Adventures in CLE: Hillcrest Orchards
Quick Take: Lots for all ages, amazing cider donuts, plan ahead for the corn maze and limited shade
First of all, Amherst in my mind is far. Like an hour? Nope, 30 minutes and an easy drive. We got there around 2pm on a gorgeous 75° day, not a cloud in the sky, obviously the perfect fall weather for apple picking... and the exact weather I said last year I'd never do apple picking again in (because not fall vibes), but here we are. It's clearly busy because we had to park in Lot B, which honestly, was not far at all.
Let me set the scene for you - in tow, 3 moms (one happens to be a grandma, but don't tell her I called her that, she goes exclusively by Nonna), an 8 week old, a 2.5 year old, a 6 year old, a 16 year old, and two 18 year olds.
I had to quickly make the decision of stroller versus babywearing. I opted for babywearing and while I was grossly sweaty by the end of the day, I'd make the same decision again. I will say that I saw a number of strollers and no one seemed miserable.
We started with the hayride which was quite bumpy, but gave us a good view of the orchard and everyone loved it (I also think it bounced the baby to sleep). We also went right by the apple cannons, where for $15.95/bucket you get to shoot apples out of a cannon at cut outs like Big Foot. They had so many activities for littles. From the corn box and the hay tunnel to the giant spiderweb and barrel train, plus playgrounds, a sandbox and more - the littles had a blast.
Then we checked out the corn maze, and seriously, this was our demise. The teens got through it in less than 5 minutes and had fun. The rest of us... well, we let the first grader and toddler lead us and 20+ minutes later, everyone was hot, sweaty, and exhausted asking for a lifeline from the teenagers to help us get out. There was a fun scavenger hunt as part of it and if you complete it, you get a donut on the way out! (We did not...)
Speaking of donuts - after the corn maze, we desperately needed drinks and food. We got a cheeseburger and fries, and quite honestly, meh but it did the job. The star of the show was the apple cider slushie and the apple cider donuts. Oh my gosh, if they had any nutritional value, I might make my diet those 2 things. The slushie was everything I didn't know I needed and the donut was soft and sugary and delectable! We obviously had to buy some to take home.
Full transparency, we never made it to the apple picking. The corn maze took it out of the kids and everyone was fading, so we faked some apple picking pics by a tree and then bought some apples and pumpkins at the market (the pumpkin patch wasn't open yet, but started September 20th). Also, we ended up opting out of the goats to avoid a meltdown (the kids didn't notice them) but definitely check them out.
Survival Tips:
If you go on a warm day, dress appropriately. There's almost no shade, so don't forget the sunscreen.
If you're between babywearing and a stroller, I'd say either would work but heads up that it's not paved so if it's wet, you might want to skip the stroller. They also had pumpkin wagons that I saw parents pulling their kids in (cannot say that's the intended use, but can't say it isn't).
Be prepared for the kids to get dirty. Ankles were basically black from sand and dirt.
Eat a real meal beforehand, the kids (and probably you) will be tired from all of the activities. Do NOT skip the donuts - the sugar might even give you all a second wind.
Bathrooms are in one of those event trailers - nice and well kept, but there's only 1 set at the front so if you have littles, you may want to break before picking apples or the corn maze
I imagine Hillcrest will be an annual tradition for our family! Hopefully, our learning experiences help your families avoid meltdowns! However you spend your fall days - apple-picking, donut-eating, or just chasing kids through a corn maze - here’s to making memories worth the sugar rush.
Have you been to Hillcrest? Drop your own tips in the comments so other families can plan the best day, too.
Looking for more fall adventures? Check out our Fall in Cleveland guide for a list of Northeast Ohio pumpkin patches, apple-picking spots, corn mazes, and more to keep the fun going all season!
