Ten Beautiful Orchards To Visit Near Albany, New York

Due to current health concerns, please be aware locations may have restrictions.

The best part about traveling is that there’s always something new to explore, no matter where you end up. On the other hand, some places have so many fun options that it can get overwhelming. This is definitely the case for Albany, New York. To help narrow down your options, we’ve compiled a list of places to visit while you’re in the area. We’re going to discuss ten beautiful orchards that you should check out while you’re in the Albany area. These stops are great for dates, family trips, and even for single wander lusters. Our top ten locations offer beautiful views, baked goods, adventures for all seasons, and much more. Let’s take a closer look at each location and find the best options for you.

Terrace Mountain Orchard

The first orchard we’re going to look at is Terrace Mountain Orchard, located in Schoharie, New York, about 40 minutes from Albany. This orchard offers around 13 varieties of farm-grown apples in the fall. These varieties include Gala, Ginger Gold, Honeycrisp, Empire, and Red Delicious, which are all available by September. Terrace Mountain Orchard allows customers to pick out their own apples or purchase pre-made bundles. On the weekends in the fall, you can participate in wagon rides across the Terrace Mountain Orchard farm. There are available baked goods, seasonal items, and apple cider.

Bellinger’s Orchard

In Fultonville, New York, only 40 minutes out from Albany, lies Bellinger’s Orchard. This beautiful orchard sells many items such as local honey and maple syrup, warm apple cider, cheeses, pumpkins, and squash. On top of all the food fun, Bellinger’s offers corn mazes and hay mazes in the fall! These fall activities are affordable, with kids under five getting free admission to the corn maze. You can also tour the orchard. This orchard can meet all of your expectations.

Samascott Orchards and Garden Market

Located in Kinderhook, 25 minutes from Albany, Samascott Orchards and Green Market is a great place to visit from spring to winter. Not only can you purchase apples, but you’ll also get to choose from grapes, blueberries, zucchini, sour and sweet cherries, and much more depending on the time of year you visit. In the fall, the market’s 16 apple varieties include Pink Lady, Golden Delicious, Fuju, Candy Crisp, and Sonata. The great thing about Samascott Orchards is that they allow online ordering, which means you can get curbside pickup orders if you’re on-the-go.

To add to the fun, this farm has several additional features that make it special. For one, you can rent multi-person bikes to go pick your apples! This is a great way to get some exercise and carry back even more apples than you planned! These bikes come with crates for easier hauling. Oh, and Samascott Orchards doesn’t stop at fruits and veggies. You can get ice cream and baked goods as well. There are even dairy-free options available. You can opt-in for cobblers and baked bread, muffins, cookies, and more. Overall, this orchard is one of the most diverse ones on our list.

DeVoe’s Rainbow Orchard

Only 23 minutes from Albany, DeVoe’s Rainbow Orchard in Clifton Park is the perfect place for all your dessert desires. This orchard is overflowing with pies, donuts, cookies, fritters, pastries, and multiple ice cream flavors, alongside multiple gift box options for bakery items or apples. These apple gift boxes include anywhere from 12 to 25 apples of your choice, with optional side items. You’ll also find gift baskets that include muffins, chocolates, jams, cheeses, fruits, and nuts. You can customize these yourself, too, creating the perfect gift to bring back home to friends or family members. With over 100 years of history, DeVoe’s Rainbow Orchard is a great place to purchase gifts.

Sand Flats Orchard LLC

If you head about 45 minutes west of Albany, you’ll find Sand Flats Orchard, a beautiful farm full of pumpkins, apples, cider, flowers, fruits and veggies, and plenty of fun desserts. This orchard offers hayrides and corn mazes, along with free animal petting. You really can’t beat that! They also include educational tours, and these tours aren’t just for schools. You’re welcome to bring your family to learn about bees, pollination, harvesting, and the process of apple sauce cooking. Sand Flats Orchard is a good option if you want to take your family somewhere fun yet educational.

Altamont Orchards, Inc

Altamont Orchards is only 27 minutes west of Albany, and it’s a wonderful place to visit if you’re looking for more than just sweets and apples. Not only does Altamont Orchards carry cider, donuts, fruit pies, and a variety of apples, but they also offer other types of gifts such as candles, décor, and other seasonal items. Like most orchards, you also get the option of picking out your own apples and pumpkins. Altamont Orchards apple varieties include Fuji, Crispin, Red Delicious, and Jonagold, to name a few. You can build your own gift packages, which include options of fruit butter, salsa, cheese, apples, and several more options. Altamont Orchards is definitely worth the visit. It’s nearby, and it’s a great place to shop for presents.

Kristy’s Barn

This orchard is a mere 17-minute trip from Albany, and it’s well worth the slight detour. Kristy’s Barn is packed with variety, so you’re not just getting fruits and veggies here. Using green farming policies, Kristy’s Barn sells locally raised poultry as well as desserts and vegetarian food items. This orchard’s biggest selling point is its free hayrides. Instead of paying a fee, you can take a wagon ride at no cost, unlike other orchards. Kristy’s Barn also offers outdoor checkouts, creating an extra safe yet fun environment.

Riverview Orchards

This orchard is only 28 minutes from Albany, and it’s packed with great foods and fun activities. Here, you can choose from several local items such as honey, maple syrup, salsa, butter, dressings, mixes, and the likes. Riverview Orchards even offers seasonal cookies with cute decorations, along with several candy flavors. Their apple varieties include Red Delicious, Cortland, Empire, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, and Rome, along with other notable variations. Their dessert options are plentiful, ranging from Viennese Apple Cakes and apple cider donuts, to 35 different pie flavors. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, then Riverview Orchards is the place for you!

Bowman Orchards

Just a 28-minute drive from Albany can land you at Bowman Orchards, a place that’s perfect for family fun. Like most of the aforementioned orchards, Bowman’s includes multiple apple varieties, desserts, and a self-picking option. However, they offer something that other orchards don’t, which is the Kid’s Corner. This section of their farm includes the apple playland, pony rides, hayrides, a corn maze, and an apple cannon. Yep, that’s right. Your children can pay to shoot apples from a cannon. This is a fun, safe way to engage them in harmless target practicing. The apple playland includes a teeter-totter, tire swings, a wooden train and even better, farm animals to visit! This is a great family-friendly option that will keep young folks entertained all year.

Indian Ladder Farms

Also located in Altamont, Indian Ladder Farms is a lovely nature preservation that offers much more than just apples. This orchard has multiple gift options, such as plush cows, travel mugs and flasks, jewelry, sampler baskets, mugs, hats, and shirts, honey, jellies and jams, relishes and salsas, cookbooks, and many more similar shop items. Additionally, Indian Ladder Farms offers nature trails, so on top of apple picking and shopping, you can get some one-on-one time with nature too.

You’ll also want to check out the Yellow Rock Café during weekend visits. You can choose from several yummy meal options, including turkey and apple sandwiches, bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches, a beet burger, and a summertime taco trio, to name a few of their delicious choices. Indian Ladder Farms is a wonderful choice if you’d like to spend a full day exploring in one area.

Final Thoughts?

These orchards are all unique in their own ways. It’s safe to say that they’re all worth visiting. However, if you want to visit more than one orchard, it’s probably best to map out which ones are closest and go from there. For example, it’s a good idea to check out both Indian Ladder Farms and Altamont Orchards on the same day since they’re so close together. Overall, though, it just depends on how far you want to drive and what your end goal is. Most of these orchards offer year-round treats, so you can’t really go wrong with any of them. The bottom line is that when visiting Albany, there’s no way you’ll want to leave without visiting at least one of these beautiful locations.