Linvilla Orchards — Attraction in Middletown Township

Linvilla Orchard Was a Waste of Time!

Usually we go to Milburn Orchards to pick apples each year, but having heard good things about them, we thought we would try Linvilla. We will never be back. The whole process is very poorly organized and set up. Just parking at the pick-your-own area, there are no markings, signs, or directions. We approached the farm stand, clearly confused as to the process and asking if we were in the right place, and were told yes. Our tickets were scanned and we were asked if we wanted a small bag, which likey would have fit 3 or 4 apples, max, or a box to share. At no point were we offered to purchase a larger container, nor was the ticketing process explained to us. We had only purchased two tickets online, as there were only two of us picking, but what we didn't know was that this had dictated our container size for the picking. At the time, we didn't think much of the small box, as at Milburn, you are able to purchase additional bags when you are out in the fields. This seems like a missed opportunity for Linvilla, as they surely they could generate extra reveune by doing this, especially from other first-time visitors like us who were confused.

Now, obviously going forward we would understand the process and this particular issue would no longer be a problem, however we still will not return. The orchard itself is large and there a lots of varieties of several different fruits to pick. Unfortunately, every apple tree in the area we picked from had so much rotting fruit on the ground that bugs were a major nuisance. We were among the first pickers of the morning, so one would think the area would have been cleared up prior to the day's pickings. At Milburn, these apples are gathered to produce cider so they do not go to waste, which makes economical sense and provides a better experience for patrons.

After spending 10 minutes picking our 14 or so apples, we waited another 10 minutes for the hay ride to return. Oddly enough, considering there are handicap seats in the hay ride, there is nowhere for folks to sit as they wait. Again, out in the fields, Milburn has staff to watch the process, coordinate additional tractor rides, and has chairs available. In the event of an injury, there would also be someone available to help. Considering the sprawling orchard at Linvilla, had either of us been injured, whether by tripping on any of the numerous loose apples, or if we had been stung by any of the bees attracted by them, we wouldn't even have known where we were to try to direct anyone. This seems negligent, though as we were leaving, a staff member did arrive to guide/supervise the next group of patrons. If no one is available to fill this role, it doesn't feel like good practice to send customers out into the field alone as we were, as Linvilla could potentially be opening itself up to lawsuits. We were in no particular hurry to go out to the fields and wouldn't have minded waiting for a staff member.

Also in contrast, Milburn does not expect you to sit in a hay ride and instead provides bench seating in their wagons, making for a less-itchy ride.

The store itself was bigger than the Milburn's however the space was filled with brands that could be purchased at the supermarket. To be fair, Milburn's does the same, but I had hoped with the additional, space Linvilla would display more of their own homemade products, and not celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse's pasta sauce.

All in all, Linvilla pales in comparison to Milburn and I will not...

Long time (15 years +) visitor of Linville, for all seasons. This will be my last time visiting. This visit was for the Halloween season of 2024.

First, the normal stuff, everything was a little more crowded than prior years, which was fine, it still wasn't enough to bother me. Snacks were delicious, food was overpriced but you know to expect this before you go. Overall, everything was fine, and I would have definitely gone back, as I do for most of their seasons/events.

This is the reason I won't ever be going back. I was waiting in the hour or so long line with my husband and 2 children for one of the hayrides. The wait is normal and to be expected. At some point the line that was wrapped around all of the pumpkin boxes finally made it into actual line (the roped area), a group of young teenage girls (13-15 MAX) got in front of my group while merging, they had already been in front of us in the line prior to this. It was a non issue, we had already been waiting in line with these girls for at least 30 minutes or so.

Behind us there is a man in his 50s-60s, his wife, and his daughter. The man is LIVID. He thinks the girls cut in line. I figured he'd grumble and let it go. He in fact did NOT let it go. He is venting more and more aggressively about these poor teenage girls that can hear it all. The only thing between them is myself my husband and my 2 children. They are terrified. He is saying he is going to make sure he sits next to them on the hayride so he can harass them the entire time (his words). At this my husband and I finally turn around and both at the same time politely say they were there before him. He absolutely loses it. His wife loses it. His daughter loses it even more. We try to tell a worker that this man is absolutely losing it and harassing a group of young girls, and he says "tell them when you get to the wagons and maybe they won't sit you together". This guy is going crazy. I'm not even worried for myself. I'm worried for the girls. We have to stand in line for another hour listening to this terrible man threatening these girls under his breath.

We finally get to the front of the line, and I politely explain to the woman boarding people, and ask her to make sure that man didn't board with the girls because he's been harassing them and she literally just stares at me. Like says nothing, just stares. Then the daughter and man start screaming again they don't want to sit with me anyway (I wasn't asking for me, I was asking for the girls). I gave up. It was horrible.

Zero security. Your workers don't know what to do in an emergency situation. Why wasn't this man removed as soon as I reported him? He was harassing young girls. Why isn't your staff equipped to handle these kind of situations? I would NEVER let my teens go here to hang out as a "safe place". Definitely not safe. Incompetent staff. You have so many more visitors there now, why is there NO security? Waste of money since our entire time was ruined.

I will never go again.

I cannot believe you let old men harasss...

For $100 you can bring your family of four to "nature", which is covered with trash, had hour long lines for food and beverages, and 40 people deep to even go to the bathroom.

Linvilla was a lot of fun years ago. Their concept is great! However, they've become so greedy, they don't regulate ticket sales or do anything to maintain order, cleanliness or ensure a positive experience, making most of the attractions feel like the "who" concert in Cincinnati. For instance, it took us 15 mins to drive down the road because of bumper to bumper traffic, all from visitors, many of whom were hostile and illegally driving and threatening the safety of others, in order to even get to the parking lot. Once we arrived at the lot, where no worker was directing traffic for safety, it took another 15 mins to find a spot.

Once we enetered the park, er, I mean orchard, we noticed they had too many people in the farm market, and had a line, just to enter to make purchases, about 40 people deep, so we decided to forgo the cider and donuts.

We purchased our tickets for a hayride, after which we saw the stands of pumpkins. We pretended to buy some for photos, but there was no point. There was a 30 minute wait to buy some pumpkins. So we passed on that too.

The corn maze was a sinister harbinger of post apocalyptic blight. Only about 3 ft tall, it wasn't what it once was. Either someone didn't care to maintain the corn over the summer, or their crops are really suffering at Linvilla. My guess, given their total disregard for customer experience, was simply that they didn't maintain it, because they don't care.

We walked past some screaming kids in the bathroom line, half of which were likely to have accidents prior to making in through the line. I feel this suggests 4 port a potties simply isnt enough for the crowd of thousands... but what do I know of simple mathematics.

One can't help but notice, while every attraction requires timed tickets, times aren't enforced and instead of capping the bumber of tickets for these, they allow people to scan a qr code in line, meaning there is zero regulation of foot traffic and massive groups of people are left waiting as though they are going through security at Charles de Gaulle.

And when you do get to the front of an attraction, like the apple blaster, your kids can play in the dry dirt under the blazing sun and play with one of hundreds of discarded plastic ear plugs! Nothing like the leftover remnants of non biodegradable trash to remind us of the harmony of the farm community and nature!

Needless to say, there are so many options not so far away in south jersey, in mullica hill, Medford and Cherryhill, that are more likely to leave happy smiles on you and your families faces. Sadly, linvilla can't be named amongst them. Not anymore anyway. If you want a fun relaxing fall experience you'd find more luck just heading to the subway in Philly. You'd have more options for food, areas to releive yourself and it's a heck of a...