Apple Picking on Long Island: Harbes Farm & Orchard

Looking for fall festivities on Long Island? From apple picking, pumpkin patches, to apple cider, we found it all during our visit to Harbes Farm & Orchard on the North Fork.

Apple Picking on Long Island, New York

Apple picking season in New York normally opens from late August and run all the way until late October. When the fall season rolls around, I normally think of Upstate New York or the Hudson Valley for apple picking festivities. This year I discovered the fact that many apple orchards are actually located on Long Island! Instead of driving upstate, we drove out east this time for our apple picking adventure on the eastern end of Long Island.

We were looking to experience picking apples with the family, feel the cozy fall spirit, drink some apple cider and taste cider doughnuts all in one place. Harbes Farm checked off all those boxes for us and delivered. Not to mention, the drive to Harbes Farm was quite scenic as the highways and streets were lined with the colorful fall leaves of the changing trees. Going mid-October was nice because nature was setting the scene with a backdrop of red and amber foliage. The chill in the air helped put us all in the autumnal mood, as well.

Where is Harbes Farm & Orchard Located?

If you are a local, you’ll know Long Island is literally a long (in length) Island located east of New York City. FYI, Queens and Brooklyn (2 of 5 boroughs of NYC) are actually on the westernmost end of Long Island! Harbes Farm & Orchard has two locations (out of 3) on the island that you can go apple picking at: Harbes Orchard in Riverhead and Harbes Farms Jamesport. We went to the Riverhead location since it was the largest of the three, and had the most apple varieties available to pick. The Jamesport location is only open on weekends and holiday, plus, there is only honeycrisp apples available to pick there. All three locations have pumpkin picking, corn mazes and hayrides.

Driving time from NYC: 1.5-2 hours (depending on traffic)

No car? You can take the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to the Riverhead train station and it’s only a 12 minute taxi/Uber ride from the LIRR station to Harbes Orchard location in Riverhead.

I know this sometimes goes without saying, but driving into the North Fork and out East in general will be very traffic heavy. Harbes Farm & Orchard in Riverhead is on the same route as the North Fork wine trail. This means everyone wanting to go to either the farms for fall festivals, farmers markets or wine tastings will be entering the same double-lane road (Main Street), from the highway, before splitting off to their final destinations. Prepare for slow traffic and start your day early if you are planning to travel on the weekends.

Arriving at Harbes Farm & Orchard

Once you arrive onto the property, it gets super easy. I was extremely excited to finally get to stretch my legs after sitting in traffic for hours. There are many visible signage to follow for free parking and attendants are there to guide the traffic flow and direct towards open parking spots. Checking in was a breeze, as well. There were several check-in tables with designated ticketing options (online, cash, credit card, etc). It honestly felt like a well-oiled machine. You can feel the energy and festive fall vibes as soon as you enter the grounds. There’s a map on-site at the beginning, which came in very handy! I loved seeing people everywhere enjoying the food, photo ops and music! Harbes Farm is definitely such a family friendly place and a great idea for fall activity during the harvest season.

Apple Picking at the Harbes Farm Orchard

The 78-acre Harbes Orchard in Riverhead is a popular and favorite choice for fall festivities. They feature 27 different apple varieties to pick from! Do note that the available apple variety depends on when you will be visiting the farm. Be sure to check the Harbes Farm website to see which varieties are open to picking the week you will go. We went on the weekend of October 7 and noticed some of the varieties were done for picking by the early September apple pickers, while, other varieties were still not ripe enough yet to open up for public picking. If you are going for your favorite kind of apple or are looking for a specific variety to bake with, be sure to double-check what’s available on their website.

One thing I wanted to note is how well everything is labeled on the orchard. The different apple varieties are clearly marked and even include individual characteristics. It’s also denoted whether each apple variety is good for snacking, eating or baking! Signage here is 10/10. A small detail I want to also mention is that availability of apple picking tools were plentiful. We were able to find the fruit poles to assist in reaching taller apples, easily.

Other Fall Attractions at Harbes Orchard

As soon as we arrived, we made a beeline to the food lines. Everyone was super hungry from the ride over and ready to chow down. This was our chance to get some refreshing apple cider slushees and food from the grill. I was excited to try their apple cider doughnuts, also! On the menu were grilled sweet corn, hot dogs, paninis and other country foods. My favorite thing I had that day was their apple cider slushee. It was just so refreshing on a sunny day. Their signature apple cider doughnuts were not my favorite, though! It was quite ginger-forward and I like my donuts a little less spiced and a little more apple flavor prominent. I did wish I had room to try their apple crisp as well. It sounds just delightful. While we are on the subject of food and drink, I do want to mention that there is wine tasting on the grounds with a selection of wines from Harbes Vineyard.

Live music brought the excitement to the atmosphere. The music starts at noon, if you want to plan your day ahead. Other things that are available on the farm grounds is the pumpkin patch and the corn maze! The pick your own pumpkin patch is a whole 9-acres of pumpkins and gourds on the vine. Don’t forget to get a ride on the tractor pulled wagon, either! Access to the corn maze is an additional cost and, of course, pumpkins or gourds that you’ve picked and want to bring home is charged depending on the size.. If you’re looking to do something at night, the Spooky Night Maze is opened, since October 12, and includes creepy characters encounters within the corn maze! Admission for that is $24, purchasable on-site only.

If you are looking for more farm adventures, be sure to check out their other locations, especially the Harbes Barnyard in Mattituck for their cute and adorable petting zoo. They even have hayrides and apple canon shooting there!

Overall, it was a really fun day for my family and I at Harbes Farm. The Orchard is just one of their many locations within the Harbes network, and it was the perfect destination for an apple picking family outing and all the fall festivities.

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