Apple Hill is one of my top favorite Fall traditions every year. The apples, the apple cider, and especially the apple donuts are all fantastic. Visiting during mid to late October is especially a treat because of the color change of the leaves. Incredible hues of yellow, orange, and a brilliant red are a wonderful sight that provides a vivid backdrop to the multitude of activities and food that you enjoy with friends and family.

Locations:

Jack Russell Brewing Company:

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This stop offers a selection of beer, wine, and hard cider. Outdoor seating aplenty provides a lovely atmosphere as you sip on your preferred drink and hangout with family and/or friends. If sampling is your preferred method of trying new alcohol delights, then a flight is the perfect option for you! I recently went with some family and we enjoyed a flight of apple, raspberry, peach, and blackberry hard ciders.

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While it appears that they do not offer food selections themselves, there is always a food vendor. I recently went with some family in mid-October and there was a food truck that offered fries among their items, as well as a kettle corn vendor. From the food truck, we tried BBQ Ranch Bacon Fries and Spicy Sweet Chili Fries. While the BBQ Ranch Bacon Fries had a BBQ sauce that was a little too sweet, the flavors all complimented each other, and we did not have any trouble finishing them. The Spicy Sweet Chili Fries feature sweet chili sauce, crema, cilantro, and sambal, which is a spicy condiment that added quite a punch of spice to these fries. They had a great flavor, but did get very spicy. For the those who cannot handle spice, they do offer a regular version that has everything except for the sambal.

Lastly, the caramel apple kettle corn is one of my favorite flavors, so we of course had to purchase some of that to take home!

Larsen Apple Barn:

This spot has plenty of apples to choose from in their store, a museum, and a bake chop. In the store, they give out samples of apples and pears that have wonderful flavor and practically ensure that you will buy at least one bag of apples before you leave. Note: I unfortunately have not been able to check out the museum yet.

The bake shop features a few lunch items and plenty of pies and turnovers to try. One item that we tried for the first time this year was the apple dumpling. Apple enrobed in flaky dough and covered in a smooth, warm cinnamon apple cider sauce. This dumpling was delicious and the incredible sauce brought the dumpling to a whole other intensely yummy level. Seriously, I could cover many desserts in that sauce and be a very happy camper.

Rainbow Orchards:

Upon asking if Larsen’s had any apple or apple cider donuts, they said that they did not, but the stop just down the road from them had donuts. We had never heard of this spot, so we decided to check it out since we were so close. Like many locations, this place sells apples, apple cider, pies, cobblers, and a couple of savory food options. It also offers apple cider samples, which was cold, crisp, and oh so delicious. Unlike other stops in Apple Hill, this spot has Hot. Apple. Cider. Donuts. That is all I will say for now as the last section of this post discusses the donuts I have tried.

This is a great little place that we will most definitely be visiting again!

Boa Vista Orchards:

Boa Vista is a great spot that is always super busy. Open for 363 days a year, this stop offers delicious apple cider, bakery items, savory lunch items, fruits, veggies, and a shopping area filled with delightful sauces, jams, and much more. They also offer a plethora of sample options that include apple cider, apples, sauces, and hard cider. Just try a sample of the apple cider and you will not be able to resist purchasing a gallon to take home. Lastly, their social media presence is awesome, and their photos make you want to hop in the car to come and try the various delicious items they offer throughout the rest of the year as well!

High Hill Ranch:

High Hill is one of, if not, the largest locations in Apple Hill. They have a huge number of craft vendors, a lovely little pond, a huge selection of bakery items, and much more. The store has plenty more than just apples and apple cider, including apple wine, cookbooks, and much more.

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High Hill has one of the larger eatery options with a generous menu featuring burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, and fries. One of my favorite items is the chili cheese fries because it a perfect comfort food dish to warm you up on a chilly day in Apple Hill. While just about all the stops in Apple Hill offer some savory selections, it has been a tradition for my family and I to go to High Hill for lunch, for as long as I can remember.

Lastly, a stop at the Fudge Factory is a must! This cute little shop features various types of fudge, truffles, caramel apples, and a myriad of other confection and candy. With such a large selection of items, it is practically guaranteed that you will find some delightful treats to take home.

Apple Donuts:

Yes, apple donuts and apple cider donuts get their own special section. Why? Because they are just that yummy!

My family and I have traditionally bought apple donuts from High Hill; however, this year’s excursion introduced us to a new donut: Rainbow Orchard’s Hot Apple Cider Donut. While High Hill features a whopping 13 flavors in their repertoire, Rainbow Orchards offers just one flavor.

The Breakdown:

High Hill Ranch:

• Description: We decided to try all the flavors they offered that day: Cinnamon Sugar, Glazed, Crumb, Sprinkle, Chocolate, Walnut, Blueberry, and Pumpkin. Plain was available, but I never buy those ones because they offer nothing interesting or unique to a box of glorious apple donuts. The blueberry and pumpkin were very subtle in flavor, but pretty good overall. The chocolate had a simple chocolate glaze that provided a nice added flavor to the traditional apple donut, while the sprinkle added a pop of color to the glazed apple donut. The walnut offered a great texture to the donut, and the cinnamon sugar had a nice, subtle flavor. The crumb and glazed have always been my favorites because they are simple, but provide delicious coatings for the apple donuts.
• Pros: They have a huge flavor variety, and they keep pretty well for a couple of days when kept in an air-tight plastic container.
• Cons: Most of them lack textural variance, so they are all just soft donuts.

Rainbow Orchards:

• Description: As I mentioned above, this location offers only one type of donut. This donut is served hot, and that makes a huge difference. Biting into one of these decadent treats provides a light crunch from the outer layer of donut and its sugar coating. The combination of a light outer crunch and the pillowy inside create a perfect bite. The flavor is delicious which completes the whole experience. This Apple Hill stop is the perfect example of a place keeping the options simple, but making them incredibly well.
• Pros: Served hot, and the awesome textural play of crisp outside and pillowy inside.
• Cons: They are best when eaten on the same day (preferably within a couple of hours of purchase) because they become very dense when stored in an air-tight container for a couple of days.

My favorite donut goes to . . .

Rainbow Orchards! While High Hill has an awesome variety and the donuts keep better when you take them home, Rainbow Orchard’s Hot Apple Cider Donut served straight from the fryer is simply the single best bite of apple and/or apple cider donut I have had to date!

Well, just writing that post made me want to hop in the car and go get some apple donuts and fresh apple cider! Thank you so much for checking out this post! I hope that you have a chance to go to Apple Hill and try everything it has to offer! Please leave a comment below about what your favorite part of Apple Hill is!

Also, check back tomorrow because I have a bonus apple post that offers a delightfully delicious solution to the question: “What do I do if I have leftover apple and/or apple cider donuts that are a few days old?”