butler's orchard fall fest/apple picking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they now charge an entrance fee on weekends per person.

Yes. Why wouldn't they? They need to pay to maintain the place.

What do they have to maintain? It's a farm.

You must be joking. Do you have any concept of what it takes to maintain a working farm that also has services for the public?

[Anonymous]

Homestead farm is so much better for picking apples and seeing animals! Butlers is all about the festival.

Homestead has a great layout so that the orchards are near the entrance and the animals are spread out. Even on the weekends when it’s crowded, it doesn’t get claustrophobic the way Butlers does. There are hand washing stations near the animals and a big goat structure that’s fun for the kids to see. They sell food for the animals in ice cream cones and it’s much more fun to feed animals at Homestead than butlers. (There are fewer animals at Butlers and the food is in those little vending machines, so you have remember to bring quarters or you can’t do it.)

At Homestead the orchards are right next to a huge covered picnic area and there are even hay rides throughout the farm. It’s $2/per person for a very pleasant farm experience.. At Butlers it costs $12/per person and you’re paying for the slides, games, etc, the festival isn’t even at the same spot as the apple picking so you’d have to drive (or walk really really far) if you wanted to pick apples that day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Homestead farm is so much better for picking apples and seeing animals! Butlers is all about the festival.

Homestead has a great layout so that the orchards are near the entrance and the animals are spread out. Even on the weekends when it’s crowded, it doesn’t get claustrophobic the way Butlers does. There are hand washing stations near the animals and a big goat structure that’s fun for the kids to see. They sell food for the animals in ice cream cones and it’s much more fun to feed animals at Homestead than butlers. (There are fewer animals at Butlers and the food is in those little vending machines, so you have remember to bring quarters or you can’t do it.)

At Homestead the orchards are right next to a huge covered picnic area and there are even hay rides throughout the farm. It’s $2/per person for a very pleasant farm experience.. At Butlers it costs $12/per person and you’re paying for the slides, games, etc, the festival isn’t even at the same spot as the apple picking so you’d have to drive (or walk really really far) if you wanted to pick apples that day.

We've been to both plenty of times. Butler's costs more because they have that huge festival. If you don't care about that, go to Homestead. It really isn't complicated.

[Anonymous]

OP, our family goes every year. Yes, it does get busy, but if you can get there close to when it opens it is not crowded and quite nice. They have lots of animals for kids to see (and many you can also feed), a big tractor slide, hay rides, corn mazes, and a few things that are an extra fee like pony rides and face painting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they now charge an entrance fee on weekends per person.

Yes. Why wouldn't they? They need to pay to maintain the place.

What do they have to maintain? It's a farm.

You must be joking. Do you have any concept of what it takes to maintain a working farm that also has services for the public?

That's why they SELL stuff bonehead.

[Anonymous]

It is a zoo. Try Homestead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they now charge an entrance fee on weekends per person.

Yes. Why wouldn't they? They need to pay to maintain the place.

What do they have to maintain? It's a farm.

You must be joking. Do you have any concept of what it takes to maintain a working farm that also has services for the public?

That's why they SELL stuff bonehead.

They don't make enough money selling stuff to cover their expenses and make a profit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your kids are younger than 5 it will be a waste of money and time. The place gets super crowded and even the play structures intended for toddlers are over run with older children.

I left early one year because it got too exhausting trying to keep my 3 year old from getting trampled and saying “no” to everything because it wasn’t safe with all the older kids. There was nothing she could do safely except the pony rides (which cost extra and only last a few minutes.) Even the toddler playground is overrun with bigger kids.

It is a zoo, but I can see how it would be fun for older kids.

Every kid is different. My now soon to be 6 year old loved all these things when she was 2 and 3

[Anonymous]

OP here--thank you! the responses gave a good sense of the different options. Appreciate it.