All Seasons Apple Orchard

Autumn in the Parisi household means apple picking. We have gone apple picking every year since Cooper was born and some of my favorite photos of the kids are from our apple picking adventures through the years. If apple picking isn’t a tradition in your household you should consider starting it now. One of our regular apple orchards is All Seasons Apple Orchard.

All Seasons Apple Orchard

It’s a bit of a drive from the city, but All Seasons Apple Orchard is worth the drive. Located in Woodstock, All Seasons offers not only apple picking, but a pumpkin patch, country store, and a huge variety of outdoor activities. Since we’ve been here multiple times, I’ve included some photos from this year, and some from previous years in this post.

Location: 14510 IL Route 76, Woodstock

Website: All Seasons Apple Orchard, Pumpkin Patch, & Corn Maze

Social Media: 

• Facebook – All Seasons Apple Orchard
• Twitter – @AllSeasonsApple
• Instagram – @AllSeasons_Orchard

Phone: 815-338-5637

Hours: 10:00 am-5:00 pm weekdays, 10:00 am-6:00 pm weekends and holidays

Admission: 

• Apple picking – $13 per adult (1/2 peck), $8 per child (1/4 peck). Includes wagon ride to orchard. An additional $3 per person for Honeycrisp apples when they’re available.
• Barnyard activities – $10 per person on weekdays, $15 per person on weekends and holidays.
• Combo (apple picking and barnyard) – $17 per adult and $14 per child on weekdays; $22 per adult and $19 per child on weekends.
• Children under 2 are free.
• No fee to enter pumpkin patch, Farm Market, or Country Kitchen.

Parking: Free parking in a large lot.

Bathrooms: There are changing tables in the bathrooms inside the buildings. There are also several port-a-pottys on the grounds.

Nursing: There is no designated nursing area. There are several places to sit both inside and outside.

Handicapped/stroller accessibility: All Seasons is a very large place and mostly grass or dirt so it’s bumpy terrain, but I do think it would be mostly handicapped/stroller accessible.

Other amenities:

• Field trips can be arranged for the apple orchard, pumpkin patch, or corn maze.
• Farm Market – Decorations, pre-picked apples, fresh pressed apple cider, raw honey, apple butter, pumpkin butter, jams and preserves, and more.
• Weddings, birthday parties, and other events can be arranged.

Food: The Country Kitchen offers meals like sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, and pizza, and a Dessert Bar on weekends. Country Concession has snacks like soft pretzels, nachos, and apple cider slushies. Donuts can be purchased at the Country Kitchen, Country Concession, and Farm Market. There is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. All Seasons does not allow outside food.

Apple Orchard

The All Seasons Apple Orchard opened for picking on September 2 this year. They offer 11 varieties of apples and 3 varieties of pears that are available at various times between opening and early October. The picking schedule is available on the All Seasons Apple Orchard website.

Barnyard Activities

• Corn maze – 10 acres with more than three miles of paths. There are two paths, a long one that can take up to 40 minutes to complete, and a short one that can be completed in 20 minutes. Each year the maze has a theme; the 2017 theme is Super Mario. There are several ways to navigate the maze: themed passports with questions and answers to point you in the right direction, maps, or a whodunit game. Boy Scout and Girl Scout badges are available.

• Petting zoo, goat bridge, and bunny village

• Pedal karts
• Giant jumping pillow – If it’s a sunny day it’s best to bring socks! The pillow can get pretty hot on bare feet.

• Spider web

 

• Duck races

• Giant swings

• Zip lines

 

• Rat Roller

• Sandbox & slides

• Country Classroom
• Tire mountain

• Pumpkin checkers
• Pumpkin bowling
• Corn box

• Corn hole games
• Giant rocker, pig, bull, and rooster

• Hay maze
• Bee Observation Station

Weekend barnyard activities:

• Cow train

• Kiddie corral
• Magic show
• Pig races
• Bouncy house

Activities available for an additional fee:

• Pony rides – $5
• Apple cannon – $5

Our experience

We planned our visit to All Seasons several weeks in advance this year and we were in luck because the weather wasn’t terrible – no rain or frigid cold. In fact, it was HOT. Like, more than 80 degrees. Not typical for mid-September, but that’s Midwest weather for you.

