Description: Apple Holler is a family farm that is well known throughout SE Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. Visible from I94, those driving by on any weekend in the fall may be put off trying to visit during what I would assume is their busiest time of the year. Cars can be seen parked along the frontage road for blocks. For our trip, my friend Pam and I decided to go midweek thinking it would be less crowded. WHOOPS - it was a hopping place on a Tuesday with school field trips and a group of seniors visiting from Illinois.
Apple Holler is first and foremost a working apple farm, hence their name. Visitors can buy apples from inside one of the many shops on the property or they can go out in the orchard to "U Pick Em". For those not interested in picking apples, they do have large bins of freshly picked apples available for purchase out at their market barn. In addition to a large assortment of seasonal varieties of apples, you can indulge your apple cravings with a number of sweet treats including caramel apples, apple fritters or dumplings and of course PIES!
Our visit was planned for lunch and arriving shortly after noon, it was nice to be able to walk right in and be seated without delay. Their restaurant has that home cooking feel without even seeing a menu. Servers were dressed mostly in denim coveralls and very friendly. Once we ordered our meals, our beverages arrived with a nice sampling of corn bread and homemade apple butter. What a smart marketing tactic, as the yummy bread treat is available for purchase in the adjacent general store.
They have a wide variety of menu items for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Pam had a nice walnut-apple salad that also had craisins and crumbled bleu cheese, with a side of sweet potato fries. I went with their open faced turkey sandwich which was served with mashed potatoes and apple bread stuffing. I was really impressed with just how good my lunch was. Pam said that her salad was outstanding as well. Prices were reasonable, with our lunch plus soft drinks coming to roughly $23.
While they have a pretty standard menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner, they do offer blue plate specials daily plus a weekend prime rib offering on Saturday and pot roast on Sunday.
For those who enjoy a show with their dinner, there is the Red Barn Dinner Theatre with lunch and dinner shows. Right now, their production of "Murder! The Wicked Witch of the West Hollered - An Interactive Murder Mystery Experience" is being featured at a price of about $50.
If you have children, I think you are Apple Holler's targeted market. There are literally dozens of activities for kids on the farm. For the main admission price ($3 weekdays and $5 weekends) folks are provided access to a number of areas in the park including an assortment of mazes, the goat's barnyard, "Bunnyville", a playground area including a wooden Amish train and several farm exhibits.
Additional activities are available for a fee. Tickets are sold for $1 each with pricing set on a multi-ticket basis. Pony rides, hay wagon trips into the orchard, the bounce house and train rides are just a few of the options available. I had read about gem stone mining, but didn't see that during our brief visit.
The general store is worth browsing especially if you are interested in buying local Wisconsin items including New Glarus Brewery beer, hand made crafts, wine and cheese. In the back of the main store, there is also a deli with sliced meats & cheeses, as well as "take and bake" pies. Both chicken pot pies and apple pies are available in the freezer case.
I purchased two apple turnovers ($1.79 each) and two plain caramel apples ($3.99 each) to take home. Regarding their caramel apples, they offer a number of varieties including nuts, sprinkles or mini M&M's toppings. David and I shared one of the caramel apples after dinner last night. I could not believe how crisp and sweet the apple was. I had to call today to find out what variety it was. I was told that currently they are making them with Cortland apples. I had never heard of that variety, but will say it was one of the best apples I had ever had!
For families planning a day at Apple Holler, be sure to bring plenty of cash as there are many ways for them to separate you from your money. I don't say that in necessarily a bad way; only to point out what one of their employees told me as I tried to step inside the park to take a photo: "They pretty much charge for everything here." I wasn't particularly interested in the park and wasn't going to pay $3 to take some photos for this review to promote them . . . so I just took what photos I could from the outside perimeter of the farm park itself.
FYI . . . they even charge for parking! As we approached their main parking lot, there was a large sign that read "PARKING $5" so we parked on the frontage road and walked the short distance to the restaurant. There is something wrong with charging people to park if they are coming to spend money in your restaurant or gift shop. For that reason they only get a "three" out of five from me. Seriously, don't insult your customers by charging them to park!
Right now they are promoting their pumpkin patch & self-picking. Later this winter they will offer sleigh rides on a reservation only basis. More information, including pricing is on their website (www.appleholler.com). Lastly, they do offer a venue for special events as well as pig roasts and catering for those interested in hosting larger events.
Close