Barton Orchards

My boyfriend and I had never been apple picking before, and I took a tip from a coworker to try out the picking and festivities at Barton’s and I was not let down! We will definitely be making an annual trip here (at least). Even though we came on the last chilly weekend of the season, the apples were crisp and delicious and the vibes were very upbeat, even for a weekday afternoon. They had live music and very accommodating staff. We even got a chance to meet the owner (Peter) who’s a fun and genuine guy with a great vision. The apple cider donuts at the bakery, the corn maze and farm animals for the kids (and my boyfriend), the general store, the live music, and the rows and rows of apples are just some of the things that made for a great afternoon. Bring your friends, bring your other half, or bring the whole family and you’re sure to have an awesome day.

I came here twice in 2015. The first time was in the beginning of the season, closer to September and it was perfect. There was plenty of apples to choose from and the wait time for activities was minimal. The second time I visited was mid-​october and it was extremely crowded. We waited 30 minutes for parking and every activity (especially food) had a long line. It was much less pleasant than the first time but even so, we were able to pick some vegetables and apples to take home. I’d say if you don’t like huge crowds and long lines, definitely try to come in the beginning of the season when it’s slower!

We’ve come to Barton Orchards two years in a row now and have enjoyed both visits tremendously.
If you’re an apple picking person, you know upstate New York is home to a ton of orchards — some better than others.
What makes Barton different is just how clean and organized it is. And because there are so many things to do (corn maze, petting zoo, haunted house, tap room, etc.), one activity never feels overcrowded. You could have a fulfilling day without even apple picking!
One of my favorite things about Barton has got to be the cinnamon sugar-​covered apple cider donuts. Seriously, these things are addictive. The pumpkin cheese cake and pumpkin pies are also insane.
Come hungry!
And of course, come early!

Haven’t been apple picking since 2012 (Hurricane Sandy). Kinda missed it… Anyway, this place is amazing! But bring your patience… Lines are forever long for EVERYTHING & bring lots of cash, cash & cash. The food is pretty good, but lack of seating area to eat. Must try the cinnamon sugar donut!!. It’s too die for. Ok… it’s family friendly. The staffs are super friendly and place is kept clean, even the restrooms, ugh. It’s $ 3 admission for the basic… the hay ride, petting zoo, apple picking & pumpkin patch. The cornfield is huge, it’s about 2hrs to complete pertaining you don’t get lost. It’s really fun to do in daylight. Go early in the season if you want mackintosh apple!!! Happy Apple picking!

Stay Away — Seriously Barton Orchards needs to staff up. There were 3 teenagers manning the parking lot. Traffic was so intense from every direction to this place it tied up the whole town. The Volunteer Fire Dept was camped out asking for donations and said it was like this every weekend. Of course it seems dangerous watching all the parents walking along the road to take their kids to the bathroom. Then inside there were no more apple pickers — long, long lines. Also — very disturbing to see police patrolling with guns — seriously — we now have to redo this whole day somewhere else. Wish we had looked up Unilocal reviews before going.

I hope you like waiting — because that’s all you’re going to do here.
Made a detour to stop by this weekend on my way down from Boston. As soon as you hit the road — SMACK! Traffic. 35 mins lost waiting in traffic to park. Fine, it’s a big place I figure that’s somewhat understandable.
We then wait on line to get tickets just to enter. You see, unbeknownst to me at the time, Barton is like a mini carnival inside. Rides, petting zoos… etc. Sigh. All I wanted to do was pick some apples and pumpkins. After another 30+ mins of waiting in line we finally enter. 2 tellers were sharing 1 credit machine greatly slowing down the process.
After we finally get in we see the GIANT lines to take us to the fields to pick apples. I sighed and try to muster up what little enthusiasm I had. We started walking, among the screaming children and people everywhere. After about 5 mins we started to get fatigued and hot. That was the last straw. We got fed up and turned around drove home. It just wasn’t worth it. I don’t have children to entertain so when my patience is used up I’m pretty much done. By my estimation, we would have had to been there over 3 HOURS there dealing with the hordes of people just to pick some fruit.
In summary? We spent an hour in line and paid $ 6 to use a porta-​potty. Lesson learned. At least the ride back home was beautiful.

