plan a trip to the orchard!
Create Family Traditions
Photo © Pleasant Valley ORchard
Apple Orchards
A FALL FAVORITE!
The leaves are changing and the apples are ripe and ready on the trees here in the St. Croix Valley. The short drive from the Twin Cities makes our area a perfect spot for the long weekends of fall and a sweet spot to visit an apple orchard. Be sure to plan your overnight stay in advance by checking out our lodging options. Here are a few places to stop by and pick up some favorite autumn treats!
Voted “BEST MN ORCHARD OF 2015” by WCCO Channel 4 viewers!
17325 Pleasant Valley Rd
Shafer, MN 55074
Pleasant Valley Orchard is located on 71 acres in Shafer, MN and features all the favorite MN Grown Apples. The orchard also offers beautiful rolling views of the St. Croix Valley, which are breathtaking when ablaze with color. Pick your own apples on the weekends (select varieties ), or shop from the hand-picked selection in the barn. Breathe in the fresh country air as you take a walk on “the trail” which leads you around the ponds on the property. Or, take part in the autumnal tradition of the hay ride around the orchard. Be sure to visit the farm animals in the barn, let the kids play in the “corn box” and don’t leave without some freshly baked goodies for the ride home.
1594 Wisconsin 35,
Centuria, WI 54824
Baker Orchard is located on a family run orchard in Centuria, WI, just north of St. Croix Falls, WI and features crowd favorite, one-of-a-kind, gourmet apples, fresh cider, and locally-raised chicken, pork, eggs, and vegetables. Be sure to pick up a Big Ben™ apple, which was started by Ruth Baker ( owner John Baker’s grandmother), who did a lot of apple tree planting and exploration. Feel the crunch of the leaves under your feet as you take a back woods hike on the property trails, or let your body and mind relax as you enjoy the gardens on the grounds. If the kids need to burn off some energy, let them scamp and jump around at the boulder park. Be sure to visit the renovated, century-old barn and the unique Orchard House Art Gallery housing local artists. If you’re lucky, perhaps you will talk one of the owners, John Baker, into juggling some apples for your crowd.
This article was written by Linda Shober and produced by Linda Shober Marketing + Design, a marketing firm located in the St. Croix Valley specializing in providing content, strategy, management, design, and creative for digital and traditional marketing projects.