Apple Season School Tours 2008

In the North Country, a child's fall wouldn't be complete without a field trip to the local apple orchard. Hicks Orchard has been offering tours for school groups for many years. Tours are offered from Mid September through Mid October. You may call the barn at (518) 642-1788 and ask for Tracey to schedule your tour.

This is what to expect on a Hicks Orchard School Tour:
• A tractor drawn wagon ride through the farm into the orchard. Our friendly tour guide will demonstrate the correct way to pick apples and pick out trees you may pick from. Your group will receive a half bushel bag to fill together and you may take those apples back to school with you. After picking, the group examines and measures their apples and learns how to use a picking pole and a picking bucket. This part of the tour lasts approx. 45 minutes.

• After a beautiful ride back to the barnyard, your group is greeted by another tour guide who will lead everyone into the Apple Barn. There they will be able to see the Cider Donuts being made, see the Apple Barn store-train, see the Fresh Cider Pressing room and learn why honeybees are integral to an apple orchard as well as viewing thousands of honeybees in our demonstration bee hive.

School Tour FAQ’s
• The tours are designed for preschool through 2nd grade classes
• A typical tour lasts 90 minutes.
• We can accomodate up to 28 children in a group. we can take two groups at at time.
• The fee for a tour is $54.00 for up to 12 children. After the $54.00 minimum is met, every additional child is $4.50. We do not charge for teachers or chaperones.
• We provide a cider donut and cup of cider for teachers and up to two chaperones.
• Parents are welcome to accompany the group, but be aware that there might not be enough room on the wagon to fit all of the parents. Our wagon will hold 28 children and a few adults safely.
• Please have the children dress appropriately (boots,jackets). The orchard grass is usually wet in the mornings. If it is sprinkling, the tour will still happen. If it is pouring rain, we will not be able to have the tour and will have to reschedule. Rescheduling rain dates only happens when a tour is cancelled by us.