Hilltop Orchards Home of Furnace Brook Winery and Jmash Cidery and The Taproom at Hilltop Orchards — Restaurant in Richmond

We went today, a little late in the apple picking season, but the staff was super friendly, the main lodge was packed full of people doing wine tasting and the sounds of laughter pervaded the air.

My girlfriend and I took a stroll down the orchards and picked a great bag of apples, eating a few along the way (who wouldn't?).

We then decided to try one of their Apple Cider Donuts, HOLY HECK THESE THINGS WERE AMAZING!! They were light and fluffy, fresh out of the fryer, and then rolled in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon, if you get them ask for the ones outside, those are made fresh, then put inside on display. Now I am not a skinny guy, and I've sampled apple cider donuts up and down Long Island and Connecticut, and these were by far 100% better than even the next runner up.

To top off a perfect afternoon, when we went to leave (with our dozen donuts) our car got stuck in the mud! I am usually pretty adept at navigating snow and ice, but my poor sonata was no match for the muddy hill I started to slide down. We tried to escape on our own but after 15 minutes of laying sawdust and tree-bark and cardboard boxes we were in deep! Some of the staff saw us struggling and offered to help, with two other guys and myself we managed to push my car up the hill and out of the mud and save the day!

These guys...

IT WAS MY FIRST TIME HERE ON 8/2/25 ALONG WITH MY TWO BEST FRIENDS.. ONE OF THEM IS HERE ON VACATION WITH US, BUT SHE'LL BE RETURNING BACK TO FLORIDA SOON.. I HEARD ABOUT THIS PLACE FROM A COLLEGUE, SO I TOLD THEM AND WE ALL WERE EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE IS ALL ABOUT.. WE ARE GLAD WE DID.. WE DID WINE TASTING WHEN WE FIRST ARRIVED AND MET ONE OF THE OWNERS HER NAME IS SARA.. SUCH A KIND SOUL.. GREETED US RIGHT OFF THE BAT.. WE HAVE BEEN BESTIE'S FOR 33 YEARS, SINCE MIDDLE SCHOOL! THE WINES AND CIDERS ARE SUPER DELICIOUS.. I HAD TOLD HER I LOVE SWEET WINES.. I LOVE THE APPLE ICE WINE IS MY FAVORITE.. THE MANGO AND WATERMELON CIDERS ARE DELICIOUS TOO.. THE CIDER DONUTS ARE GOOD.. THEY HAVE APPLE, CHERRY AND PEACH PIES, WHOOPIE DONUTS, APPLES, PEACHES AND NECTARINES, AND BLUEBERRY SCONES. SO MANY SELECTIONS OF WINES AND CIDERS.. THEY HAVE ALOT OF STUFF.. THEY ALSO SELL HOT SAUCES, TSHIRTS, HATS, EARRINGS, MAGNETS, BOTTLE OF WINES, SYRUPS. & CANS OF CIDER.. EVEN HAVE APPLE PICKING BUT JUST NOT THE SEASON UNTILTHE FIRST OR SECOND WEEK IN SEPTEMBER WE WERE TOLD TO COME BACK THEN.. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED! GO AND HAVE A DAY FULL OF FUN AND PAMPERING.. GREAT PLACE.. THANK YOU SO MUCH SARA FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY.. WE APPRECIATE...

Went on Sunday for some apple picking. It was our first visit here and had a great time. The have parking in several places, and when we arrived around 10:30am there was not many people. They are currently asking to schedule a time in advance, but you can still show up with out an appointment. Due to the virus pandemic, they are charging a 3$ fee per person to avoid having to raise prices, which seemed like a fair deal. The good thing is they are not charging by the pound but instead by the bag. So be sure to fill your bag to make it fully worth it. The trees seemed to be a little older, taller, and wilder than some of the orchards I have been to in the past. We still managed to fill our lage and medium bags, but it wasn't easy finding them as there were fewer apples this year due to the drier weather conditions this region has been experiencing. Not to mention an earlier than usual frost. We bought some of their doughnuts and wow they were great, even a day later! They were very moist and not dry like you would get at some places. Overall we had a great time and will add this to list of orchards we have to...