Heinz Orchard

Great little place, strictly an orchard, no kiddie rides, no gift shop, and that is great as far as I am concerned. You pay your pick fee, get your picking poles and go to it. It was mid october, and still plenty of apples that looked great to pick from. 3 varieties, empire, jonathan and golden delicious. Apples I picked and sampled were very tasty and crisp.
I would recommend it to others, and I would come back.

The apples from this orchard are AWESOME! My husband and I took our 3.5 year old for his first apple picking adventure last weekend. We wanted a low-​key, relaxing experience (not an amusement park experience) and this was perfect. We got there about 10:30 and there were already a couple dozen cars in the lot but they had parking attendants helping cars park to keep things orderly. We paid for our one peck bag ($ 15) and set off to the trees. The trees on the side we chose by the house were packed with Golden and Red Delicious. The Golden Delicious were THE BEST I’VE EVER TASTED!!! I’ve never cared for the Golden Delicious at the grocery stores (like another reviewer described… thick skinned and soft/​mealy fruit) but these ones at Heinz Orchard were super crisp, crunchy and dense, and exploding with juicy sweet and tart flavors. WOW!!! It’s been a week and we are almost done with all the apples we picked (we each snack on several a day!) I can’t wait to go back again!

My family has been coming here since the mid eighties and we have never been disappointed. It is a no frills orchard — but that is what I am looking for, not an amusement park with some apple trees like other places. The apples are always so good and we have never seen it crowded. A great family tradition on its third generation.

We visited Heinz Apple Orchard on a Friday @11am, 9÷27÷13. Only about 7 cars in parking lot. I pulled up to the grassy area to park and right away knew this Orchard was just what i was looking for!!! This place is a no nonsense. Simple, Apple picking place. There are no distractions of screaming kids inside a bouncy house, petting zoo, or an overpriced Farm Store. My two kids (3), (1) were able to walk around the small Orchard (right off Atkinson) & pick the Empire Apples right off the tree!!! We filled our ½ peck bag in minutes. It was a wonderful apple picking experience!!! This was my first visit & I will be back. I also would recommend this Orchard to anyone who wants a simple, quiet, peaceful apple picking experience without all the nonsense of those other places who charge admission & leave you broke. At least one person in group must purchase a bag ($ 8 or $ 12). Empire, Jonathan & McIntosh apples were picking. Golden Delicious would be next wknd i was told. We actually snacked on a Jonathan, and MY GOSH it was DELICIOUS! I drove 23 miles/​40 minutes just to visit Heinz Orchard because its just that simple!

We have been to orchards around Chicago, WI, MI, and IN. Heinz is a great place for apples. There are not any cover charges. Each person in your party does not have to buy a bag. You do not have to wait for transportation from the parking lot to the orchard. You park your car next to the trees, pick your apples, and your on your way. The orchard is well maintained and they supply poles with pouches to reach the apples near the top, if you so desire. There are plenty of apples within arms reach from the ground. It was $ 15 a peck this fall. The kids had fun.

Heinz is the best. No hayrides, no frills, just apples, the way it should be! My family had a wonderful time. Will definitely return.

We are always looking for a good orchard to go with our 6-​year old, and it seems that most of them these days are more about bouncy castles and markets full of pre-​picked apples and pumpkin-​scented candles. We just wanted to pick apples — and that’s exactly what we were able to do at Heinz. It was an easy drive from the city, and the experience was exactly what we wanted. The owners were really friendly and welcoming, and it was great to get insight into the work that goes into tending the orchard. This will definitely be our orchard from now on!

I kicked off my bachelorette party with an afternoon of apple-​picking. I picked this place because it wasn’t as far as some of the others (in Woodstock), had only apples (instead of additional, other family fun-​type fluff), and wasn’t terribly expensive. Free admission and free parking was a huge plus! We actually went during opening weekend and were limited to Honeycrisp apples. We had plenty to choose from, though, and really enjoyed wandering around this small orchard on a hot, sunny autumn day. If I feel like apple-​picking again, I’ll head back here if I just want the simple experience of picking apples. (My nephew had a blast — he didn’t want to leave!!!)
If you’re looking for a place to go that has a shop with apple treats, or pumpkins, or crafts, or whatever else, I suggest going somewhere else. If you want no-​frills, this is the place for you.

I went to Heinz Orchard last weekend for the first time and loved it. I was looking for a place to pick apples, with a low or zero admission fee, and not a very far drive from Chicago. Heinz fit the bill and we had a wonderful morning.
We went with our two-​year-​old, and she had a great time. This is a very no-​frills place, which is exactly what we wanted. No expensive extras like hay rides and petting zoos and overpriced café food. We loved the free admission and free parking. You just pay for the apples that you pick.
The apples are wonderful! When we visited on 10÷1÷2011, they were picked out of everything except Red Delicious and Golden Delicious. Turns out this was not a problem. The Red Delicious at Heinz are totally unlike the mealy, flavorless Red Delicious that you get at the grocery store. Instead, they are juicy, slightly sweet, crisp, and eminently munchable.
We will be back again next year.

Nice, but bare bones — which is probably why it’s so affordable. I’ve been here a few years in a row and never been disappointed. Free parking, friendly staff, and delicious apples! Apparently they also had some homemade honey this year, but alas they’re already out. I agree with the other reviewer though, watch out for kiddos wielding those poles!

I can’t speak highly enough of what a great time I had!!!
I came on their last day, unfortunately… wish I knew earlier b/​c this place is literally minutes from work.
The experience was blissful, on a warm sunny fall afternoon
THE APPLES…
I’m usually not the biggest fan of Golden Delicious b/​c from the store it’s got a thick skin, kinda mushy texture but OMG… these apples were phenomenal… you bite into it and there’s a loud **CRISP** with juices flying as you slurp them up and take another bite b/​c it’s the best apple you’ve ever had!!! The skin melts away and in moments the apple is down to the core.
Good thing I have 12 pounds of them :)

Great place to escape the city or suburbs via a very short drive into Lake County. Nice, *small* family-​owned and run orchard. Small is an advantage here because it allows a family with small kids to easily manage a tromp thru the trees. Empire, Jonathan and golden delicious were plentiful. By this date, the Macintosh had already been picked, but all the remaining varieties were plentiful. Pretty cool to have my 5 year old pick an apple off the tree, ask if he could eat it and then hearing him say «this is the best apple I’ve ever had!». Certainly the freshest.
Just minutes from I-​94 but seemingly way out in the country. We’ll be back next year.

We went today with friends and their 2.5 yr. old. It ‘s a great place for just the basics. Three kinds of apples, trees low enough to for kids over the age of 5 to pick themselves. You can bring your own wagon unlike many places I looked at. The apples were average price $ 15 a peck which is about 12 lbs. The parking was easy and so was finding it. Definately worth the trip.

A wonderful destination for a crisp fall afternoon. Heinz is a relatively small orchard but succeeds in transplanting a city dweller for a short while into the serenity of the outdoors.
When I went they offered Empire, Jonathan and Golden Delicious. Would have liked to have some more variety, but the apples they do have were quality and there’s something about the taste of an apple that you pick yourself. To reach the apples up high, which according to my companion are the best because they get the most sunlight, you are given a long wooden pole with a bag at the top. Be warned that a lot of kids carry these poles without giving much thought to the fact that a quick turn could impale somebody!
Very friendly staff. About an hour’s drive from the city.