fun to do kids apple hill california   Travel for Kids
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Apple Hill Farms

Apple Hill
East of Placerville on Highway 50, the rolling hills are sprinkled with farms and fruit orchards. The air is rich with smells of fresh baked apple pies, and turnovers, lemon bars, cider or doughnuts! In the fall, kids can sample the local apples or pick their own pumpkin for Halloween. Summertime, there are berry picking patches, delicious blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. December, look for visit from Santa and Christmas tree farms.
 

Abel's Apple Acres – On weekends, little ones will enjoy a pony ride, running through the hay bale maze, and everyone will like a taste of homemade fudge and caramel apples. Craft stalls, barbeque, and picnic tables.

 

El Dorado Orchards – A charming little train, the "Apple Ridge Express," goes around the "cider lakes." A short but sweet ride.

 

Larson Apple Barn – Worth a stop to sample the marvelous apple turnovers. (Eat them hot, or bring them back to family members stuck at home doing their homework …) Stop into the Larsen Farm Museum and run around in the shade of the oldest apple tree in the county. Picnic tables and nice little creek.

 

Apple Ridge Farms – Lovely setting under the pine trees, at the bakery try apple dumplings, turnovers, doughnuts, strudel, apple and berry pies with ice cream. There's also a nature trail, feed the goats and sheep, hay maze, face painting, and pie shop.

    Bolster's Hilltop Ranch – Bolster's has a wonderful rambling pumpkin patch where you can pick your own. Watch the cider press scrunching the apples into cider. Pick apples in fall, and blueberries in summer, June - August.
 

Denver Dan's Apple Patch – Pick your own apples (lots of different kinds), picnic area, bake shop.

 

Delfino Farms – Take a stroll down the nature trail, a shady walk through the forest along a stream. Check out adorable babydoll sheep (eating apples) and chickens. Apple bake shop, and fresh apples to buy. Corn maze and pick your own pumpkins just down the road.

 

Fudge Factory Farm – A must for chocolate lovers – 40 different kinds of homemade fudge, plus candy covered apples, pies, jam and jellies. Farm animals and kids play area.

Rainbow Orchards – Fresh apples and hot apple cider doughnuts. Pumpkin patch and barbeque weekends in October. Our vote for the most idyllic picnic setting under the apple trees.

 

Rainbow Camino Ridge – June to mid-July, come here for U-pick blueberries. Buckets (large and small are provided), easy to pick, plenty of blueberries low to the ground for little kids.

kids books apple hill california
     
Apple Farmer Annie  
Apple Farmer Annie
Monica Wellington

Annie is an apple farmer – she picks apples in the fall, makes apple cider, applesauce, apple pies, muffin and cakes, but she saves the most beautiful apples to sell at the farmers' market. Delightful, colorful illustrations, this is a fun read. (Picture book)

 

     
The Case of the Bad Apples
Robin Newman, Deborah Zemke

Charming, humorous mystery story with two mice detectives Wilcox and Griswold Porcini pig is sick from eating a big basket of green apples. Following animal prints in the farmyard, the detectives track down suspects, with a surprise ending and fresh baked apple pie. (Illustrated chapter book)

 

 
the case of the bad apples
     
how to apples grow  
How Do Apples Grow?
Jill McDonald

Toddlers love to eat apples, and will enjoy learning about how apples grow from tiny seeds, to trees, to applesauce. (Board book)

 

TfK Blog
TfK Blog