For some, the best time of year is when the air cools, the children return to school and the trees blush with color. At the same time, peak harvest fills farmers markets and farm stands with fruits and vegetables. Agritourism, also known as “Fun on the Farm,” is an opportunity for the public to experience a working farm. Hicks Family Farm and Pine Hill Orchards are two local farms with different expressions of autumn.
Matt and Brady Shearer welcome the public to Pine Hill Orchards in Colrain each year
to pick apples and explore the farm. Brady Shearer says, “For us, it’s great to bring
people to the farm so they experience it firsthand. We think it’s important for people to
know where their food comes from, how it’s grown and the people who make that
happen.” She continues, “We have a lot of fun things for people to do here during the
fall for a traditional New England family experience.”
At Pine Hill Orchards, pick-your-own apples are available, with tractor-drawn wagon
rides that tour the orchard and drop people at the picking areas on weekends. Shearer
notes, “There’s a large fire pit area, so we offer s’mores. At our farm store, we sell all the
good stuff: pumpkins, mums and fall decorations.”
No family fun day on a farm is complete without a picnic. She continues, “We do cider
slushies and our famous cider doughnuts at our farm store. There are plenty of picnic
areas, including covered.” Matt Shearer adds, “We also offer lots of food options in the
farm store, and in our deli — from sandwiches to freshly baked apple pies.”
Farther west, Hicks Family Farm in Charlemont transforms into an autumnal wonderland each fall. With the entire family on deck, Paul and Tammy Hicks and their son, Ryan, grow a corn maze that houses a scavenger hunt. There’s also a second route for a Haunted Maze.
Paul Hicks says, “This year, the maze is 7 acres. We always have a scavenger hunt, and this year we hid pumpkins for people to find.”
Visitors are welcome to enjoy the nine-hole, farm-themed, mini golf course with their paid admission to the corn maze. A petting zoo beckons children and adults alike to enjoy a moment with goats, pigs and other farm animals.
At Hicks Family Farm, food has a camp feel to it. Paul Hicks says, “We make our own
hamburgers, hot dogs and French fries.” For nighttime events, hot chocolate and cider
are available at the food stand before visitors settle at the campfire.
For the intrepid, Hicks Family Farm offers Flashlight Night on Friday, Oct. 3, and Haunted Nights on Fridays and Saturdays the last three weekends of October. The Haunted Maze is recommended for ages 12 and up. Paul Hicks says, “This will be the first year we’ve ever been open on Halloween. We’re ranked really high for Massachusetts haunted mazes.”
The maze is next to Leavitt Cemetery, adding spookiness at night. Paul Hicks says, “The
maze is a different maze than the one you walk during the day. We make a maze inside
the maze and we close off sections.”
The Haunted Maze is a community effort. Paul Hicks adds, “Last year, we had almost 50
volunteers in there scaring people. We give groups a section to haunt, like the Shelburne Falls Fire Department or the Buckland-Shelburne principal and vice principal, with some teachers joining them to haunt. We have families that come yearly to haunt. It’s a family affair.”
Visitors become family at Pine Hill Orchards. Brady Shearer says, “Bringing visitors to the farm gives us an opportunity to get to know our customers and for them to know us. Many families that come here started when their parents brought them as kids, and now they bring their own kids. It’s really wonderful to see the longevity of it … and a lot of people first discover us during their trip here during fall for pick-your-own apples.”
Welcoming the public to the farm helps Matt Shearer reflect on the season. He says,
“I’ve been here my whole life. The fall is when the work we do for the whole year feels
worthwhile. It starts when the apples are picked and we begin again for the next season. When all the people are here in the fall and we see people enjoying the farm, it makes it all worth it.”
Likewise, seeing families brings Paul Hicks joy. He says, “It’s really cool to watch people
at the petting zoo. I think it’s really neat to see because young children — even adults — don’t usually get to have a goat. People are amazed. You see pigs on TV, but you don’t understand how friendly they can be. It’s fun to see the kids competing at mini golf or going through the maze. You can see the enjoyment on the people’s faces.”
Visit the corn maze at Hicks Family Farm at 1299 Route 2 in Charlemont. The daytime maze is now open on weekends and Monday holidays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Flashlight or Haunted Maze nights run on Friday and Saturday nights, 7 to 9 p.m. The food stand is cash only. For more information, visit Hicks Family Farm’s Facebook page or website.
The Hicks Family Farm Store is just around the corner at 1255 Route 2 (gray house), where customers can purchase meat, eggs and garden-fresh seasonal vegetables. The farm store takes Venmo or cash. Be sure to check out the huge pumpkin display!
Visit Pine Hill Orchards at 248 Greenfield Road in Colrain for pick-your-own apples, barnyard animals and s’mores by the fire pit. The tractor-pulled wagon rides are only available on the weekends and Monday holidays. Pick-your-own apples are offered from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Indigenous Peoples Day and possibly beyond. Visitors can use EBT for pick-your-own bags.
Pine Hill Orchards’ year-round farm store is open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and has everything you need for breakfast and lunch picnics. The business’ famous cider and cider doughnuts are made in-house. Cash, cards and EBT are accepted. For more information, see the farm’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Lisa Goodrich is a communications coordinator for Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA). To find pick-your-own apples, farm stands, pumpkin patches and seasonal farm activities, see buylocalfood.org.