Photo by John Brandon
“Daddy, look at this chick! It’s so tiny!” said my 6-year-old daughter, Hannah, cupping her hands around a new hatchling. We were at Fall Harvest Orchard in Delano, just 30 miles west of the Twin Cities.
“Be gentle,” I said with a grin. It was the year 2003, and since then my family has visited Fall Harvest about a dozen times. Just last year, I took my adult kids, and we had a blast on a rollicking hayride, sampling homemade caramel apples, and sipping cider.
What’s so compelling about apples and farm animals, you might ask? In recent years, apple orchards in Minnesota have embraced something called “agri-entertainment”—think corn mazes, hay bale climbs, and pedal karts you race around a farm field. Suffering through the pandemic was no joy ride, but it did serve as a springboard for apple picking. People realized they could social distance easily enough among the sweet Honeycrisp groves and open-air barnyards.
Fall Harvest Orchard
According to owners Mike and Darcy Sjomeling, around 80,000 to 90,000 people visited Fall Harvest Orchard—which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is home to 10,000 apple trees—during the 2025 season. They took ownership in 2015 but expanded quickly after the pandemic. “Fall Harvest Orchard is celebrating 50 years this year. That’s 50 years of memories. Parents brought their kids here for fall fun, and now those kids are bringing their own kids,” says Darcy. “So many of our customers make it a family tradition to come back every year. We’re so lucky to have such amazing support.” The orchard now features more than 60 attractions, the most in Minnesota, along with multiple food trucks—including up to 20 on its busiest weekends.
Photo by John Brandon
My favorite activity is the apple cannon, where you can pummel old cars out in a distant field. This year, Fall Harvest is adding Ford Model T golf carts that hold about six passengers each. Admission to the orchard is free, but the wristband for unlimited rides costs $25 per person on weekends. Another milestone? Fall Harvest is open on weekend evenings until 10 p.m.
In my experience, Fall Harvest caters to kids (with the rides), older teens (the apple shoot and corn maze), and adults (multiple food trucks and evening hours). That generational impact is more profound than you might think. Mike recalls one family that returned every year to take a photo beside the same tree stump on the property, documenting their children as they grew. When the stump was accidentally removed, he had his staff replace it—ensuring the family’s tradition could continue.
Apple Jack Orchards
Connor Vokaty had a lightbulb moment last year. As someone who had visited Apple Jack Orchards—in Delano, technically, but closer to Buffalo and Rockford—as a child, he wondered if he could arrange a wedding proposal there to his then-girlfriend, Tayler.
“Maddie, someone is calling about a proposal,” said one of the Apple Jack staff to Maddie Mathin, who co-owns the orchard with her mom, Mary. “I took the call and was like, we can figure this out!” Maddie says. She has a background in event planning and once worked at both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Photo by John Brandon
She quickly mobilized the staff, including orchard manager Ben Fontana. They placed pumpkins and strung lights up around a few apple trees. “She figured it out as soon as they walked down to a row of apple trees,” says Maddie with a laugh.
My family has visited Apple Jack Orchards since at least 1998, back in the days when you could park right in front by the barn and before the orchard expanded across the highway. Today, it’s like the farming version of Valleyfair, with a huge slide, two jumping pillows, and live music.
The orchard is split into two sections. Last season, around 25,000 guests paid for admission to a large agri-entertainment area with rides and live music called the Fun Farm. Another 10,000 were drawn to the craft store, restaurant, and something near and dear to my heart: the best apple pie I’ve ever tasted (with apologies to Betty’s Pies near Duluth and Stockholm Pies in Wisconsin).
Fun Farm admission costs $25 per person this season, but there’s no cost to come and sit on a hay bale, pet the animals (including a dog that sat by my feet when I visited this summer), and poke around in the craft store. Maddie told me she is the organized one who does all of the planning and logistics, and her mom offers wise counsel and encouragement. Apple Jack Orchards has 8,500 apple trees on 90 acres and 16 apple varieties.
I came for the pie, but visiting these two apple orchards is now a rite of passage for my family. Every fall, we visit multiple times, building a legacy. Back at Fall Harvest Orchard when my kids were young, we once found them sunk into a massive pile of corn with their heads poking out. My son Josh held up a kitten. “Not happening,” I said.
Later, at home, we named him Milton.
More to Explore
If you’re looking to extend your apple orchard adventure, head to Everly Farms in Minnetrista, formerly Minnetonka Orchards, where year-round attractions now include wine tastings, seasonal events, and The Table restaurant. We held my daughter’s wedding ceremony there several years ago. I visited this summer and was amazed by the eclectic menu, including orange pasta and a charcuterie board. Or make the drive to LuceLine Orchards in Watertown, where 10,000 apple trees span 155 acres and visitors can enjoy U-pick varieties like Zestar and SweeTango, alongside live music, food trucks, and scenic walking trails.
Photo by The JUX Collective
