Wallingford’s Fruit House

Wallingford’s is not only my favorite apple picking spot but it also my favorite place to get snacks in the fall. I first found this place because of a groupon for Apple picking a couple years ago and have been hooked ever since.
They have a good selection of apples and pumpkins, and they have a play area for families, which I believe you have to pay to enter. The true gem is their donuts and apple dumplings. Their donuts come in plain, blueberry, pumpkin and apple cider. I always make sure to keep a dozen in the freezer to hold me over. The dumplings are dough filled with seasoned apples that you can get with other caramel sauce and/​or ice cream. They also have a selection of wines and beer in addition to their various apple products such as cider. There is truly something for everyone. I recommend getting there early because they get busy quick and parking is limited.

It’s no secret that I have a tattoo of the longitude and latitude of an apple orchard on my arm.
It’s for THIS apple orchard.
But not for what it’s become… what it was.
Wallingford’s is one of my all time favorite places on earth… I hope heaven is very much like it. Rows upon rows of centuries old apple trees tucked near the mountains and valleys of Auburn that often go overlooked and under-​appreciated by non immediate locals. I have spent my entire life climbing those trees and picking their fruits. My fondest memories of autumn come from meandering this very orchard with my mom and sister from when we were very small to just a few years ago, with best friends I reunite with once a year just to go apple picking with, and by myself when I’ve needed to find a bit of solace and respite for my soul.
I miss the days when the big brown wooden farm stand was just that… a simple, no-​frills place to pay for your apples, buy some cider, order a variety of consistently delicious baked goods, and say hello to the hard-​working Wallingford family. Even at their busiest there was never any rush to get you in and out of the door. Welcoming, inclusive, and a celebration of the harvest. That’s what Wallingford’s used to be.
While it still very much smells the same here (a comfort I’m glad hasn’t also been stolen from me with it’s revamp over the course of the past couple of years), after its purchase by Ricker Hill, Wallingford very much became about two things: commercialism and kitsch. The inside has been gutted out and replaced with an over-​abundance of unnecessary and unrelated things that are all about making quick cash and cause total sensory overload. Toys, racks of alcohol (and now a tasting room?), more toys, cases of candies, pyramids of jellies, shirts, more toys — there’s very, very little room now for customers to actually be customers. And the outside? A complete circus. A tacky petting zoo, tackier wooden cutouts for photo ops, a hot dog cart, signs EVERYWHERE… it’s just an off-​putting sideshow, in my opinion. Maybe if you’re a family or never knew what Wallingford’s was, then you’ll love all this (I just don’t). There’s certainly plenty to do here besides pick apples now.
When you come here, do yourself a favor (if you’d like harken back to simpler times): to get the most out of your experience (and to also get back to the heart of what this place was all about), come mid-​morning on a week day. Walk as far and deep into the orchard as you can. Climb the trees. Sit on a branch and eat an apple. Listen to the leaves blowing in the wind. Pay for your apples, then buy an apple cider donut (best warm, sugared, and dunked into some cold apple cider), an apple dumpling with vanilla sauce (one of my all-​time FAVORITE foods; to me, it represents autumn in one bite), an apple square (corner with extra white icing for me, please!), and a cinnamon swirl (or two) for brunch the next day (anyone remember when they used to make apple buns? The cinnamon swirls are a band aid on the wound still open from the loss of those). Find the picnic table farthest away the pablum, and stuff your face silly (because, thankfully, much of the baked goods still taste the same, too).

Visiting Wallingford’s in the highly anticipated fall season is apparently a big deal in these parts. The place was packed with folks in search of all the flavors and scents of fall — cider, apples, squash, donuts. It really is more than it looks on the surface and is a real draw for families as there is a petting zoo, tractor rides and, I think, a corn maze.
The donuts here surpass all expectations and will be included in my future «Maine donut» blog — pumpkin, chocolate, plain, and sugar as well as other wonderful apple pastries like fritters and cobblers. Donut lovers line up in droves in the back of the store and are served by fresh faced teens who are super sweet and efficient. You can watch the donuts being assembled and most likely will be offered ones fresh from the oven. Delish!
Views from the hill upon which Wallingford’s sits are spectacular. You have to drive a bit off route 4 through some quaint villages. Watch for the signs and you won’t get lost. Another plus is the enormous variety of apples you can sample — many I had never tried and you can pick and choose based on the accurate descriptions depending on your eating/​baking needs — tart, sweet and all variations in between.
The only thing I can think of that detracted from the visit were the schlocky inflatable Halloween characters that dominated the scene. Honestly, they are an eyesore — this place is fine on its own and doesn’t need anything else to attract visitors. Other than that, I know that it will be on my list of close-​to-​home fall destinations next year.

wallingfords is an amazing place to be. customer service is awesome and they have such a wide variety of goodies! they have toys, candies, donuts and apples and so much more. on the outside theres apple picking, a hay ride, small petting zoo, and a little toy area for the kids to run around. if youve ever seen anyone post a picture of there head as an apple in a tree it was probably at wallingfords! :)

Such a great place! We walked around the petting zoo, took pics with all the neat stuff like tractors and cutouts, and bought some apples. Best part was picking our own apples! Great experience! Highly recommend!

What is fall without apples, cider, and pumpkins?
I’ve been to Wallingford’s to pick my own apples a while back and remember it being an enjoyable experience. More recently it was pouring when I stopped by and I grabbed some apples from the crates in the store along with some donuts, cider, and salsa. Everything I got was delicious. Wallingford’s isn’t the largest or most exciting place I have been to pick apples and the like, but it certainly gets the job done.

Apple Picking is open for the season but really I went to get the hot sugary donuts. This place turns me into a little school girl. I have been busting at the seems to get my hands on these donuts.
The cider apple are my favorite but they do have choc and pumpkin. And the apple dumplings are yummy too. Served with vanilla sauce and/​or vanilla ice cream. It is expensive for a little dish of pleasure but I love my once a year treat that I just had to get one.
As with any apple orchard you can pick and take the wagon ride out to the fields but I love walking around this quaint store.
Taffy, honey sticks, jams and jellies, syrup, fudge, fresh veggies, hot cider… need I say more???
You can watch as the donuts are made and take in the aroma that makes me tingle just thinking about it… ahh I love this place!