Honeycrisp apples were ripe for picking when we visited and there were two different wagon tracks available – one going to the Honeycrisp area and the other to the other types. The lines for the wagons were long, but they moved quickly. Once we arrived at the picking area we were given some instructions and guidelines for picking and then sent into the orchard. One of the instructions – eat as many apples as you want/can along the way. Can do!

It was a busy weekend and a lot of people were picking Honeycrisp, but the orchard is huge so it definitely wasn’t crowded and there were plenty of good apples available for picking.

I love a nice day in the outside in the orchard with the family. There are no tablets or tvs or distractions (well, except for my camera) and we spend a lot of time talking and laughing.

The kids even spend some time not fighting! (GASP!)

Campbell filled his own bag, but didn’t spend much time carrying it because it was heavy. If you have little ones a folding wagon is a good idea (to haul both kids and apples) or bring a backpack to toss the apples into.

Another family was nice enough to stop and take a photo so we could all be in it. Yes, it’s me in a picture! That hardly ever happens.

After filling our bags, the kids were hot and red-faced, so we were glad to sit down on the wagon for the ride back and a short rest. It didn’t last long though because once John brought the apple bags to our car we headed to enjoy some barnyard activities.

The jumping pillow is always a favorite. This year we remembered to have the kids wear socks. We’ve come before in sandals and on that day it was particularly sunny and the kids were complaining the pillow was too hot. It didn’t stop them from jumping on it, but they did have to take breaks to let their feet cool off.

There are plenty of photo opportunities at All Seasons and Dexter could not resist this pink tractor because it’s his favorite color. If you look behind the tractor you can see the double-sided car that has two fronts and no back.

The corn maze has a different theme each year, and for 2017 it’s Super Mario themed. This backdrop is near the corn maze so you can get perfect Instagram-worthy shots of the kids in the Super Mario world.

Extra activities are available on weekends, including a magic show. The magician used several volunteers throughout the show. Dexter got called up on stage and he got to help out with a magic show and some comedy. As you can tell by his face he thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

A trip to All Seasons isn’t complete without a stop at the Farm Market. We sampled some yummy treats, learned about how All Seasons makes their own apple cider (without adding sugar or preservatives) and watched it being pressed, and browsed around all the fun things they offer. We left with apple cider donuts, apple cider, and taffy apples to enjoy at home. YUM.

All Seasons sells a huge range of things in the Farm Market, including home decor, toys, gifts, and books. Oh, and what do we have here?

You can get your very own copy of my book, The Ultimate Kids’ Adventure Guide to Chicago at All Seasons Farm Market! Buy one for yourself, and extra copies for friends and family. It makes a great gift!

Thanks so much to All Seasons for inviting us, and for carrying my book, and for providing us with the perfect autumn activities to do together as a family.

We paid: My family received complimentary Honeycrisp apple picking and barnyard activities on a weekend, which would have been approximately $116.

Tips:

• Don’t forget the camera, or a backup charger if you’re taking photos with your phone.
• Dress for the weather. Layers and sunscreen are a good idea.
• A wagon or backpack is a good idea if you have little ones and plan to pick apples or pumpkins.
• Make sure your kids wear or bring socks – the jumping pillow can get hot in the sun.
• Don’t skip the farm market – there have everything there from apple cider donuts and fresh apple cider to home decor and fun gifts.

In conclusion…

All Seasons is one of our autumn go-to activities. There’s plenty to do and it’s easy to spend a full day enjoying seasonal activities in the crisp autumn air. The price includes nearly all available activities, so you know up front what you’ll be spending and don’t have to worry about doling out money constantly throughout the day.