Apple picking and pumpkin patches with kids around Boston

Early September through the end of October is New England at its best, and apple picking is the thing Boston families do every year: dwarf trees a 2-year-old can reach, a cup of hot cider and a bag of cider donuts straight out of the fryer. By October the same farms turn into pumpkin patches.

Stow has two orchards side by side: Honey Pot Hill is the famous one, with hedge mazes, hayrides and a long line for donuts, while Shelburne Farm next door has no admission and far fewer people, ideal for a toddler's first picking. Tougas and Belkin Family Lookout Farm pair the orchard with animals, a train and a playground on one ticket. North of the city, Smolak Farms and Cider Hill, with their red barns and windmill, are the postcard version of fall.

• 6 places
• 2 stroller-friendly
• closest is 20 min away