Is there anything more delicious than a fresh autumn apple? The people of Wayne County, New York, don’t think so. This is an epicenter of apple production and it’s only fitting that this area is home to the Apple Tasting Tour. As I learned on a recent press trip, you’re unlikely to find a better fall road trip anywhere.
Wayne County is bordered by Lake Ontario to the north and the Erie Canal to the south. It is situated between Rochester and Syracuse. Canadian visitors will be especially keen to note that the region is only three and a half hours from Toronto and four hours from Ottawa, making this area the perfect weekend escape.
Now celebrating its 25th year, the Apple Tasting Tour is a lively mix of members, including three businesses that have participated from the very beginning and one brand new member that is sure to shake things up this year. All told, there are 12 official stops, several sponsors, endless community spirit, and activities from October 1st to 31st. Whether you’re visiting for the first time or you have been visiting since the very beginning, here are some things you should know this year.
1. Bring Your Grocery List
Apples, of course, are at the very top of any autumn shopping trip, but you may just find that you’re able to take care of all your grocery needs at the participating businesses. During my visits, I saw fridges stocked with local butter, cheese, and meat. You can find every possible kind and color of pumpkin, squash, or gourd. I saw pears, plums, yellow beans, tomatoes, brussels sprouts still on the stalk, homemade bread, and every kind of baked good imaginable. At Doyle Farms (the newest member of the Apple Tasting Tour), there is a fridge stocked with their homemade ice cream. I tasted apple pie, prickly pear, banana pecan, maple walnut, cold brew chocolate chip, and dreamy, creamy chocolate, all in the name of research. If you’re a maple walnut doubter, this is the time to give it another try!
2. Get Ready For Samples
I’m not saying that the samples are the best part about the tour… or, maybe I am! October 7–10 was the official tasting weekend for this event. I got the insider’s scoop on what some participating businesses are planning and I’ve heard about everything from apple bread to ice cream to fudge.
Speaking of tasty treats, the variety isn’t just in the apple-based goodies that are available. I was astonished at the sheer number of apple varieties available. Have you heard of the SnapDragon, the Autumn Crisp, the 20 Ounce, the Ginger Gold, or the Macoun? These were all new apples to me.
3. Get Stocked Up With Cider
The Apple Tasting Tour could really call itself the “Apple, Cider, Spirits, and Wine Tasting Tour” if it wasn’t such an unwieldy name. Multiple stops along the tour aren’t just farm stands, but beverage purveyors as well. For instance, Long Acre Farms is also home to JD Wine Cellars. Rootstock Cider & Spirits offers everything from a very dry hard cider that could easily swap places with Champagne to a toothsome peach vodka. Lagoner Farm Market is also the home of Embark Craft Ciderworks. Young Sommer Winery has grape and fruit wines (including apple wines). The Apple Farm Stand At Stonegoose Farm has a teeny-tasting corner at Keg Rag Cellar. At The Apple Shed, you’ll find The Old Goat Cidery. The fun name is a tribute of sorts to a rather grumpy man who is adored all the same by the owners and the “goat” theme is found in many of their drinks.
For those who prefer their cider “soft” instead of “hard” (that is to say, non-alcoholic), you can find fresh-pressed apple cider at all locations.
4. Prepare Your Kids For Tons Of Fun
Multiple Apple Tasting Tour locations have kid-friendly activities. For example, at Long Acre Farms (where the motto is “We Grow Family Fun”), kids can enjoy New York’s longest-running corn maze, gemstone panning, giant slides, and much more. I’m told during the summer that there are open-air concerts and plenty of special events too. Over at The Apple Shed, children will love seeing the indoor beehive as well as the gorgeous goats (and their babies) out back, along with lots of fun games, including apple cannons!
5. Connect With Community Members
You don’t have to be visiting any of the Apple Tasting Tour’s stops for very long before you start feeling like one of the family. Even as someone new to the area, I was immediately included in all the community gossip and news!
At Youngman Orchards Farm Market, I had a frank chat with Olen Youngman and his daughter Makayla Reed about the challenges and rewards of business growth, stocking bread, and sourcing local.
At Doyle Farms, baker and head chef Brandon Doyle chatted with me about finding the sweet spot between serving the local market and exploring his culinary creative instincts and passion for quality ingredients (including using Saigon cinnamon in his oatmeal cookies and scraping vanilla bean pods for his ice cream).
At Lagnore Farm Market, bakery manager Sam Bock talked about the quandary of finding a balance between public demand for their services and the sometimes difficult reality of staff shortages. At Rootstock Cider and Spirits, I got a sneak peek of their plans for a dinner event in their barrel room and enjoyed a passionate discussion with master distiller Collin McConville about my love of plum ciders (which the world does not see enough of! Sorry, apples).
In short, no topic is off the table. There’s no finer place to feel like you’re a local from your very first visit.
6. Have Your Camera On Hand
When I asked the team at Long Acre Farms what visitors could expect as they explored the Apple Tasting Tour, property matriarch Joan Allen said, “It’s delicious to the eye.” I immediately laughed and told her she had the winning quote of the day and, indeed, she did! Her daughter Sarah Henning adds that people are always amazed at how much the region offers, noting that people often tell her, “I’ve never been to Wayne County before, I live in Rochester and I had no idea it’s so close.” It’s no exaggeration to say that there are lovely scenic vistas around every corner.
Some of my favorite photo spots in the area include the funky pumpkins and purple mums on display outside Lagoner Farm Market, the gorgeous “mellow yellow” pumpkins set against a vintage truck at The Apple Farm Stand at Stonegoose Farm, and all the apple tree laden fields you’ll see on just about any back road.
7. Keep Your Eyes Opened For Clues
Most years, the Apple Tasting Tour has included a contest or quiz of some kind. This year, organizers are introducing a word jumble puzzle for the first time. Each tour location will have a letter of the alphabet placed on a sign and displayed at their business. I can’t tell you where to find the letters, but I can hint that they’re sometimes prominently displayed at the front of their shop but not always. At least one business owner I spoke with joked about sticking it in the middle of a corn maze!
The Apple Tasting Tour brochures, located at all participating tour stops along with many other regional businesses, have the blank puzzle template you need to record the letters you find and solve the mystery phrase they spell out.
8. Where To Eat
A number of the Apple Tasting Tour locations offer light lunches, including:
- The Apple Shed: Their “Apple Gobbler”, an apple and turkey BLT, is a best seller.
- Doyles Farm: Panini sandwiches, gourmet lemonade, and homemade soup (weekends only) are available.
- The Saltbox Smokehouse: One of the Apple Tasting Tour sponsors, this cozy spot is famous for having more than 15 varieties of bacon (plus tasty sides like homemade baked beans).
9. Where To Stay
There are several bed and breakfasts in the region. I stayed at the Vintage Gardens Bed and Breakfast in the village of Newark. The homemade breakfast often includes spiced apple juice (delicious) and a chance to say hello to Molly and River, the house dogs. The nearby Erie Canal is perfect for a scenic stroll.
Pro Tip: Imprint Coffee in Sodus, New York, might be operating a coffee roaster instead of a cider press, but there’s no denying that they’ve made an impression (or is that an imprint) on nearly all of the Apple Tasting Tour businesses. You’ll find their beans in everything from the liqueur at Rootstock Cider & Spirits to the cold brew-infused ice cream at Doyle Farms. A latte from Imprint is the perfect fuel to keep your energy high on the Apple Tasting Tour.
For more information on traveling to New York, check out these articles:
