Right up there with our favorite fall traditions—cozy sweaters, pumpkin patches, PSL everything—is good, old-fashioned apple picking. And while it’s not the same as apple picking on the East Coast, Sonoma County has a long history with the fruit. It once had 17,000 acres of apple orchards and was known all over the country for its Gravenstein variety. But once the vineyards came in (a much more lucrative crop for the region), orchard acreage nearly dried up. Today, only about 2,300 acres of apple trees remain in Sonoma County. The good news is that there’s still a handful of places offering up fresh, crisp, juicy apples for the picking.
Whether you take the whole family, friends or your significant other, u-pick apples are just the way to make the mental shift from summer to fall. Besides, who’s ever turned down an apple cider doughnut? Here are some of the best places for apple picking near the Bay Area, along with some of the other awesome seasonal experiences they offer.
Editor’s Note: Before you go, be sure to check each orchard’s current COVID-19 measures, like masking policies, reservation times and available food services.
