Paulus Orchards

Awesome farm not far from mechanicsburg. Aside from having a cool little farm market, they provide a wholesome experience for the kids in their playland. There were two pedal car tracks, human hamster wheels, kids chicken coup, a place to build kid sized log cabins and many other thoughtfully entertaining activities for kids and grown ups to enjoy together.
Though the apple picking (starting at 10.00) and pumpkin patch (ranging from 3 to 12 bucks) were not included in the admission to play land, if you just want to do the patch and orchard, you can.
I will make this a lovely fall tradition.

What a fabulous experience my family and I had this past weekend (Columbus Day) at Paulus Orchard. We arrived a little bit early, and we are glad that we did! It was such a beautiful weekend, it seemed like everyone had the same idea we did. Below is a pretty comprehensive review of our time here:
Apple Orchard: This was by far one of the top reasons why we came. My daughter had never picked apples prior to this experience. Overall, the Jonathan apples were… hands-​down …the best. The orchard itself was relatively well mowed and maintained, and there was a wide variety of apples that were ripe for the pickin. We bought a large bag for about 15.95. I think for the quantity of apples you can stuff into this bag, that it is a fair price for a great experience. You have to remember, you are paying for the apples, and for the experience. This was a waaaay better way to spend my Sunday with my daughter than going to some other activity of equal cost — like a movie…(4/5)
Pumpkin Patch: Daaaaamn. How about those pumpkins… some were freakin’ huge, and shaped perfectly for carving. I got one of the largest pumpkins I have ever bought for an incredibly fair price. It was a great deal. I have bought $ 30 pumpkins before that weren’t half as nice in Central NY. I think that the monstrosities (pictured) were like $ 12 each. That is amazing. (⁵⁄₅)
Corn Maze/​Kid area: We opted to do the orchard and patch first. When we were finished, the other activities were over-​run with people /​kids. As such, we opted to skip this, but I wanted to write about it anyway. From what we saw, there was a really cool play are for kids. I wish it wasn’t so busy … so keep this in mind if you go. You may want to do these activities first (⁴⁄₅)
General Store: Within their store they have a pretty fair selection of homemade items and products. From apple cider that is produced locally with their apples, to canned jams, jellies, and pickled items, to some pre made baked good like apple dumplings and pies. Additionally, they even have a little section of produce. We almost bought the entire lot of jalapenos because they looked great. Unfortunately, we had just stopped at Karn’s the day before. Bummer for us. (⁴⁄₅)
Price: For what I got, I feel like the experience was well worth it. From the humongous pumpkins, to the quaint orchard, we all had a great family experience. (⁵⁄₅)
Service: The service was varied. It bordered on unhelpful at times given that we had never been there, but then another worker was extremely pleasant and helpful. So I got a pretty good mix of people. Overall (³⁄₅)
Final Thoughts: This is definitely a place I will be back at next year. I was really happy with the vast array of activities and things to do for a fair price. This is a great adventure for your whole family.

I like their orchard and the fruit is fresh but they tell people they don’t spray and the do.

I feel awful writing a negative review of Paulus because I’ve loved going there for years, but I feel it must be shared. The prices have gone way up this year: $ 15.50 for a grocery store-​sized plastic bag. Also, they used to have many free things for the kids. Now, it is $ 7 per person to go into the play area (and adults even have to pay only to watch their kids). Lastly, my kids left very discouraged because the apple varieties that were open did not have any apples low enough for them to pick (even with the kids on our shoulders). Hate to say it, but our annual visit has come to an end. We will not be returning.

Three words: APPLE. CIDER. DONUTS. Oh god. I ate so many donuts. They were without a doubt the best donuts I have ever had in my life.
It’s a little pricey, but come on: do you really need to buy apples from 600 miles away just to save a few cents a pound? This is a real working farm. I liked that they had some non-​standard pumpkin and gourd varieties. Nice to see that someone remembers they’re food as well as decoration!
I see that, due to local pressure, they have switched from a Halloween-​themed corn maze this year to a Biblical one. Some folks have no sense of humor.

Had a lot of fun here with the family. Yeah in the end I think it’s a more overpriced then buying apples and pumpkins from Giant but it really is an experience.
It’s fun to go out to the orchards with the kids and pick all your own apples. And then go up to the pumpkin patches and pick those out as well.

My boyfriend and I went to Paulus Orchards in the fall for apple picking. They do a good job of letting customers know what is in season each week on their facebook page. The prices are great; much better than grocery store prices for apples and you can pick them yourself on Saturdays and Sundays! They also have a corn maze and pumpkin picking, as well as a country store with homemade donuts. If you’re looking to pick apples in South Central PA, I highly recommend Paulus Orchards.