A stellar day in Apple-ton

Want to know the best way to celebrate a perfect fall day in Appleton?

With apples. Naturally.

It’s peak season here in Wisconsin and that means gala time so I’m cortlanding my honeycrisps.

I heard there was a zip line over an orchard near my house and I headed right over to give it a whirl. I’ve crawled under and climbed up apple trees, but I’ve never zoomed over them. It seemed like an excellent way to spend a golden afternoon.

Sadly, I discovered that the zip line only operates on Saturdays so I left that orchard a little disappointed. The good news is I asked about the weight limits and I should be good to go even with the extra layers I’ll need when I head back over Saturday morning (when the weekend forecast is a good 40 degrees cooler.)

Meanwhile, I treated myself to the real reason for the season. There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a big ole juicy bite of a fresh picked apple. I enjoyed that healthy goodness and then I grabbed six or seven more and baked them into a delicious smelling pie, which I topped with vanilla ice cream to make my favorite fall treat.

We still have a couple of gorgeous fall days left this week (before the sweater weather blows back in), so I say head on out to a local orchard and treat yourself to Appleton’s finest.

Here’s a list of my faves:

Apple Creek Orchard ( W2810 Cty Rd S) Super cute place but only open Thursday through Sunday.

Bauer’s Apple Shed (W7763 Wisconsin Avenue) Excellent family-run place.

Hofacker’s Hillside Orchard (W3964 Wege Road) That’s where I’m going zip lining.

Star Orchard (253 County Rd CE) Fond memories of chaperoning field trips here.