We went apple picking near NYC this weekend and had the best, best, best time! As big-city residents that mean a ride either by train or car was necessary with most farms at least 1 hour and 30 minutes outside of the city. We looked up at least 8 farms in the area and settled on Apple Dave’s Farmin Warwick, NY. Although, we never visited before there were so many good reviews we decided to just try it.
Getting to apple picking near NYC.
We drove there and it took us two hours each way to go apple picking near NYC from Queens. You can also take the MetroNorth to a nearby station and an Uber/Lyft to the farm.
Things to do at Apple Dave’s Farm.
This was one of the most fun farm experiences we’ve had so far! There were many different activities for everyone in the family. If you check out our vlog, you would see that my baby loved the puppet show, there was also live music, apple cider donuts, wagon rides, shopping, walking paths, a pumpkin patch, apple orchards with twelve varieties of apples. They also have a vineyard and craft beer but we didn’t try the alcohol.
Cost
There is no admission fee to the farm but you pay for a bag before going to the orchards. You can select either a small or large bag and then fill it with apples. The small bag of apples is $16 and the big bag of apples is $30. You pay for your apples when you leave the orchard.
Since we don’t have the opportunity often to take advantage of such a beautiful backdrop as the apple orchards we took the opportunity to get some fall family photos. It was really fun getting photos of the kids in all of their excitement and capturing the fun of the moment. I love those real-life captures of kids. This is a really good time of year to get some family photos.
We had a really good time and we plan to return to Apple Dave’s again next fall for more fun.
Things to consider when choosing and scheduling kids activities and sports.
A few years ago when my oldest was in Kindgerten I decided that she had too much free time on her hands and she needed a few activities. In just one evening signed her up for ballet, soccer, and a crafting class. The ballet and crafting class were great but it turned out that my daughter wasn’t particularly a big fan of playing soccer. I also realized after about two weeks that I was spreading myself too thin between work, caring for my two kids at the time and driving her all over to these activities getting caught in rush hour traffic. I was stressed and couldn’t wait for those activities to end to get back to a less stressful routine. I learned so much from that experience and since then about choosing and scheduling kids activities and sports so I wanted to share a few things you should consider when making those decisions:
What your kids are genuinely interested in.
Most kids like a lot of different things but if we’re honest they’re just a few things that they’re genuinely interested in committing to. Sometimes you can tell right away if your child is genuinely interested or it might be when you realize how much your daughter hates grass when she’s playing soccer. All three of my kids swim, my older daughter now plays basketball which she absolutely loves and my son just started flag football and while it’s only been two lessons, he really likes it. There are some activities that offer a trial, that’s a great way to know if it’s a good fit before committing.
Consider the time and location of the activity.
I’m at the point where I do not sign up the kids to any activities that I would have to travel to during rush hours. It’s just a big waste of our time and unnecessarily stressful. I used to be against giving up my time to sleep-in on weekends but it’s so much easier to get them to activities during the weekend than spending two hours in traffic on a Thursday evening. A ride that would take me only 15 minutes on a Saturday morning can easily be 45 minutes during rush hour here in New York City.
Don’t overschedule them.
The rule in our home is that the kids aren’t allowed to take more than two activities/sports at the same time. Their academic work is the priority in our home and they need time to do their homework as well as downtime to be creative. I’ve made exceptions on the two activities rule for clubs after-school at their school since it’s no sweat off my back and usually low-cost or included in the cost of their tuition.
Cost of the activities.
Going off my last point, with three kids the costs of activities and sports can add up quickly. The kids may need uniforms, gear, and supplies in addition to the cost of the program so keep your budget in mind.
I hope all of these tips are helpful! Let me know what activities and sports your kids are currently participating in the comments.
I love living and raising my children here in NYC! There is always something fun to do with my family and we try to go out as much as we can especially during the summer. Not only could this get overwhelming, but it can also get expensive so I try to take advantage of all of the high-quality events that are offered in throughout the city. Whether you’re going to be visiting NYC for summer 2019 or you live here like my family, I wanted to share some really great cheap and free things to do in NYC with kids summer 2019. I did a list like this last summer and many of you loved it so this is the 2019 updated version.
Free Things to do in NYC with Kids Summer 2019
Shakespeare in the Park. Sign up here for the free ticket lottery.
Games at Bryant Park! Over 50 free board games available until 8 pm.
Remember you can use your library card to get admission to cultural attractions like the American Museum of Natural History, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, the Guggenheim, MoMA and more through Culture Pass. Find out how it works here.
I hope you find this list of Free & Cheap Things to do in NYC with Kids Summer 2019 useful and your family takes advantage of these activities and have fun. Please share with all of your friends and family! Let me know if I missed any in the comments below.
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