Bowman Orchards — Attraction in Town of Clifton Park

TLDR: The orchard and the attractions are fun. The bakery needs some work and the pricing needs to be refined. Pricing isn't what it seems. Overall, the experience itself is worth the price and adventure. This Mom and Pop place is absolutely worth a visit.

The apple picking was magical and I am glad I went. The sparkling cider and apple ciders pack a powerful punch. Staff was kind but rigid about policies.

Pricing: -There are three general pricing options to access various parts of the orchard and its attractions, 1.) Wristband for rides and attractions, 2.) Individual Ride tickets and 3.) You Pick. I will be sticking to apple picking pricing in this review.

-Wristband: $20.95 at gate, $17.95 online. Allows access to all rides and attractions, unlimited rides and attractions all day. I could not find any group or family pricing. -Individual ride tickets: $6.00. There are 14 attractions including pony rides, apple cannon, horse drawn hay rides, fruit train ride (barrel train ride), and maze. The majority are for children and families.

The pricing is a bit confusing, bordering on inconsistent. For example, the Sunflower Photo Op is listed as wristband only on the website but in person the Sunflower Photo Op was still available for an inflated price of $7.00. While the wristband is a no-brainer for families and children, the wristband is not ideal for adults since only about 10% of the rides offered are exclusively adult and a few of the attractions even exclude adult participation. It would be more beneficial for an adult or group of adults to pay selectively for rides or attractions of interest. However, some of the rides or attractions geared to adults such as the maze are wristband only. I think it would be beneficial for the Orchard to clarify its pricing model online to allow patrons to plan more effectively. EDIT: It’s pretty obvious what should be clarified

The pricing of the wristbands with You Pick in general needs a bit of work. For example, a family of 5 who bought wristbands online would pay $89.75 + tax. You can't enter the Orchard without buying a bag. Red Bag is 2 people, White is 4. They would pay an additional $56.00. Grand Total: $145.75. Without Food. That price seems steep for only 14 attractions and apple picking. Offering reduced cost wristbands under a certain age or a group deal for a family may make it more accessible for larger families. EDIT: To go apple picking specifically, you must buy a bag.

The pricing is off for Apple Picking as well. Red: $21 (including tax), 1 peck White: $35 (including tax), 1/2 bushel (2 Pecks).

In-store Pricing: 1/2 Peck: $11.75 + tax 1 Peck: $20.75 + tax 1/2 Bushel: $37.95 +tax

Pecks and Bushels are units of measurement. 1/2 Peck is 5lbs, 1 Peck is 10lbs. I filled my bag so full it was difficult to get my hand inside. Weight of bag: 7lbs. Visually, the 1/2 peck looks closer to the size of the bag given. The red bags are actually closer in weight to 3/4 Peck. The bag concept makes the process more streamlined. However, the bag size should be adjusted to accommodate the proper weight. Why not give patrons the same bags used to bag the apples in store?

The price of apple picking appears at a cursory glance to be more expensive than some other Orchards. For example, Beak and Skiff charges $1.20 - $1.60/lb for apples picked. The average peck at $1.60/lb would be: $16.00 + tax and a 1/2 Bushel $31.00 + tax.

Before planning your trip, plan carefully and ask questions to prioritize correctly.

Bakery: I am a former professional baker. Pies are too expensive. Local Orchards: $7 - $17. They sell: $22.

Both apple and raspberry turnovers were undercooked. The outer crust of the turnovers was light and not golden brown, a sign the hard crust that keeps out water did not fully form. Coupled with the wet pastry dough in the center, it was forced stale at an accelerated rate. The extra sugar on top weighed down the dough and made it too sweet. Apple had a lot of flavor but there wasn't enough spices and it tasted more like syrupy apple. Raspberry filling...

TL;DR:

Bowman’s Orchards falsely advertises “free entry” but refused to let my family of 9 — including a newborn, elderly grandmother, and kids — even walk around without buying $10 picking containers each. Staff were rude, dismissive, and accused us of lying about our group size. When I calmly explained our situation and offered to pay, we were told to “leave” and denied entry for having an “attitude.” Completely unprofessional and disrespectful. Avoid this place.

I visited Bowman’s Orchards with my family of 9 — including my elderly grandmother, a newborn baby, a recently postpartum aunt, two young kids, and the rest of our adult family — and had one of the most disrespectful experiences I’ve ever had at any farm or orchard.

Their website clearly states: “FREE ENTRANCE!!” and “No ticket, wristband, or entry fee is needed for U-Pick – Proper Size PRE-PAID container for your party size is the only requirement.” We had no intention of picking anything — just wanted to walk around, take pictures, and stretch our legs during a long road trip. Based on their own policy, this should have been completely fine.

After using the restrooms at the shop, we made the walk in 90-degree heat to the orchard gate. A staff member there asked for a receipt. I told him we weren’t picking, just walking around. He told us flat-out that wasn’t allowed — that we must buy containers for everyone in our party. He gave no clear answer on pricing and was cold and dismissive from the start.

