What do you think of when you think of Montauk?  Having lived in the NY/NJ area for under five years, I didn’t really think of anything except I knew that it was the easternmost point on Long Island.  This past weekend, we made an excursion to Montauk to attend a friend’s wedding and I was delighted with what we found there.

Although I’ve never been, I have seen pictures of the Hamptons and that was sort of what I was expecting.  Montauk, however, has an even more small-town feeling than the Hamptons and you feel immersed in nature.  We drove and that is the best way to enjoy the beautiful scenery on the way.  The Long Island Rail Road can get you to Montauk from Penn Station in under three and a half hours, which may be faster or slower than driving, depending on traffic.  The train station (really, just a platform) is just outside of town and there are normally waiting taxis but you can always call a service like Pink Tuna Taxi (631-668-3838, 24×7 service) to meet you.  Another option for getting to Montauk is the Hampton Jitney bus service.

Now is the time to go to take advantage of the off-season rates.  We stayed at the lovely Montauk Manor which is on a hill at the edge of town and another option in town is the Surf Club which is within walking distance to downtown.  We had a two-bedroom suite at Montauk Manor which is critical because my daughter is a very light sleeper and cannot sleep with somebody else in the room.  Having a kitchenette is always key for travelling with children, also.  With a bag of toys, a few DVD’s and a stop at the local IGA, we made ourselves right at home.

We didn’t have a lot of time for exploring the area because we were involved with wedding activities (Congrats, Diana & Sean!), but on Sunday we made it to the Montauk Point Lighthouse which was fantastic.  The views from the point are stunning and there is a museum at the base of the lighthouse which is interesting for both adults and children.  My kids enjoyed a scaled display of all of the lighthouses in the area where they could push buttons and the lighthouses lit up.  For adults, learning about the history of Montauk and the work of the Army Corps of Engineers to shore up the point from erosion is fascinating.  Intrepid travelers can climb to the top of the lighthouse which we decided not to do with our young kids.  There is a height limit for climbing and my two year-old daughter didn’t make the cutoff.  My son would have been able to climb but my husband didn’t relish the idea of carrying him after he got tired out at the halfway point!

One source that lists many attractions is Montauk Online.  There are lovely, very casual shops and restaurants in the downtown area of Montauk and there are plenty of nearby sites to explore, even in cooler weather.  Just driving around and enjoying the scenery, especially the fall colors, is worth the trip!

Photo Credit: PJ Kaiser

Looking for something festive to do Upstate with the kids this weekend and the next and the next and the next? The Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm in Yorktown Heights has it all — apples, pumpkins, Christmas trees and donuts!

With a harvest season that begins in September, Wilkens Farm has a whopping twelve varieties of apples available for picking. These include Gala, McIntosh, Cortlandt and this writer’s favorite, Fuji, just to name a few. Pumpkins are available for picking beginning in October and their Choose-N-Cut Christmas trees are ready just after Thanksgiving. There are walking trails to the orchards and pumpkin patch or you can opt to hitch a quick and happy hayride to them. Then let the picking begin! There are only a few things more serene than picking apples and pumpkins with family amid the backdrop of all the beautiful colors of the changing leaves of fall and the dramatic mountainous terrain of Upstate New York.

Located in Yorktown Heights, the farm is an approximate 40 minute jaunt from the city, traffic permitting. But be warned, approaching the farm is not for the impatient. Wilkens Fruit and Fir Farm is popular with a capital “P” and with only one access road onto and off the property, your approach will most certainly slow to a crawl, especially on weekends. Taking in the sheer volume of people and the length of the lines can be discouraging at first, but rest assured, the workers do a great job of quickly moving things along.

Wilken’s Farm owns and operates three markets:

The Red Farm Market which sells 40 varieties of apples, plums, pears, peaches and nectarines as the season permits along with apple chips, apple cider, preserves, honey and maple syrup.

The Appleseed Gift Shop, a place where you can buy knickknacks for your friends, neighbors and kids’ teachers. These items include their signature t-shirts, mugs and tote bags as well as kitchen products and Christmas ornaments.