Wow. Where do I begin?
My friends and I like to take a trip to an Orchard once a year. Usually it is a nice, relaxing day away from the hustle and bustle of New York City. If that’s what you are looking for, don’t go to Barton Orchards.
This place is like an amusement park, which at first seems great. However, you can’t get from place to place, or even walk in a straight line, without cutting through lines and lines of people waiting for various food stands or attractions. The people that come here are a certain type of breed, the breed that doesn’t have any human compassion or social awareness at all. I live in New York City where it is constantly crowded, but I experienced more rudeness at these orchards than I do in a month living in NYC.
First we went to the Corn Maze which was impressive and fun. If I could have left right after that I probably would have. Afterward we were quite famished so we waited on the 1 hour long line to eat disgusting, luke-​warm fried food. While waiting on the line we had the pleasure of standing near hundreds of loud families who either couldn’t stop horsing around and screaming at each other or couldn’t control their children. Then we decided to go to the bathroom and waited on another 25 minute line. We tried to buy a bag for our apples and waited on a 15 minute line in the farmers market. We were told we couldn’t buy apple bags there. After that we waited on the 20 minute line to take a hay-​ride to the orchards. Once we got off the hay ride we waited on the 20 minute line to buy a bag for our apples. When we returned from apple picking we waited on the 30 minute line to enter the pie shack. After that we just decided to leave out of exhaustion and frustration.
Once we reached the parking lot we noticed that our license plate had been kicked off our car by someone very, very kind. There was a very large family in both cars sandwiching us and we got violently confronted for «Shaking our heads at their kids» which is not even close to what happened at all. Her husband had to step in because she was being so insane. So after waiting in lines all day for a total of almost 3 hours we got screamed at by a trashy mother who was looking for a fight. Then we waited on a 30 minute line to exit the orchards.
We stopped at a McDonalds to go to the bathroom because we were honestly sick and tired of waiting in line with rude, trashy, inconsiderate people. McDonalds was a nicer place than Barton Orchards, and that’s saying something.
I will never ever come to this place again, and when I breed I will not bring my children here under any circumstances.
The Apples were tasty, but what a joke. This place is literal trash.

These orchards are very impressionable! So are the slides, hay and corn mazes, bouncy houses, playgrounds, wooden milking cow, live music, tractor pulled cow train, hayrides, petting zoo, chain saw tree trunk caving artist… need I say more? Cuz there is more.
A large group of my friends and their families from NYC made the hour drive and met at the farm, paid the $ 12 admission to access all the activities and tackled the fun to be had like it was our job.
It was a blast and a day we’ll remember for a long time. Definitely worth the drive, the price and crowds if it’s crowded the day you go.

We went early and had a good time. Prices were reasonable for a day-​cation. We went with a large group and something for everyone at this farm. Live music, apples and vegetables, tons of things for the kids, BEER! and apple cider donuts. As far as the apple cider donuts go… eating them warm is part of the experience which you can’t get here and watching them being made would be an attraction In and of itself… and waiting on a line for 25 minutes to get donuts is way too long.
We didn’t eat lunch cause the lines again were too long… and on our way out the car line coming in went on for what seemed like miles. I would say that a re-​org is definitely needed in the parking and food service areas.
If Barton Orchard can’t accommodate the food service part of the business they should allow family’s to pack a picnic lunch. In my opinion that would eliminate many of the Unilocalers complaints.
Overall it was a good experience we felt bad for the people who arrived late in the day.

Awful! Never going back. Stay away. Dangerous traffic. Dangerously over crowded. Money more important than service or quality. Horrible experience!

