The first time we went, we went on the "tour". They have sweet volunteers, dressed in period clothing who can tell you all about the farm. I'm glad we did the tour (well, at least part of it), because I was able to learn a little about the place. However, my 3 year old was not interested in the least about apple orchards or how they picked and packaged them way back when. He was anxious to see the animals and I felt a little rude as we were rushing our tour guide along.
The guide was very understanding and skipped a few highlights to get us to the animals (there was a pig, calf, and chickens). We got to feed the pig some weeds, that was fun! An unexpected highlight for The Boy was the wood shop, where our guide hand-makes old wooden toys. We got to try some of them out, and they were also available for purchase.
For this last visit, we just kind of wandered around on our own. Unfortunately there were only chickens to see this time, and no one was in the wood shop. But it was nice to go at our own pace.
The farm is quite large and would be a great place to bring out of town friends/relatives who enjoy history and antiques, as they have an expansive collection. There is an old box car train to look in as well. I saw picnic tables around, so I suppose it would be okay to bring a lunch. There is also a cute little gift shop.
I would say this is better suited for adults and older children who are interested in the history here. I wouldn't pay to bring your 3 year old, but if you already have a membership, go ahead and check it out:) Remember, Cross Orchards is only open seasonally, April through October.
Click here to visit their website.
Connor at the entrance.
They still have apple trees around.
Where they used to box the apples.
Playing in the wood shop.
