Turnpike Tikes

Pick Them Apples

Masker Orchards isn’t your closest option for apple picking if you live in New Jersey, but it’s certainly one of the prettier ones. Set on a winding country road, the nearly 200-acre orchard dates back to 1913 with 20,000 trees climbing the hillside in Warwick, N.Y. From your perch near the top of the orchard, you can step back and take in the views of the bucolic hills around it.

At the entrance, friendly staffers hand you large plastic bags for picking (it’s free to pick) and direct you up the hill to free parking and the seemingly endless rows of trees to pick from. Maskers grows a huge variety of apples including Macintosh, Prime Reds, Granny Smith, Cortland and Empire. Each week new apples ripen and they post signs to let you know what trees are ripe. You only pay for what you pick. They charge $24.95 per bag, which comes to about 20 lbs. But if you only fill half or a quarter of your bag, you’ll only get charged for that amount.

If you’re in the mood for a picnic, bring a blanket and lunch and spread out beneath an apple tree to take a break while you pick.

There’s an adorable country store near the entrance where you can get homemade apple cider donuts, apple cider, apple pie and novelty items like candles, dish towels, ornaments, honey and jam. If you think you might invest in two full bags of apples — we’re talking 40 lbs of apples here — be sure to print out their online coupon before you go to get a free jug of cider.

On the weekends, the orchard also offers pony rides, face painting, an apple maze, a haunted house, horse-drawn wagon rides, and live music at 2pm and 4pm. If you go in October, you’ll get to see Fuddy the Yo Yo Clown.

About 3 miles before you hit the orchard, while you’re driving up Rte-17A, you’ll pass Bellvale Farms Creamery on your right. We didn’t have time to sample their homemade ice cream, but if you’ve got the craving, it looked like a place that would definitely satisfy a serious sweet tooth.

A word of warning about traffic: If you take Rte. 17, you’ll have to contend with Renaissance Faire traffic until the fair ends on Sept. 26. Maskers provides alternate directions here.

Wandering in Warwick

Definitely swing through Warwick before you head home to bake your apple pie. The picturesque town with its historic buildings and hanging plants is great for wandering and has some really nice (and kid-friendly) restaurants to sample.

We ate lunch at La Petite Cuisine, a French bistro with nice outdoor seating. It served standard bistro fare — Croque Monsier for $7.95, French onion soup for $5.25. crepes for around $9, French sodas and chocolate crepes for dessert. Directly across the street is a little grassy area great for running around.

Fratello, an Italian family-style eatery on the other end of town serves brick oven pizza and has a really comfortable interior that would be great with the kids.