5 easy apple-picking day trips from NYC

Fall is very nearly here, so pack up a few friends, grab your best Instagram-worthy wooly sweaters, and hop a Port Authority bus for greener pastures — by which we mean orchards. We found five of the most beautiful apple-picking orchards located right outside NYC.

Stone Ridge Orchard
3012 New York 213, Stone Ridge, N.Y.

This 200-year-old working farm in the heart of Rondout Valley sits tucked between the Shawangunk and Catskill Mountains, growing some of the crispest, most delicious apples in the Hudson Valley like McIntosh, Cortland, Golden Delicious and Stayman in eco-friendly ways. They’ve also got a pumpkin house in addition to their bountiful trees. At $9 for a 5-pound bag, $17 for a 10-pound bag, and $20 for a 27-pound bag, their apples aren’t just delicious but also affordable.

Terhune Orchards
330 Cold Soil Rd., Princeton, N.J.

This fruit and vegetable-producing farm stretches for 225 beautiful acres. They’ve got both pick-your-own-apples and pumpkins on weekends until Oct. 18 as part as Fall Family Fun Weekends, which also include a cornstalk maze, wagon rides and a barnyard of farm animals.

Admission to the festival costs $5, but access to the pick-your-own-apples section of the festival is free. They’ll also have soup, chili, hot dogs, pies, apple cider and donuts for sale, and live music between noon and 4 p.m.

Outhouse Orchards
139 Hardscrabble Road, North Salem, N.Y.

Beyond apples, this farm has a wide range of fall produce, plus locally made honey and maple syrup. Located in northern Westchester, they also sell their freshly baked pies and pumpkin cheesecakes. Outhouse Orchards also has a corn maze and a pumpkin patch, which will be open until Halloween — stroll them while sipping a cup of freshly made apple cider. Apple bags cost $25 for ripe McIntosh, Cortland and Rhode Island Greenings until Oct. 8, and Rome, Baldwin and Red Delicious until Oct. 31.

Silverman’s Farm
451 Sport Hill Rd., Easton, Conn.

Founded in the early 1920s, Silverman’s Farm offers plenty of apple-picking charm, plus a hayride that brings you up a hill to begin your adventure. They’ve also got weekend scenic tractor rides, which take riders on a 50-mile tour of the countryside, including one of the highest points in southern Connecticut. Apple picking patrons must buy pre-purchased bags before embarking on harvesting, zoo animal petting and shopping their gourmet food market.

Masker Orchards
45 Ball Rd., Warwick, N.Y.

Spend a whole afternoon winding through this 200-acre orchard. They also have barnyard animals, ponies and a daily haunted house all season. On the weekends there’s live music and trivia from 2-5 p.m. Admission to this orchard is free, as are all the apples you can eat while you’re plucking ones to take home, which cost $26.95 per full bag. They also sell fresh apple cider for $3.95 a jug.