And last but definitely not least, Tricia’s Treat Shop. In this heavenly place they sell apple cider by the cup, hotdogs, popcorn, lemonade, snacks, candy and baked goods. As you might imagine the baked goods fall into the usual categories, pies and cookies, but it doesn’t stop there. Add candy apples, strudel sticks, muffins and their famous, made-from-scratch, freshly fried apple cider donuts that come piping hot, crispy and dusted with sugar. I bought a dozen of these melt-in-your-mouth rings for a mere $8 and my family and I went through them in about five minutes.

With Halloween a couple of weeks away and the holiday season kicking into full gear, why not bypass the big box, warehouse stores for a change and pay Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm a visit? With items and fun for all, it’s an experience that shouldn’t be missed.

Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm
1335 White Hill Road
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
(914) 245-5111
www.wilkensfarm.com

Photo credit: Eric Payne

If you’re looking for some family-friendly fall fun, look no further than Terhune Orchards in Princeton, NJ. Snaking through the tree-lined back roads near the esteemed university, you’ll feel fall envelope you as you drive past the colorful falling leaves. Then as you choose your parking lot on Cold Soil Road (deciding between the apple-picking entrance or the farm and pumpkin activity entrance), you’re welcomed to Terhune Orchards with crisp fresh air and gardens of choose-your-own wildflowers. Yep, you’re in the country now.

What Terhune does best is offer such a variety of fall activites that they have something to keep even the most picky or active child entertained. There’s a tractor-pulled wagon/hayride through the apple trees, flower gardens and pumpkin patch so you may enjoy the ride, or stop to pick your own. Then there’s the barnyard of ducks, goats (you may feed), ponies (you may ride one for $5), and on some days, alpacas too. Terhune Orchards has the usual wood-cutouts for photos – even a wooden cow with working udders that children can try their hands at “milking.” For active children, there are ride-on tractors and bikes, a corn maze and plenty of space to run around (a one-mile nature trail too) - even live music on the weekends for the kids to dance along to.

Perhaps your children are more interested in food and treats. No worries: caramel apples covered with M&Ms or Reese’s or nuts, candy apples, donuts, apple muffins, cider, hot dogs, soup, chili, and more are available to purchase and enjoy at picnic tables. Face-painting and a “Garden State” adventure barn are fun activities too.  Oh, and I didn’t even mention that Terhune Orchards offers some great backdrops for family photo opportunities while out at the farm.

The next three weeks, Terhune will be hosting fall festival weekends from Noon until 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and is otherwise open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily. Mmmm. . .cider. . .donuts. . . candy-coated caramel apples. Excuse me, I have to go find my keys. . .

Terhune Orchards

330 Cold Soil Road

Princeton, NJ 08540

609-924-2310

Photo credit: Heidi Leder

Labor Day ceremoniously marks the end of summer and beginning of the fall season for us, although the calendar doesn’t note the official start of autumn until September 22nd. When the screechy hum of the cicadas fills the air, the winds rustle the changing leaves on the trees, and the skies turn cloudy all day, it certainly feels like fall: time for family outings to the orchards near us for apple-picking and fun in the country.

We enjoy visiting Demarest Farms in Hillsdale, NJ in Bergen County – not because it is exceptionally fancy, but because it does a great job offering the basics of peach, apple and pumpkin picking. Beginning with a hayride past the peach trees to the apple orchard to pick apples, then off for cider and donuts back at the store, as well as a made-from-scratch soup and salad bar (some say the best in the county, made with homegrown vegetables and fruits), dried fruits, homemade ice cream, pies, decorations and treats to peruse during your visit. Demarest Farms has the experience down pat . . . and they should, considering that they’ve been offering apple-picking and hayrides for over 30 years, and have been an operating farm for nearly 125 years.

Demarest Farms is located near Route 17, about a half-hour drive from the GW Bridge. On weekends (and holidays), it costs $5 per person for the hayride through the orchards (kids under 2 ride free), and $7 per bag of apples. Each bag holds 12-15 pounds of apples.  During the week, the days are reserved for groups with hayrides and apple-picking open to the public from 3-4:30 p.m. daily, and at the deep discount of $5 per person and free bags. The store is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

So if the sound of simultaneous crunches from others biting into their just-picked apples is calling you, or maybe the sweet smells that attract the late-season bees to the fallen apples and sticky cider spills entices you, then perhaps we’ll see you at Demarest Farms this fall.

Demarest Farms

244 Wierimus Road

Hillsdale, NJ 07642

201-666-0472