I go back and forth between two stars and three stars. While the variety of apples is pretty on par with other orchards, the lack of an actual building really kills this place. And the sign saying not to eat any of the apples BEFORE you pay is just funny. I mean, don't get me wrong, I get that it's a business but doesn't everyone sample an apple or two?
First of all, we drove about 90 minutes from a little outside Albany to get here. When we arrived, I was surprised to see the horrible condition of the portable toilets (aka Porta Potty, Porta John's). Feces on the walls and urine all over the floor made none of us want to go in. Now, I know portable toilets are natorious for being gross, but if a staff member was expected to use these, I'd hope they immediately left to be hosed down and disinfected.
Next was the lack of any kids activities. We went on a date that was supposed to be a "kids day," with fun activities for kids to do like face painting, scarecrow building, a corn maze and other things. The only things we found were the scarecrow making and a pathetic excuse of a corn maze; there really wasn't a corn maze as much as it was just some random corn plopped down in a few rows.
The final straw was the fact that everything had to be paid for separately. The apples were paid for at one table where cash or card was accepted. But the cider donuts had to be paid for at a different table that was cash only. The other goodies (i.e. pies and jams) were also located at a different table and again, had to be paid for separately. After all the back and forth, the pie that was selected had small bugs inside the cling wrap and had to be swapped for another bug-free pie.
Overall, not worth a 90 minute ride. And this is where I go back and forth with two or three stars. Am I just being bitter for spending so much time traveling for what was supposed to be a fun filled day only to be highly disappointed by the lack of activities, low quality of baked goods, and various pay stations, most of which did not accept credit or debit cards? I'm not sure.
For these reason, I'm sticking with three stars. It is an "okay" place if you are local. Maybe I am being to critical for expecting more and getting much less.
EDIT: Thanks for the reply, Judy. I appreciate a business that responds. While I stand by my original post from 10 months ago, I definitely think a more streamlined payment process was needed, so to hear you have made those changes is awesome.
As for letting a staff member know about the condition of the facilities, I do think I was just a very bitter person that day and was not in any mood to interact with others - it wouldn't have been pretty for anyone!
That said, I will edit my post more and upgrade your rating a little later when I am not at work.
Again, thanks for the reply and hopefully sometime in the future (not this year, unfortunately) I can make the 90 minute trip to visit your orchard...
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