Pro Tips – Know Before You Go:
Bring bug spray. Especially in wet weather, the bugs can be quite pesky. In warm weather be warned that bees abound.
Skip the stroller. Bumpy, muddy fields are no place for a stroller. Opt for the wagon (available at select locations or bring your own) or use a baby-carrier when possible.
Carry a backpack. With apples to pick, pumpkins to carry, and little ones in your arms having a free hand is key for a successful trip. Toss all necessities into a backpack instead of your usual diaper bag.
Bring an extra bag. Packing a large reusable bag with sturdy handles is also a great idea. You can use it to haul apples and pumpkins that you picked, to stash the muddy shoes when you load up the car, or to hide the donuts you secretly bought at the market!
Apple Orchard/Pumpkin Patch/Fall Fest Combo Locations
Tuttle Orchard (East)
Tuttle Orchard is a great orchard for the little ones and . Offering both apple picking as well as a pumpkin patch you can work in both quintessential fall activities in one carseat buckling day of fun. Tuttle’s offers bags (new and improved with handles this year!) from $5-$18 per bag, and you can pick as many as you’d like. The wagons are a big hit, giving babes a place to ride and parents a place to stash their stuff (note that their wagons have flat beds and no sides…this isn’t a wagon to cart an infant!) Apple picking is open August 26th through late October (when all apples have been picked). Free activities include a few farm animals to see as well has a bee hive. Hayrides, a corn maze, and Tractor Town Adventure Farm are available for a fee. Open Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, closed Sunday.
Another pumpkin/apple combo site is Stuckey Farm. Open Mon-Thurs from 9am-6pm, Fri-Sat 9am-8pm, and Sun 1pm-5pm. Take a wagon ride to the pumpkin patch to pick your own pumpkin, and grab a bag for u-pick apples. Parents and children alike will enjoy watching the apple cider making process, and young tractor lovers will especially enjoy the small forklifts that dump loads of apples onto the conveyer belt. $10 gets you admission to the fall festival (Sat and Sun from Sept. 17th-October 23rd, Under 2 are free) and includes free parking, wagon rides, a corn maze, and Adventure Acres (perfect for older siblings with a giant tube slide and pedal cars) where the always popular barrel train can be found. Pig Races and an Apple Cannon set Stuckey Farm apart, and don’t miss the apple slushie!
Apple Orchards (More low key, Also offer u-pick pumpkin patches)
Adrian Orchards Apples (South)
Adrianorchards.com
Now open for their 91st season (!!!!!!) Adrian Orchards is the closest orchard to downtown Indy and is now in its third generation of family ownership. It is home to George J. Adrian who holds the world record for the fastest apple picker (He picked 15,351.5 pounds of apples in 8 hours in 1980!). Multiple apple varieties, a u-pick pumpkin patch, hayrides, and food make this a great stop for a fall day with baby. Admission is free, see website for dates of specific activities. Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun noon-5pm.
Pleasant View Orchard (Southeast )
Boasting more than forty acres of apple trees with twenty different varieties this is the perfect destination for those who love to make their own apple treats at home. The knowledgeable staff can help you select the best variety for your apple plans. Pleasant View has a pumpkin patch and a wagon ride to take you to and from the patch. While they don’t have a lot of additional fall-festival type activities it is a lovely location for a more low-key visit. Go on the weekends for delicious treats like fried biscuits with apple butter. Check out their website to see free events including live music, a Silly Safari, and wine tastings. Open daily 9am-6pm.
Whiteland Orchard (south)
Whitelandorchard.com
Green thumbs and produce lovers alike will enjoy the four greenhouses at Whiteland Orchard where you can browse plants for sale. The low key atmosphere offers a great opportunity to enjoy the crisp fall air and appreciate the natural beauty of the area. Take the hayride to the u-pick pumpkin patch and find your carving pumpkin before heading back to Our Farm Market for delicious apples, apple cider, Johnson County yellow popcorn and even bulk garden seeds and pure local honey. Open Monday-Saturday from 9am-6pm.
Here are more of our favorite Indianapolis area apple orchards to take your kids apple picking in Indy!
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