When you visit Annie's, yu got to have the apple pie-alamode. Is quite exceptional. Many other things to look at there.
While visiting by daughter's family she suggested a trip to a pick your own orchard and country store. 3 hours each way from Phoenix is a long drive ... but for the grandsons and family time it was worth it. Apples were Fuji and Gala ... very tasty and perfect for picking, almost too late in the season. The lunch barn was OK but long lines. I couldn't figure out why hamburgers and hot dogs should take so long until I saw that you assembled everything yourself. Kind of unnecessary in my book.The apple pie and home made ice cream is a don't miss treat. DEEELICIOUS! Especially the crumb topping pie.We stopped to buy homemade doughnuts to take home. OMG the cash register teen was so slow. Doughnuts were good but nothing that you could not get at a good bakery back home. It was the experience that counted.Visited their produce farm a few miles down the road to buy a pumpkin for Halloween. Pick your own in the patch. The grandson loved that. He also like jumping in a pit of seed corn that was set up for the youngsters. Nice touch.Very enjoyable family day.
I would give it a four star if we were not treated very rudely at the end. This would be an average U-pick farm at some parts of the country, but in Arizona there were not lots of peach, apple and pear trees. The fruit was great. We picked 2 kinds of peaches, 3 kinds of Asian pears, and apples. They are delicious. The pancake breakfast is average, and all-you-can-eat is just for pancakes only, not sausages. When we paid for our fruit, the cashier (Roberta) was rude. First she could not remember whether I gave her a $20 and a $10 bills, or two $20 bills (I was busy digging out coins so I was not positive when she asked me), so I was given changes based $30. Then I found she charged us 60 cents more per pound for the apples. When I mentioned it, she did not offer to refund. Instead she blamed me that I bagged them incorrectly. Anyway, we did not buy much so it was not worth arguing and ruining our day. They have a produce farm 4 mikes away. We picked tomatos, squashes, okras, and beans. They are great. Again, they have good product but "a bad apple".
What a great place we went there for the opportunity to actually pick fresh apples from the tree, I had no idea it was more than just an orchard. It is very organized as to what you are allowed to pick that day and where to find those trees. They also have a cute general store that sells fresh cider, jellies, jams, etc. I bought a delicious and very spicy tomatillo salsa there as well, they wer also selling just mafde cider donuts was so delicious. I am definitely going back in the Spring for their Peach Season.
I don't know what has happened here but the apple bread was so dry we took it back. The pie was as dry.......just plain old not good
I had heard about Apple Annie's since moving to Tucson a few years ago, and was looking forward to our visit. As one other review said "I don't get it". It was an apple themed tourist trap with lots of sugary treats. The fresh apples they had were good, but it just felt a little too slick.
This is my first time apple picking. My expectations were as such:1. Rows of apple trees - There were certainly a lot of them and many kinds. There were a lot of apples that were on the ground due to the monsoon season.2. Entrance fee - There wasn't any. They do let you eat what you pick but encourage you not to make a meal out of it.3. Containers for fruit that you've picked and maybe ladders - They supply you with orange buckets for you to put the fruit in and wagons for you to pull for multiple buckets and long picks so that you don't need ladders to reach the fruit on the higher part of the tree.4. Fruits stalls and food - They have an area where you could buy apple pies, apple bread and fudge and also apple or pumpkin ice cream and cider donuts which were delicious. They also had a burger barn and because I went on a weekend there were also pancakes.What I didn't expect but they offered was transportation to different parts of the orchard because it is huge. I would recommend to do this rather than walk to the trees that are nearer the entrance because those are always pretty much picked clean because of the proximity. The drive to the other areas is on a dirt road so it was dusty. Tips to make your visit worthwhile:- Know what kind of apple you like and go when it's the season for that apple. They offer this information on their website- Bring cash to buy stuff with- Bring your own food. There was a long line for the burger barn and they do have picnic areas complete with misters to ward off the heat.- Bring a hat. This is AZ we are talking about and there is always the sun to consider...I enjoyed my first apple picking experience. I would go back there in summer, this time to pick peaches...
Every year we have taken our grand and great grand kids to a pumpkin patch located just outside Tucson city limits to pick their pumpkins. I get e-mails from Apple Annies to bring us to date on their calander of events and what is being picked. This time we decided to go to Apple Annies orchards for apple and pears and then go for the 1st time to pick pumpkin at their pumpkin patch which is several miles north of the orchard. Before we left to the pumpkin patch we had lunch under their new picknic area which they added more picknic benches under a tallopen building which we felt a cool breeze flowing and then we went to the bakery and bough several loaves of their famous apple bread. They also have fresh apple and peach pies that they sell faster than they can stock the shelves.
We visited Annie's in August with our grandson and, with 3 baskets between us, collected over 40 lbs of fresh peaches. They were superb. We'll recommend this local treat for all those who like fresh fruits (apples were also available). There's also a couple of eating outlets plus a bakery.
Perfect destination trip for families. Start with breakfast prepared with seasonal fruit and spend the whole day. U pick or they pick, purchase pies, apple bread, homemade fudge, along with other goodies and gifts. Apple smoked burgers with all the fixins' for lunch. Take short drive to produce farm and load up on fresh veggies. Recommend you bring drinking water, a hat, comfortable sturdy shoes and sunscreen, and a cooler(s) to pack your pies & fudge for the trip home. Super kid friendly. A short drive from Tucson. Be sure to check their web site for dates, times, special events, etc.