Ugh there must be an easier way to pick apples than come to this place. the lines were way too long and they were all over the place. A line to drive into the place, a line to pay admissions, a line to get a bag for apples, a line to get a donut. If you go to this place you absolutely need to get there early. This is such a shame as the orchards are vast and if you get here at the right time of year have plenty to pick. Two stars for the orchard but everything else stinks

I go here every year and love it! I will say the traffic this year was terrible. I live about 5 mins away and I had to take back roads, which was fine but for someone traveling it is unfortunate that they have to sit in that traffic.
The staff throughout the parking lot are young kids that could really careless, I even saw one of them smoking a cigarette which is unprofessional.
I love the orchard itself and there were plenty of apples to be picked. The pumpkin patch was full of pumpkins but I always wait to get one at the entrance so I do not have to carry it around but the line to pay for the pumpkin was not worth it.
I stood online for about 45 mins for the apple cider donuts. All the other lines for food or tickets for beer were extremely long.
I do believe they really need to work on more cashiers as it seems very u organized.
I will be returning next year but most likely later in the season.

It took us 1.5 hrs to get here without traffic from Queens but once off the highway, what was supposed to be a 6 min drive into the orchard became an 2 hour ordeal. Why? Because they don’t know how to man the parking lot. Their system (or lack thereof) just doesn’t work. After moving at a snail’s pace on Beekman for 1.5 hours, half of us got out of the car and started walking, along with many other people who were also fed up with the wait. Once there, it was clear what the problem was; there were only 2 – 3 guys working the parking lot and they were letting cars in VERY SLOWLY because they didn’t know if there were any more empty spots in the main lot. I counted at least 40 – 50 empty spots between the entrance of the parking lot and the entrance to the orchard. They could’ve easily let people in to park but instead, they held up the line and was only letting about 3 – 4 cars in per min. There was also only one one to get in and out and nobody was directing that traffic. If they knew this was a long weekend, they should’ve had more people working.
Once in, the apples are small… medium size at best. As for the pumpkin patch, most of the pumpkins were rotten or smashed open. The so called petting zoo had very few animals. When we were leaving, security yelled at us because we had a cooler with sandwiches in there, saying that we weren’t supposed to bring that stuff in. We didn’t know that we weren’t allowed and nobody told us we couldn’t. There were no signs stating outside food was not allowed. When I told the security guard that we were leaving, he very rudely shouted at me «WELL IF YOU COME BACK DONT BRING THIS BACK». Don’t worry, we won’t be coming back here.

Simply the worst. The line to get into the parking lot with your car is MORE THAN AN HOUR LONG. It backs up for about a mile, but it doesn’t move. Enjoy that last hour and 20 minutes with your kids, who have to pee. Awful!
And then, once inside, more really long lines. And some mediocre stuff that is basically the same as all of the other, better run farms. WORST, MOST AWFUL PLACE. DO NOT GO.

Tip: Come early our spend your day waiting in lines
I’ve been coming here since I was just two years old! The place used to be really charming and not half as popular as it is today. They’ve built up quite a bit in recent years, but I still love it. I’ve been to some other orchards, and I always find that Barton has far more trees and options so they’ll seem less picked through. You can also pick pumpkins off the vine (where some places just throw them in a field), as well as some other veggies. In addition, the surrounding area is really beautiful and picturesque. However, the lines (to get in, to pay admission, to buy donuts) are simply outrageous.

This is the most unorganized, mismanaged orchard I have been to. Our party included 4 kids and 6 adults and given the Columbus day weekend, I was prepared for crowds, lines, and delays. But not like this.
It started with the traffic. Traffic to the orchard entrance was backed up a mile. It took 30 minutes to get in because the parking area was not appropriately effectively staffed to direct visitors to parking spots, causing congestion.
Then there was a line for EVERYTHING! There was a 45 minute line, separately, for hotdogs and fries. Doesn’t those two things go together? I was told the donut was great. I wouldn’t know because I stood on line for 30 minutes without it moving and finally left without a crumb. Activities were a la carte, which I appreciated, but meant you had to fall in line for everything from getting bags for apple picking to paying for vegetables.
Then the lack of information was amazing! There were no signs to direct us to the apples and vegetable picking. For the vegetables, we were not informed of what was allowed to be picked, e.g. size limits. We got reprimanded for picking wrong size vegetables even though no signs were up and the harvest season is nearly over. Staff also kept giving us misinformation and resulted in my kids missing out on what should have been the best attraction, the corn maze. At admission, staff said we could pay for the corn maze at the maze entrance, but when the kids and my husband got there, they were sent back to admissions to pay. by then it was near closing so they were turned away.
Overall, I am disappointed with Barton’s and the staff were ill informed, unhelpful and obnoxious.

