Barthel Fruit Farm — Attraction in Mequon

Disappointing. Felt bad for the trees. The orchard is structured as several really narrowly spaced rows of trees snugly packed together and corded off (so you cannot roam under/around/between the trees, just have to stay in the designated rows, which made it hard to physically distance, i.e., impossible to avoid brushing by many other people, like being stuck in a grocery aisle). Only Ida red were available today, so maybe the other orchard areas are more spacious. The other issue is that (at least by the time we got to picking) you pretty much had to get on a ladder or use a picker thing bec most trees were bare except at the very top. Not only was it cramped and crowded, but also there was a remarkable amount of loose garbage (and I am not talking about the many partially eaten apples, among the hundreds of those simply abandoned under the trees) on the grounds (including in the orchard area). Not the apple picking exp. I was expecting. Not really sure why this place is so highly rated. Little space, barely resembled an orchard in my mind, and the set up was not ideal for a relaxed and fun PYO, esp. with the number of people there. Beer garden was also pretty unimpressive in terms of the beer selection. Cider donuts were good (as were the apples themselves), but that is easy to find basically anywhere in the state. Overall it was not very pleasant, certainly not worth a drive, and I will...

This is a great pick-your-own farm. We’ve previously only been to Apple Holler but we tried Barthel’s this year and we’re so glad we did. Mid-September had our favorite apple varieties, plus pears and pumpkins all in one place. Getting around the farm was so much easier with the toddler because we can just drive down the orchard and park next to the apple variety we want to pick. So there is a lot less walking with a kid in tow (we also went on a weekday so it was less crowded). And the price was SO much better than we’ve previously paid - $27 for a half bushel which is a pretty huge bag, and unlike the other place you don’t have to pay a minimum of $20 PER PERSON for a tiny 1/4 peck bag each. There is a big corn maze that we skipped because it was an extra charge, and no play area for the kids but the picking itself is a fun enough activity that it was still a great morning. There is also a beer garden area with picnic tables, and some nice pastries and cider from the bakery. The apples and pears we picked are big and flavorful, and seem to be better quality than we’ve picked at the...

We had such a nice time picking apples and pears! Barthel is a great local option for fruit, gourd, and pumpkin picking and has plenty of extras, like apple treats, pre-picked apples, brats & other savory foods, a beer garden, and corn maze. When we were there, they had an Oktoberfest happening which was fun.

The apple varieties were nice and they had about a half dozen kinds when we went the third weekend of September. The pears were a fun bonus - delicious, and pretty unique to be able to pick your own! For a peck sized bag, it was about $19, and a 1/2 bushel was $29. We got the peck and it was plenty for us.

You pay on your way out which was a little confusing - you pay as you drive out. All in all we had a good experience and...