When the weather cools down, every food in Rhode Island gets an apple or pumpkin variety. While all of them are delicious, there’s something genuinely special about going straight to the farm and picking apples and pumpkins yourself.
Pippin Orchard has 20 acres of fruit trees, including peaches, plums, pears and nectarines. Visitors to the farm can pick their own apples and pumpkins in September and October or grab a ready-made baked treat. At the farmstand, there are vegetables, herbs, preserves and baked goods (including the fall’s most delicious food: cider donuts). New this year, try their maple cotton candy. 751 Pippin Orchard Road, Cranston. 401-943-7096, Facebook.com/PippinOrchard
At Confreda Farms, picking your own pumpkins is just the beginning of the fun. The Hope Valley farm has a Corn MAiZE, as well as hayrides and food on the weekends. Their family fun festival offers fun kids activities, and rides every weekend in September and October. When the sun goes down, prepare to be spooked at Scary Acres. 2150 Scituate Avenue, Hope Valley. 401-827-5000, ConfredaFallFest.com
Cucumber Hill Farm offers PYO pumpkins, plus a corn maze, kiddie maze, flashlight maze, hayrides and pony rides. 39 Cucumber Hill Road, Foster. 401-397-7500, CucumberHillFarm.com
Dame Farm and Orchards has lots of family fun: pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, as well as hayrides and their A-Maze-ing Corn Maze. 91B Brown Avenue, Johnston. 401-949-3657, DameFarmAndOrchards.com
Escobar’s Highland Farm has PYO pumpkins, an enormous eight acre corn maze and hayrides. 133 Middle Road, Portsmouth. 401-683-1444
Knight Farm has PYO apples and pumpkins, plus hayrides, cider donuts, ice cream and The Farmer’s Omelette restaurant on-site. 1 Snake Hill Road, North Scituate. 401-349-4408, KnightFarm.com
Phantom Farms offers pick-your-own apples September-November, as well as hayrides, orchard tours, apple cider and caramel apples at their farmstand. 2920 Diamond Hill Road, Cumberland. 401-333-2240, PhantomFarms.com
Spring Hill Sugar House offers pick your own pumpkins and a corn maze. They also do farm tours, and offer maple sugaring demonstrations in the winter. 522 Gardner Road, Exeter. 401-788-7431, Facebook.com/Spring-Hill-Sugar-House
Steere Orchard, one of the state’s biggest apple orchards, has PYO apples, pumpkins and squash through November, plus free hayrides, and apple cider and doughnuts. 30 West Greenville Road, Greenville. 401-949-1456, SteereOrchard.com
Sunset Orchards offers PYO apples, plus tractor train rides and a farmstand with apple cider. 244 Gleaner Chapel Road, North Scituate. 401-934-1900, SunsetOrchards.FreeServers.com