Pepin Heights Orchard

This was our third stop on our autumn drive.
We visited the Pepin Heights retail store on the south side of Lake City to pick up some Sweet Tango apples. The retail store is packed with seasonal novelties & treats including honey sticks, apples, dip mixes, baking goods, pumpkins, & gourds.
The store is small & filled with patrons on any given weekend in the fall. Employees were extremely friendly & informative & we had a very pleasant experience as picked up our Sweet Tango apples & some cocoa chocolate chip scone mix.
A fun stop if you’re in the area & you can’t go wrong with Sweet Tangos. :)

Along the most scenic stretch of Minnesota’s Highway 61 nearing Lake City, you will see a Pepin Heights sign reminding you the shop is about a mile away. Down the road, you find an rusty-​roof metal barn on the side of the road which is the ultimate apple shop I have ever visited.
It is best to visit them in September and October during the peak of apple season. Perhaps Pepin Heights’ most fantastic product is their sparkling apple cider, sold in 4-​packs of bottles just like wine coolers. The stuff has just the right mix of sweet, sour and bubbliness that makes it hard to drink just one.
Besides the cider, the shop has so many unusual varieties of apples you never heard of: State Fair, Ginger Gold, Wealthy, Fireside, Sweet 16, Regent, and more… plus sample slices to try for yourself before you decide. My favorites are the honeycrisp — bigger and sweeter than the store variety you commonly see around Chicago.
Save a few $$$ and buy a bag of «utility grade» apples. They may have some bumps or blemishes but they are still great-​tasting at half-​price.
They also sell country-​style craft items, ready-​made pies, soup and dip mixes, Minnesota wild rice, and pumpkins or gourds when in season. On my annual journey to Minnesota, this is a must-​stop place to visit every time.