Decided to give this place a try after seeing the positive reviews. I had a great experience last year at Dubois Farms. Drove here on Sunday morning from the Bronx. It took about an hour and 15 minutes to get there via the Bronx River Parkway to the Taconic. Was pretty busy when we arrived at 11:30AM but there was staff there to guide you as to where to park. You then walk to the entrance where there is a a little snack shack as well as the ticket booths. There are different lines for cash only and some others that accept cash and credit/​debit cards that are only marked when you get up to the window so make sure to look ahead to make sure you are on the right line. When we went we had the option of a $ 3 admission fee which gets you into the orchards and you can eat apples in there for that price. There was a $ 12 bracelet that allowed you into the orchards and access to all of the attractions, such as the haunted house, corn maze and children rides/​areas. I think it’s definitely worth it for the kids since there is tons to do. We got there at 11:30AM and left at 4:30PM and still missed some attractions. Once you get through the gates, there is a lot to do. You can take the hayride down to the apple picking area, or simply walk (5 – 10 mins). Once there you can eat whatever you want but in order to take home you have to purchase bags, $ 15 or $ 25. They also mark the bags when you leave, say to go to the car, so you can’t bring the bag back for another round of picking… makes sense. A wide variety of apples to pick, golden delicious, gala, macintosh, and granny smith among others. Lots of veggies there to pick and pumpkins as well. I believe all are around 0.59 per pound, which I am finding seems to be the going rate for pumpkin picking. Lots of food for purchase including a small bakery but go there early. We went there at around 3pm and everything (pies) were gone. There is a separate line for the apple cider donuts, which was pretty long, which mean they must be good. A few other food stations including hot dogs, burgers, and even a beer/​wine station. There are all additional costs. The corn maze was fun and large, we chose the quickest way out (20 – 30 minutes) because we were lazy/​tired after a long day of picking, but you could easily spend an hour + in there if you want to explore and do all the activities associated with the maze, which consist of stations along the way with mini games to make it fun. We did not get a chance to go the haunted house as the line was painfully slow. Seemed to be 10 minutes for every group of 4 – 5 people, so a line of 20 – 25 people took nearly an hour, and we left the line at the 30 minute mark. The play areas are great with huge slides, sack races, ball throwing, train rides and other activities. Bathrooms were the usual port a potties with hand sanitizing stations nearby which were adequate. Wear comfortable shoes as there is a lot of ground to cover and a lot of dirt. You are welcome to bring in food and wagons. Only problem I had was the crowds and lines, but that is expected for apple/​pumpkin picking season on a nice Sunday. Plan ahead.

I spent the majority of my time waiting on long lines. Almost like Six Flags. It took 40 minutes to get through the concession line, only to be disappointed with food that was well below par. It was obvious that the kids that were working had very little experience in a kitchen. They could not handle the demand. The landscape is beautiful, plenty to do for the kids. If it wasn’t for the lines, my family’s experience would have been a great deal better.
Barton’s should invite concessions from outside to help lessen the monstrous lines.

I haven’t gone apple picking since I was 7 years old, so I can’t really compare it with my past experience but I was not displeased.
The petting zoo was small but the llamas and goats were very entertaining and we went pretty early in the season so a lot of the vegetables we were looking for werent ready to be picked but overall what was available was fine.
It could have been five stars but there weren’t really any information booths or anything to inform us where to go to get bags and where to pay for vegetables that were picked. We would imagine that when we pay admission that such things would just be bought there but no, so we kinda wandered around aimlessly for a bit.
Overal it was a great visit.

