Ferguson's Orchards
There is a lot to love about La Crosse in the fall. The colors of the changing leaves alone are breathtaking. Another perk is the ridiculous abundance of apples.
La Crescent, MN sits across the Mississippi from La Crosse — their town celebration is called Apple Fest, named after the orchards that are critical to the town's economy. Walking around the festival, I was saddened to find very few actual apples. A great tragedy.
Fortunately, there is a hero: Ferguson's Orchards.
My fiancée and I chose a Sunday to venture north of La Crosse for an apple-picking adventure. After a beautiful drive through the coulées, we reached a small turnoff just north of Galesville, then followed a winding country road to the orchard. It's nestled at the base of a valley with gorgeous vistas all around. Stepping out of the car, you're greeted by a pumpkin patch — and a pretty decent one at that. Most of the pumpkins are great sizes. Best of all, this place is PYOP and PYOA (pick your own pumpkin and apple, respectively). We had arrived. Our mission: gather copious amounts of apples.
For around $1 a pound, we grabbed bags and ventured into the fields. We spent 45 minutes working through every little tree, inspecting for spots and blemishes, and eventually gathered 20 pounds. Then we dropped them off at the car and moved on to other adventures.
Ferguson's is much more than pumpkins and apple trees — they've built a genuine fall festival. There were hay rides and candy apples, plus a tractor raceway (adorable pedal tractors that children raced up and down a track). Nearby, kids could visit the old west and get locked up in the Rotten Apple Jail, which came with a built-in escape hatch. But the highlight was the goats. And the pony — excuse me, miniature horse. In the back of the farm, Ferguson's keeps goats with little houses and bridges for them to climb. Watching the animals and feeding them was genuinely great fun.
All in all, Ferguson's Orchards is a fantastic place to spend a fall afternoon. The staff is friendly, the fruit is good, and they're well worth the drive north.
Now if you'll excuse me, Kristin has some applesauce for me to try.