Trying to cooperate, I walked all the way back to the gift shop with my uncle, leaving behind our elderly and vulnerable family members to avoid excessive walking in heat. When I explained the situation to the woman at the register, she accused us of lying about our party size — claiming we were 10 because the staff member at the gate radioed ahead and said so. I told her we were 8 plus a newborn. She actually insisted the newborn needed a prepaid container. How does that even make sense? A baby holding a container?

I tried to clarify and offered to buy whatever was required for all of us. She snapped that every single person had to be present to make the purchase — even after I explained our group included a senior, small children, and a postpartum mom carrying a newborn in the heat. She just said, “That’s okay.” I told her that if everyone had to come back, we’d just leave — and she flatly said, “Okay, leave.” As I was walking out in disbelief, she added, “You’re not getting in with that attitude.”

What attitude? After staying calm, respectful, and willing to pay, I was told to leave because I questioned their contradictory policy and asked for basic accommodation for a group that included a newborn and elderly person?

The whole exchange was insulting and unprofessional. We weren’t trying to game the system — we just wanted to walk around and were fully prepared to pay once it was made clear. Instead, we were met with hostility, false accusations, and blatant disregard for basic decency.

This was humiliating, disrespectful, and completely unprofessional. We’ve visited dozens of orchards as a family before — this has never happened to us. The attitude of the staff felt targeted, accusatory, and needlessly hostile. If this is how you treat families who are willing to pay just to walk around and enjoy the space — even with vulnerable family members — then you don’t deserve the business in the first place.

I suggest you take your business elsewhere.

UPDATE: Just saw another review from someone who visited the same day (7/8/25) and had a nearly identical experience with the SAME older woman at the front. They were turned away while picking fruit with a two-year-old — simply for carrying a soft cooler with essentials. No empathy, no flexibility, no decency. Same treatment we got.

This is clearly not an isolated issue. If Bowman’s Orchards cares about its reputation, this staff member should not be the face of your business. Multiple families walked away angry and humiliated on the SAME day. A serious staff...

I have almost never felt compelled to write a review online, and certainly not a negative one. Until now.

Today (7/8/25) I went to Bowman Orchards with my best friend who had taken off from work to come and my two-year old daughter to pick fruit. We arrived and went in the farm store to pay for 2 quart-size boxes to fill with fruit. I was carrying a soft cooler that was akin to a picnic basket to hold the fruit containers and a few essentials when traveling with a two-year-old such water, wipes, etc. However, the older woman working there said that I could not take in the soft cooler into the fields with me; people take advantage. I explained that I wanted to be able to carry the two fruit baskets that have no handle, some belongings for my daughter, and be able to help her navigate the tractor/uneven terrain by hand. She offered no solutions and told me the sign outside indicated I could not take a bag and that other people come with two-year-olds as well. As I had already driven 28 minutes from my house planning to use the picnic basket and did not have a clear bag in my car, I offered to let the workers search the cooler afterwards, hoping to reason with this woman. I in no way was trying to scam the orchard. As there were almost no other cars in the parking lot and visibly only 4 other patrons on site, it seemed as though the workers would have time to peek in my picnic basket. I just wanted to have a comfortable experience berry picking with my daughter. She said no, that if the containers weren't mounded with fruit I should be able to carry them and help my daughter. I asked if I could then have a plastic bag to hold the containers and our personal belongings. There seemed to be plastic bags on the counter between us. She declined to let me have any.

I was out of solutions. I had tried to be reasonable. The employee or owner offered no solutions. I left very angry and ultimately in tears in my car as my two-year-old asked why the lady was not nice to us and wouldn't let us bring in any bags. I have gone to Bowman Orchard for years, but I will certainly not be going back. I cannot patronize a place that is so unsupportive of families with infants/toddlers who need to bring belongings into a field.

Later at my best friend's apartment pool, I asked a teenage lifeguard if my daughter could bring her ball into the pool. He said that would be fine as we were the only ones in the pool even though normally it's not allowed. I understand the need for rules; I am a teacher and Christian who believes in rules. However, I also believe in the need for common sense and an ounce of kindness. When even a teenager who is not yet at full maturity could demonstrate more of that than the older woman representing Bowman Orchards, I certainly will steer clear of Bowman and advise you to do so too.

Update: in response to Bowman’s response…

This is what it says on your Web site regarding no bags. Diaper bags for little ones, Medical equipment-(Not in a bag unless it fits the allowable criteria), Fanny packs, cross body, Clear/See Thru bags, and purses smaller than 12″ are the only exceptions!

Yet when I asked the woman working there if I could use a clear plastic bag sitting on the table in front of us, she denied me. I also had a diaper bag in the car I could’ve used instead of the soft cooler. But after trying to propose solutions 3 or more times and being denied each time, I could see this employee did not want to make this work out. I am more disgusted by the experience after seeing the “exceptions” list. I feel that this worker should have her attitude addressed rather than just being told to take my business elsewhere. You didn’t honor your...