Realizing that Fall was quickly coming to a ridiculously short end (as evidenced by the Christmas lights NYC has ALREADY PUT UP ON OCTOBER 25^th!!), Ada D., my wife, and I decided to get out of the city and go celebrate.
We really only had a couple of requirements: a corn maze, pumpkins, and possibly apples to pick.
Enter Barton Orchards.
I initially found this place after searching specifically for corn mazes. You see, it’s been ages since I’ve done a good maze, and this one looked like it would deliver. They say they switch it up every year with a new theme, this year’s being mazes in the movies.
Upon arriving, we were guided into our parking spot on the field and proceeded to the ticket window. I had seen on Unilocal that the lines for this place can be pretty ridiculous, but we didn’t encounter that at all. I think it helped that we went so late in the season, rather than trying during prime apple picking in September/​Early October.
Your ticket options are twofold: $ 3 entry gets you access to the apple orchards and some of the kids attractions. $ 12.50 gets you unlimited access to all that they offer, including the corn maze, «amusement park», haunted house, etc. We dropped the $ 12.50 and found that the maze alone was worth the price alone!
THE MAZE:
This was easily the highlight of the visit. As I mentioned above, the theme this year is movies. The entire corn maze is cut in a way that uses things from various maze themed movies. There’s the goblet from Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire, Jack Nicholson’s face from The Shining, a minotaur from The Minotaur, etc. Excellent theme.
When you arrive at the entrance, you’re given instructions and a booklet. Your mission is to find 18 stations within the maze. 9 stations contain word clues about the 9 movies used. You write down the bolded words in your booklet and eventually figure out the answer to a question. The other 9 stations contain a stencil of one of the movies which you then create a crayon rubbing of onto your booklet (see photo!). These were our favorites to find (we kind of gave up on the word clue thing after solving it after 6 – 7 stations).
I honestly thought this whole thing would take maybe 20 – 30 minutes, tops. It took us a full on two hours! It’s huge, and very very easy to get lost in. Yes there’s colored ropes that give you a little guidance, but not enough to make it easy in any way. You just know that you are in a certain zone by the color (and know that there are 2 – 4 stations in each zone). You’re given the option of carrying a large stick with a flag on top in case you really get stuck and can’t figure out how to get out. Wave the stick and someone will loudspeaker you from the bridge in the middle on how to escape. We didn’t choose this option.: D
THE HAUNTED HOUSE:
It’s been years since I’ve been through a haunted house ($ 30+ a ticket in NYC? No thanks). This was small, but lots of fun. A bunch of cheap jump scares, peppered with some pitch black «oh shit what’s in here with us!!!» moments. Don’t miss it!
THE PUMPKINS:
Pretty good selection, from small to large.
THE APPLES:
As suspected, the apples were very picked over. We didn’t bother doing any picking, as there were hardly any on the trees. The ones on the ground were pretty gross. That said, this really helped in keeping the amount of people visiting down. I can’t imagine going through the maze with tons of folks in it. So much more fun when you felt truly alone and lost!
THE APPLE CIDER & CIDER DONUTS:
Ah yes, this is where I’m keeping that coveted 5^th star. The cider donuts were good, but certainly not great. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve been spoiled by the donuts at various Michigan orchards, but I really felt like I could get the same quality at a Dunkin Donuts. The cider itself was waaaaaaaaay to sugary. I’m not sure if it’s from adding sugar to it, or if the apples they’re using now are just too past their prime and are extra sweet.
THE TAPHOUSE:
We didn’t partake in the brews they offered. You had to buy a $ 6 ticket in order to even buy a beer. Nah, thanks.
All in all, I would definitely come back here for the maze alone. I’m interested to see if anywhere else nearby has a maze as good as this one. And if they’re constantly switching up the theme, this will likely convince me to make the drive back up!