Just an hour north of Tarrytown, in the town of Poughquag, sits the 180-acre Barton Orchards. On the working farm, family and friends can visit the tap room, market, and bakery and participate in a variety of activities.
Although open year-round, the orchard has the most visitors in the fall because of its many fall-themed events. Each weekend, there is a new event on the farm, and during my trip to the orchard, I attended the “BBQ and Brews” event. Entry for people ages 13 and up is $29.95, $19.95 for ages 4-12, and free admission for those ages three and under. The ticket includes entertainment from the Magician Zach Alexander and live music. The activities ranged from pig races to a haunted house, a corn maze, and hayrides.
Upon entry to the event, I began my day by going through the haunted house. Although it may have been small, it was a blast. The most memorable part was crossing a bridge in the house while feeling like I was spinning due to the illusions caused by the lights. The visual effects in the haunted house exemplified the experience.
Next, we felt hungry, so we grabbed a table to eat lunch at. The lines for the BBQ food were long but worth the wait. I ate mac and cheese, and my friends ordered a variety of food including chili, roasted chicken, ribs, and cornbread. Additionally, many of us drank cold apple cider with our food. While eating lunch with my friends, we enjoyed the live band playing country music and the magician who stopped by our table to perform a few tricks.
After filling up on BBQ food, we made our way to the corn maze. Although it was very big, we avoided getting lost and walked through it relatively quickly. A few booths sat next to the corn maze, consisting of vendors selling holiday reeves and bottles. There was even a booth of puppies up for adoption. We stopped by that booth to hold and pet the puppies before heading to the next event.
We then walked to the apple orchard to pick some fresh apples to eat and take home. They were very delicious and offered a great snack while walking around the farm and observing nature. Additionally, it was a great break before walking over to the mega slide where we flew down the slide to race each other.
After the slide, it was time to head back home, and on my way out, the apple cider donut line was very long, so I stopped by the market instead and bought a pumpkin pie.
Overall, I had a great time and would recommend it to anyone wanting to get out and participate in fall activities with their friends and family as the Barton Orchards has so much to offer all in one place.
