Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard — Attraction in Town of North Salem

There’s a lot of negative reviews and comments on here and I would love to set the record straight for those looking for an honest review. Here’s all the details and answers I was looking for prior to coming here.

Admission. You must make a reservation prior to coming. This kept the crowds down and that’s the most important thing. Was it busy? Of course. We went a week before Halloween, one of the last weekends in October and it was a beautiful 66 degree sunny day. The way the reservations worked was there were a set amount of tickets sold every half hour starting at 9am. However, your time there was not limited and people stayed as long as they liked. What this meant was there were fewer guests early in the day and It got busier in the afternoon. Comparatively to Barton, it was NOT bad. Admission was $12 a person and included parking, admission to the main area where food, booze and donuts were being sold and where there was live music.

Apple picking. You have to pay for a bag to enter the actual orchard. Bags start at $15 and go up from there. If you’re looking for a cheap deal on apples, go shop at Acme. The later you go in the season, the slimmer pickings will be. That’s just the way it is. There were plenty of apples. The orchard does require some walking and it can be hilly. Keep that in mind if you are unable to handle hills.

Pumpkin picking. There was a small “pre-picked” pumpkin patch, organized by size and color for guests to walk through and pick from. I LOVED this. No one wants to treck through vines and weeds to pick through pumpkins that have been half smashed and knocked over and a mess. The organization of the “pre-picked” pumpkins was convenient and fun and made for great photo opportunities with little ones.

Food and beverages. Again, I see a lot of complaints about food prices. All in all, food prices were average and if you are looking for a cheap $2 burger than go to McDonald’s. Plenty of pizza, burgers, wings, donuts and ice cream, drinks, cider and beer. Lines were under 5 mins before 1pm and under 10 after 3pm. Limited seating available (picnic benches) but plenty of grass area to sit in. I recommend bringing a picnic blanket.

Accessibility. No one talks about the accessibility of this place but overall I was impressed. When you think of an apple orchard you think of grass and fields and gravel which can be difficult for guests with wheelchairs and for families with strollers. We had a stroller and so did many other families and it wasn’t terrible. The walk way from the parking lot (not the actual parking lot) to the main area was paved which was very nice as it was mostly up hill, as was the walking path to the orchard. The main eating area was fairly level grass and we were able to use the stroller to get pretty much everywhere we needed to go. This was a nice surprise.

Shopping. Lastly the store had a lot of great options from fresh produce to jams and flowers and even candles. I loved the tshirt and hoodie merch and all the little Nick-nacks they had to look at. The store is small and it gets tight when there are a lot of people in there but it is what it is. Cant complain and be part of the problem. The back patio also got pretty busy but as it was a beautiful day, it was nice to be out in the sun anyway.

All in all, I think the previous reviews are unfair and we had a great time. I hope they continue to do reservations and we look forward to coming...

Harvest Moon is probably the busiest farm you’ll see in the Salem area come October. I visited and couldn’t help but notice the non-stop traffic of cars lined up to enter this place at 10am on a Sunday. They’ve cleaned up the way you check-in by organizing 3 car lanes with staff ready to scan your timed tickets. Know that once you buy these tickets online, they’re rain or shine and non-transferable/refundable. Pick a day/time you can commit to. Upon entering you’ll see this brand new glass building that kicks off the beginning of the food trucks in the back area. Available for purchase are farm-raised beef burgers, ribs, wings, turkey legs and their famous wood fired pizza. The pizza was always a go-to but be prepared to wait in line and bring cash as some food stands are cash only. Most of the other options to purchase food and apple picking now have credit card machines at the ready like the liquor store area and the farm store but for things like pizza and wings, cash is the only option and note that an ATM is on site just in case you forget. The orchard is beautiful. Pictured are some scenes from across the pick bins. Unfortunately the hay ride was not operational the day I visited but it was really relaxing to see the hills and tops of all the apple trees. Cider is in abundance here so save some room as you eat throughout the day. Apple bags range from $15-$40 in t-shirt size bags. You cannot bring your own bag as they do an inspection once you exit the orchard. Make sure you plan lunch accordingly because after 1pm, there aren’t any seats available. The pictured area by the liquor store is the only shaded area with very limited seating so grab seats or a blanket when you can. Live music, some sun and great food/drinks is available from the moment you stop in till the time you leave. Overall, Harvest Moon is super fun and you’ll find families and children running everywhere across the grounds. It’s truly a great tribute to the fall. Looking forward...

I love this farm, it’s beautiful and has wonderful products, the cider donuts are incredible, However I’m only giving three stars because I am disappointed in the way the strawberry picking tickets are handled and even more so in the customer service that I experienced when calling the farm to explain my frustration and trying to suggest solutions. I called and told them that for the past three weeks I had attempted to get tickets for it, the first weekend I realized to late so I knew it was on me. The second one I waited till it was closer to the weekend because I assumed that’s when they went up since they weren’t there in the beginning of the week and it was sold out once again when I decided to check on Thursday. So this week I made sure to check everyday and by Wednesday evening when I saw it was posted it was already sold out. Which frustrated me because I am a working mom, with two children and I was trying very hard to get my oldest the tickets because I knew it was something he would love. When I called the gentleman who answered gave me an attitude of well that’s too bad. He said that other working parents manage to get the tickets and basically it sounds like my problem. To which I said I just wanted to make a suggestion, and instead of offering any kind of empathy, he just continued on his speech of well that’s unfortunate but nothing I can do for you. Again I understand not being able to compensate anything but the lack of empathy and compassion towards me was incredible. I also explained I didn’t realize it was happening every Wednesday morning, I only realized this week when I tried and instead of offering up that information and saying the exact time so I could try AGAIN, he just said well if you’ve been trying for three weeks I would assume you know that. So yea, great products beautiful land but the customer service could def...