It's apple picking season! These local farms are great day trip destinations for families.
Each of the u-pick apple orchards on our list is a locally-owned family operation designed to provide the best in healthy produce and a great family outing. Apple picking season is typically mid-August through early October, but you’ll want to call for current hours and information.
Produce Picking Tips:
- Call ahead to verify picking times as they vary from farm to farm. This is a MUST!
- Remember comfortable shoes (you will be walking in fields) and wear sunscreen.
- Bring bottled water and pack a picnic if the farm allows.
- Make it a day trip and visit nearby attractions.
Our Top Picks:
Our top pick farms are all robust attractions with u-pick, agritourism and great play spaces for kids. Plan a half day to full day at these farms picking fruit, tasting delicious goodies and playing together as a family.
Fun Farm Kearney: 650 N. Jefferson St., Kearney, MO, 816.628.0028. The Fun Farm is the place for all-day FUN. This beautiful farm in Kearney stands out in the crowd thanks to its intentional layout welcoming guests of all ages to experience agritourism at its finest. Kids will love the Keebler Treehouse Village, the petting zoo, barnyard games, jumping pillows and more. Add on to your daily ticket and enjoy picking several varieties of apples. FunFarmPumpkinPatch.com
Johnson Farms Plants and Pumpkins: 17701 S. State Rte. D, Belton, 816.331.1067. Johnson Farms in Belton hosts apple picking in August and September, even before pumpkin season begins. Enjoy a hayride out to the orchard where you can pick beautiful apples. This is one of our favorite ways to kick off autumn family traditions. JohnsonFarms.net
Louisburg Cider Mill Though you can’t pick apples at Louisburg Cider Mill, you can enjoy apple treats! Watch as cider is made from scratch, enjoy fresh apple cider donuts and shop their country store. In the fall, play at the pumpkin patch and enjoy the corn maze at this favorite attraction in Louisburg, KS. LouisburgCiderMill.com
Pome on the Range 2050 Idaho Rd., Williamsburg, KS, 785.746.5492. Now under the same ownership as Louisburg Cider Mill, Pome on the Range is a beautiful orchard in Miami County, KS. Enjoy the u-pick apple orchard, cider donuts, wines, cider, pies and other home goods. Free wine-tasting every day. PomeOnTheRange.com
Weston Orchard & Vineyard: 18545 Co. Rd. H, Weston, MO, 402.209.4117. Situated on a bluff in Historic Weston, this family-owned farm is a fun getaway in the country. Enjoy a u-pick apple orchard with 7,000 trees on 15 acres offering 12 varieties of fruit, hayrack rides, apple cannons, rat racers, bouncing pillow, low ropes course with zip line, kids corn maze and more! OrchardWeston.com
Additional Alphabetical Listings:
Alldredge Orchards 10455 Hwy. N, Platte City, MO, 816.330.3448.
Day Trip Tip: Visit Watkins Mill Historic Site in Lawson, MO. The historic site offers a visitor center, museum, the 1861 woolen mill, the 1850s Watkins family home, the 1856 Franklin Academy and the 1871 Mount Vernon Baptist Church. In addition to the museum, the state park is home to hiking trails, a fishing lake, a swim beach and campgrounds.
Cider Hill Family Orchard 3341 N. 139th St., Kansas City, KS, 913.721.2507.
Day Trip Tip: After apple picking, head to Legends Outlets where you can enjoy free events on the Lawn, including concerts, outdoor movies and workout sessions. This outdoor outlet shopping center offers more than 75 leading designer and favorite brand-name stores. In addition to shopping, choose from a wide variety of restaurants or catch a film at the AMC theater.
Peter's Orchard 32615 Hwy. 65 S., Waverly, MO, 660.493.2368.
Day Trip Tip: Step back in time at Fort Osage Historic Site, where you can learn history at the first U.S. outpost in the Louisiana Purchase. Exhibits present history of the local Osage tribe, as well as military history.
Rock Creek Apple Orchard 619 W. Lone Jack Lee’s Summit Rd., Lone Jack, MO, 816.286.6262.
Day Trip Tip: Visit Powell Gardens on your trip and explore their Fortopia exhibit this summer or enjoy their Festival of Butterflies (July 21-Aug. 7). One of our favorite botanical gardens, Powell Gardens is a delightful place to spend a summer day. With flowers in bloom, the charming Heartland Harvest Garden (entirely edible landscape), rock wall garden and more, you’ll find much to see and explore—including play areas for children.
Schweizer Orchards S. Hwy. 169 & FF, St. Joseph, MO, 816.232.3999.
Day Trip Tip: Explore St. Joseph Museums. St. Joseph Museums comprise five separate museums and exhibits in one location. Three have history buffs in mind. Native American Galleries tells of tribes from across the United States and includes an archaeological dig box for children. Black Archives Museum tells the story of slavery to Civil Rights, and the WWI exhibit shows how the Midwest struggled with the Great War.
Sunflower Orchards 16905 W. 311th St., Paola, KS, 913.244.4034.
Day Trip Tip: Go to Cedar Cove Feline Sanctuary where they offer tours of their facility, devoted to the care and preservation of endangered large cats, to educate the public on their behavior, physiology, habitats and the threats and dangers of extinction. Keepers at Cedar Cove are educated and trained in the care of large exotic felines. Visit SaveOurSiberians.org for information.
Wagon Wheel Orchard 15380 Edgerton Rd., Gardner, KS, 913.893.6050. Tip: Make an appointment to pick at this orchard.
Day Trip Tip: Visit the Lanesfield School Historic Site where you learn about the history of education in rural Kansas in the late-19th through mid-20th centuries and learn what an average school day was like for children.
Kristina Light writes regularly about the best family attractions in Kansas City on KCParent.com.