New England Travel and Vacation Gazette and Other Wicked Good Content

Article by Eric H., at VisitingNewEngland.com It's hard to review an apple field. You go to the field, pick some apples, go home and eat them. Sometimes, what the apple field offers in addition to apple picking makes the difference. Belkin Lookout Farm, in Natick, Mass., is indeed more than your typical fall apple picking destination. Besides apple picking, Belkin Lookout Farm features a farmer's market, petting zoo animals, train rides into the apple fields, pony rides, a bee observatory, guided tours, pumpkins ready for picking in late September, and a market with loads of organic produce, gelato, specialty meats and cheeses, and even homemade pizza! Even Belkin's variety of apples help bring this apple picking experience many notches above most other places. Types of apples include Ginger Gold (starting in August), Gala, Honey Crisp, Red Delicious, Macoun, Macintosh, Golden Delicious, Jonagold and Fuji. Belkin Lookout Farm might be the oldest operating farm in the coun...

Article and Photo by Eric H. Brookfield Orchards in Brookfield, MA, might sound like a place just to pick apples, but actually offers that proverbial "everything but the kitchen sink." Located in the middle of nowhere in central Massachusetts, the isolated but scenic Brookfield Orchards appears to be, from the outside, a farm stand with perhaps a garage or an apple producing operation attached. Once inside, however, this mammoth network of retail rooms seems bigger than tiny North Brookfield itself. Upon entering, there's a snack bar with the most delicious homemade apple dumplings. Add some ice cream and you're in snack heaven. The snack bar also serves apple pies, apple cakes, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies, and in September and October, hot dogs, hamburgers, chili and macaroni and cheese. September and October, are, of course, the time to pick apples on its 80 landmark apple orchard acres. During apple season (beginning around Labor Day Weekend), the vi...