Wanderlusting: DuBois Farms

“By all these lovely tokens September days are here, With summer’s best of weather And autumn’s best of cheer.” ~ Helen Hunt Jackson

Hudson Valley

Fall is in the air and no place says Fall more then the Hudson Valley. Home to Ichabod Crane, rolling farm land, cider donuts and crisp air, it may not be the White Mountains but nestled along the Hudson River, it has its own appeal and draw especially to those in the city searching for a little Mother Nature, that isn’t city pigeons or squirrels itching to be pets.

On The Train Again

Last Saturday, when most people were still asleep, I made my way to Grand Central where I took the MetroNorth train up to Poughkeepsie near where my sister lives with her family. I was snatching some much craved Mother Nature time, as well as fulfilling my need for some Autumnal fun.

It was a cloudy morning as I road the train up North. Mother Nature had decided it would be the perfect day to break up with Father Time and have a sob fest. The normally gorgeous views of the Hudson River were fogged over, and filled with smattering intervals of rain. For a quick second I thought that maybe my Fall adventures would be for not. Thankfully Mother nature got over her tears rather quickly. While it was cloudy, it was also the first true Fall like day we had been graced with since last year, and I was embracing it.

DuBois Farms

The weather didn’t seem to keep autumnal activity seekers at bay. Dubois Farms was already bustling when we arrived about an hour after opening. While Hudson Valley is home to a wide range of farms, what makes DuBois Farms so appealing, is that it has the perfect mixture of activities for all ages while still staying true to its rustic roots.

DuBois Farms is a first generation 69 acre farm, that is ensuring that small farms are kept alive especially in the Hudson Valley. They are a pick your own farm and offer an assortment of fruits and vegetables, from eggplant, to pears, grapes, (hello wine!) peppers, pumpkins and of course apples!

As any great farm SHOULD have, they have a fantastic farm stand that sells a wide variety of homemade goods and of course the Fall must have treats of any Apple Orchard: Cider donuts and hot cider. In recent years, they built the Tavern, a rustic, down home pub that caters to a more older crowd by selling hard cider, beer and wine, as well as some light bites. On the weekends they have their grills going and music playing, creating a lively festive atmosphere.

They have also gone out of their way to appeal to kids. They not only offer hay rides, and corn mazes, but they also have the Tiny Village, which is made up of kid sized buildings which was almost the perfect size for this legal little person.

On the farm

After renting a wagon (another perk they offer) and snagging some pictures in their pumpkin patch, we made our way to the Tiny Village, so that my nephews and niece  could play and where even their “Mature” aunt joined in.

While the kiddos were running around, I snagged some pictures. It really was the perfect place to have a photo shoot and I took full advantage of it!

Nature really is the perfect backdrop!

The kiddos could have spent hours there, but we had some apples to pick!

The Orchards and Fields

The orchards are immense and offer a wide variety of apples, including my favorites, Golden Delicious and Fuji.

After picking our pecks,

and snagging more pictures because it IS me.

we decided to hit the corn maze.

As far as corn mazes go, I was pretty impressed. Not only was it large, but it was a true maze with twists and turns and dead ends.

I admit I was more enamored with the corn, and I even found a friend lounging on one of the husks.

The Perfect Day

All to soon it was time to go. We made our way to the store to pay for our apples, as well as peruse the homemade goodies. The smells were insane. As I was getting ready to check out, I discovered that they sold Gluten Free Cider Donuts, I was in heaven! It may have been the highlight of the day… at least for my belly!

I had been itching to do some Fall fun, especially when I realized I wouldn’t be going home for Columbus Day, thus getting my White Mountain fix. It was the perfect day to channel some fall and embrace a little bit of the nature life. Days like this I absolutely adore. While it came to an end all to quickly, it was exactly what I needed. Some fresh Fall fun and a trip back to nature.

Do you like Apple Picking? What is some of your favorite Fall activities?