Fall Harvest Orchard is a family friendly Apple orchard, Pumpkin Patch, Corn Maze and so much more! Plenty of free fun for the whole family!

Address: 345 County Rd 30 SE, Montrose, MN 55363
Phone: (763) 972-3894
Orchard Hours:
Thursday, August 29 – Sunday, October 27, 2019
Open weekly Thursday – Sunday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Closed Monday & Tuesday & Wednesdays except for Labor Day & MEA Wednesday.
Free Activities: Free Admission, Corn Bins, Feed & Pet Animals (Free Feed), Hay Bale Mountain, Yard Games & Tire Climb
Paid Activities: 1 Ticket per Activity – Corn Maze, Train Ride, Wagon Ride, Bounce Pillow
Website: http://fallharvestorchard.com/
Cost to Enter: FREE!
Bathrooms: Both Flush and Porta Potties exist

Known for their apples, Fall Harvest Orchard in Montrose, MN started as a simple road side stand selling extra apples the owners had to a full blown apple orchard.

Known as one of the best (if not THE BEST) in Central Minnesota among various mom communities. The main reason for this is because it’s FREE to go! There is absolutely ZERO pressure to buy anything or pay for activities.

Entry to the Montrose MN apple orchard is FREE. In fact, it’s so free that there isn’t anyone at the front checking you in. It’s simply a come and go as you please. Right away you’ll find convenient FREE parking with a special handicap section as well.

As you “enter” the farm you’ll be greeted with free bags of animal feed (1 per person please) that you can use to feed the goats and bruised apples to feed the cows! You’ll also find a scavenger hunt and signs clearly marking what activities are free, and which ones are paid.

You could spend an entire day here without spending a single dime! And that’s ok. As a family run farm, you’ll find that everyone is kind, helpful and ready to help you have a good time!

They aren’t looking to nickle and dime you. Instead they do their best to ensure your family has a good time every time!

While here, have your child stand next to the growth chart to see how many apples high they are! Take a photo and compare your photos each year to see just how much your child has grown!

Fall Harvest Orchard is an apple orchard located 30 minutes from Maple Grove, MN, 40 Minutes from Chanhasssen, MN and 1 hour from St. Cloud, MN.

If you’re looking for apple orchards near Minneapolis, I’m sure you’ll find a few. However this family friendly farm near Minneapolis (40 minutes away) offers apple and pumpkin picking in MN!

Apples:

If you’re looking for picking at an apple orchard in MN, this is a great place to come! Predominantly an Apple Orchard, Fall Harvest Orchard offers two options for getting your apple fix.

The first is to pick your own apples! Fall Harvest offers 12 varieties of apples to pick depending on the week you go! You buy the bag and fill it as full as you can!

The second option is to purchase pre-picked apples from the store. Depending on the week you go, there are a total of 19 varieties that may appear in the store. These are picked, cleaned and bagged for you. You are given the options of 1st, 2nds and pie apples.

1sts are perfect apples – similar to the ones you see in the store. 2nds may have a spot or might have a beauty mark. They taste the same but cost less. Pie apples are more tart and perfect for pies!

Harvest apple picking is a fun way to teach your children where apples come from and what they taste like straight off the tree!

Pumpkins:

If you go mid September – October you’ll find a variety of pumpkins all over the centrally located pumpkin patch. Each pumpkin has a number written on it and that indicates the price of that pumpkin.

This makes it easy to tell your kids a dollar amount they can have for their pumpkin and then let them find the one they want. No hidden prices!

Remember when picking up pumpkins, to grab them by their bums and not their stems. The stems can easily break off due to the weight of the pumpkin.

The pumpkin patch is also a great place to get cute photos of your little ones!

Corn Bins:

The corn bins at this apple farm in mn are definitely my kids FAVORITE thing to do at Fall Harvest Orchard. We spend at LEAST 45 minutes playing in the corn feed and still fuss when it’s time to explore something new!

The corn bins are a shoe free pit of hard feed corn. Buckets & shovels are provided but you must supply your own imagination. Adults and children alike are welcome to jump in!

Make a corn angel, bury your toes, and swim in it! Do anything you like but throw the corn. There are multiple corn pits ensuring there is room for everyone to have fun!

Keep in mind that you’ll most likely take a kernel or two home as it gets stuck everywhere! Pockets, cuffs and diapers usually contain a nugget or two despite being careful!

Animals:

When visiting Fall Harvest Orchard you’ll be sure to find a few animals to love! Goats, cows, sheep, baby chicks, bunnies, kittens (on occasion) and much more can be touched, and loved.

There are also a handful of other animals you’ll find in cages or wondering around the farm.

The only tip we have for this apple orchard in central mn is to label each animal. Sadly there was one or two that I myself wasn’t sure what it was (gasp!). A simple sign zip tied to the cages would be helpful with a few facts about it would be fantastic!

Hay Bale Mountain:

Climb, jump, slide, these are all things my kids do when on the hay bales! As much fun as they are to climb, there is one thing even better than those three activities that these hay bales offer! Friends! There is something about standing on top of a mountain of hay bales that gets kids talking!

Without fail, my kids have struck up new friendships on these and that makes this mama proud! The worst part about the hay bales – according to my kids – is that mom ALWAYS wants to take a photo of them posing! Ha ha, really who has time for that when you can climb, jump and slide on them!

The one real downside is that they are too tall for smaller kids. Despite my little one DESPERATELY wanting to join in the fun, they were just too tall for her. Maybe next year there could be a junior version for the little ones!

Yard Games:

In the center of the farm located around the pumpkins are yard games! Every year there seems to be one or two more added to the bunch!

In 2019 there were 3 tether ball stands (If you know what this is, you’ll feel old), yard yahtzee, ladder ball, 2 corn holes and more! All FREE to use on a first come first serve basis!

You’ll also find an old school love machine, jukebox and coin operated ride on toy for kids. However, all of these items are FREE to use! Once again, they are offering more free things to do for your whole family!

Another thing you’ll find all around the farm are old tractors! Hop on one and pretend to be a farmer or get your photo taken!

Tire Climb:

Here you’ll find a variety of old tractor tires stacked upon themselves to make fun climbing structures and peek-a-boo holes. Fun in it’s most simple form!

Corn Maze:

Every year the owners create a new corn maze for you to get lost in! The cost is 1 ticket and though not the largest corn maze, it certainly is a lot of fun for little ones!

Train Ride:

Toot Toot! The train ride is a HUGE hit among little ones! Hop aboard the little train express as it drive you and your children around the farm. The cost is 1 ticket per rider and lasts for a few minutes!

Wagon Ride:

Ye Haw! Hop on the wagon ride and get a tour of the apple orchards and a lesson in how they run the farm! Your driver will tell corny jokes, answer questions and teach you all the secrets to running a great apple orchard!

Towards the end of your journey you’ll get a fresh picked chilled apple to much on. I promise this is worth the ticket to ride the wagon! The apple will be the best you’ll eat all day! Yum, Yum!

Bounce Pillow:

The Bounce Pillow is the first thing you’ll see as you park! It’s right up against the parking lot and 1 ticket per jumper. It’s a giant air pillow that the kids can climb, slide and bounce on! No shoes allowed and socks are optional!