@Lenswood Pick Your Own Apples, Adelaide Hills, Review

By Jo Parkinson & Claire Davill

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away… so now is the perfect time to go apple picking in the Adelaide Hills and experience a fun day out @Lenswood Pick Your Own!

Situated in the beautiful Adelaide Hills, this family friendly farm is run by Emily and Chris Shipway. @Lenswood is so much more than just an apple picking orchard. It also has its own café, play area for kids, old vintage tractors to sit on, as well as a little mini golf course and scavenger hunt.

Apple Picking

Experience life on the farm, as you stroll through the picturesque apple orchards, picking your own sweet apples to take home and enjoy. You can bring your own bag or buy one on arrival to put your apples in. Once you’ve paid the entry fee, it’s time to head over to the orchard. 

There are clearly marked flags, showing the rows that can be picked from. You can also scan a QR code to load a map showing where these rows are. These are where the ripe apples are, ready for picking. Apples can be tasted, but the rest must go in your bag and be paid for. Remember that it’s important to only pick what you want to take home.

Some apples might have bumps or spots on them but are still perfect for picking. It’s a good reminder that this is how apples really grow and not all are aesthetically perfect! The apple orchard is so pretty, and it’s nice to take your time and enjoy the experience of picking apples fresh from the tree.

Apple picking is great for kids as many of the fruit on the trees is low enough, and within easy reach of little ones, so the whole family can get involved.

The day we visited, the apple variety was Gala. This will soon be followed by Fuji, Golden Delicious and Granny Smiths. Apples are weighed and paid for at the end of your visit, and the more you pick the cheaper it is. These super fresh apples will last for up to 8 weeks in the fridge, if you don’t eat them all before!

Café

After picking all those apples, you won’t be able to resist the on-site café, full of fresh, local produce. Several snacks are available to choose from. These range from delicious apple pies and danishes, to hot drinks and cold cans, and of course yummy apple juice! There are also a variety of ice-cream flavours such as toffee apple, chocolate, vanilla, and apple sorbet.

We highly recommend the apple pie , it’s one of the best ones we’ve ever had. There are also other products on sale at the café as well, small toys, earrings, magnets, dried fruit and jars of relish. It was also lovely to receive such professional and outstanding service from the young girl taking orders.

Other Activities

The kids will love the extra fun on offer as well. Old tractors are stationed near the entry and are great for sitting on and pretending to be a farmer. If you visited last year, there’s even more tractors this year! There is also an area with a giant shaded sandpit and two giant Connect 4 games that are always a popular for older kids. For a refundable $15 fee, grab a golf ball and club and try out the mini golf course. There are 5 little courses set up in between the rows of apples. This year, there is also a kid’s scavenger hunt, with clues directing you to information signs detailing how the apple growing process works. If kids complete the trail and say the code word at the exit, they’ll receive a little certificate.

@Lenswood Pick Your Own is a fantastic place to visit, and a great experience for kids to see where the fruit they like to eat comes from. It’s a must do family experience in Autumn.

FIND OUT MORE HERE

Supporting our local growers and buying apples directly will also help the farm in more ways than you know.  

For more information and all enquiries please visit the Home | @Lenswood Pick Your Own (atlenswood.com.au)

What:   Pick Your Own Apples @Lenswood

When:   2 March 2024 until end of May (dependent on weather). Wed – Fri 9am – 3pm, Sat, Sun and Public Holidays 9am -4pm

Where:   122 Harris Road, Lenswood

Who:   Everyone

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

This is not a sponsored post and all opinions and words are the writer’s own, however, we were kindly invited to visit and received free entry.

Image Source: All photos by Jo Parkinson & Claire Davill for Play & Go Adelaide

SUBSCRIBE

Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?

Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out all the best events & activities for Adelaide families. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may sometimes get a special offer exclusively for our subscribers only!