
729 Main Road
Aquebogue
631-722-5770
Season: Open now, Mid September- Late October
Open daily, 10am-5pm
Established in 1982, Woodside Orchards has become a staple on Long Island for fresh, delicious apples! Woodside grows over 10 different varieties of apples grown on small, semi-dwarf trees. To make sure that every visitor gets a chance to have the best apple picking experience, Woodside Orchards opens new areas of the orchard every weekend. While you are there, try one of Woodside Orchards creative treats, the Cider Slushies! Be sure to call for more information regarding pricing of apples by pound and picking availability.

Fort Salonga Farm
30 Meadow Glen Road
Northport
631-269-9666
Season: Late August-mid-October
Saturday-Sunday & holidays 10am-3pm
For a very local, no frills approach, Fort Salonga Farms is a great place to hit if you want to get in, pick some apples, and get home for naptime. Without a lot of other bells and whistles like hayrides and such, they do offer plenty of dwarfed trees for kids to pick on. And, they also offer freshly extracted honey for sale at the farm stand that you shouldn't miss on the way out. Fort Salonga Farms offers the most westerly location on the Island. It's important to check out their website, since their crop is smaller and they close from time to time to allow for more ripening.

Seven Ponds Orchard
65 Seven Ponds Rd
Watermill
631-726-8015
Season: Late August-November
Open daily, 9am-6pm
Why take your kids apple picking if they aren't tall enough to reach the apples? It can be back breaking picking them up all day long to pluck the apples. While many orchards offer dwarf "type" apple varieties, only Seven Ponds can lay claim to the fact that they specialize in them. With over 14 varieties of dwarf trees, you could spend all day in the little orchard, as I call it. They also offer red radio flyer wagons for you to carry your apples around in. If the kids get bored of the picking, there is plenty more to do: a corn maize, hay rides, and a farm market with a bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Seven Ponds is the place to go if you're looking for an apple picking experience made for kids. They are also open weekdays, so you can beat the weekend crowds!

Wickhams Fruit Farm
28700 Route 25
Cutchogue
631-734-6441
Season: Open Now
Early September-Late October
Monday-Saturday/Open 9am-4pm
Membership Fee is required
Dating back from 1661, Wickham's Fruit Farm has some of the oldest cultivated farming land in the country, and is one of the most beautiful apple picking locations, with water views of Peconic Bay. (Don't forget the camera, this is a great time for a family photo op.) Membership is required to pick, but members receive daily updates on apple availability as well as a private selection of the freshest apples available for picking. While your there, be sure to enjoy Wickham's famous apples pies, donuts, apple cider, and see one of the first cider presses in Long Island. Wickhams is also apart of Suffolk County’s Farmland Preservation programs which ensures the protection of the land for years to come.

We usually include Hanks Pumpkintown of Watermill in our picks, but they are picked out for the season. We try to limit our list to apple picking farms that we know and love, but if you need a full listing of pick your own farms on Long Island, check out pickyourown.org. Let us know if you have a favorite farm that we should check out.

For full coverage of apple picking, pumpkin picking, strawberry picking and farm fun info in the tri state area, check out our Pick Your Own Guide.

And now that you've got your apples, take a look at our Boston site's Apple Recipes for Kids and Families.