This Connecticut Farm Combines Apple Picking With A Family-Friendly Petting Zoo

Apple picking already has plenty going for it, but adding a petting zoo makes the whole outing much harder to rush through.

For families craving an easy farm day, Connecticut offers a spot where orchard time comes with a very cute bonus. Apples begin ripening in late summer, so the season can start while warm weather still feels very much in charge.

After filling a bag, the animal area gives kids another reason to stay excited. Goats and other farm animals keep the mood playful without turning the visit into a huge production.

The fun is how naturally the day shifts from picking to wandering. You are not racing between separate attractions or overplanning every hour.

Just expect the animals to steal a little attention from the apples.

A perfect red apple may look impressive, but it is hard to compete with a goat making direct eye contact like it has been waiting all morning to meet you.

1. Orchard Days With Plenty Beyond The Apples

Apples may get the headlines, but they are nowhere near the whole story here. One visit can turn into a pick-your-own adventure, an animal stop, and a market run before anyone starts thinking about heading home.

Silverman’s Farm changes noticeably with the season, which makes repeat trips feel completely different. Berry picking generally begins in July, while peaches usually arrive around midmonth.

Apples start surprisingly early, with Ginger Golds often ready around mid-August before later varieties carry the harvest deep into fall.

That shifting calendar gives the farm much of its charm. Summer might mean berry-stained fingers and a lighter crowd.

By September, apple picking becomes the main event, and weekends take on a busier fall atmosphere.

The animal farm adds another reason to linger, especially for families who want more than an orchard visit. It remains open through the season, weather permitting.

Then comes the country market, where farm-grown produce shares space with fresh-baked pies and the farm’s cider donuts.

You can make Silverman’s a quick stop, but that plan has a funny way of disappearing once you get there.

2. Sport Hill Road Leads Into The Farm Country

Country roads have a sneaky way of making the day feel slower before the fun even starts. The drive toward Silverman’s Farm does exactly that, with Route 59 trading busier stretches for a quieter, more rural feel.

By the time the farm comes into view, the outing already feels like a break from the usual Saturday routine. Silverman’s Farm operates at 451 Sport Hill Road, Easton, CT 06612, about 2½ miles north of Merritt Parkway Exit 28.

Parking is available on both sides of the road. One detail is worth knowing before everyone hops out: the Country Market and animal farm sit on opposite sides of Route 59.

A designated crossing connects the two, so families with young children or strollers will want to take their time.

Current 2026 hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily for both the market and animal farm. Pick-your-own hours are shorter when crops are in season and can shift with weather or ripeness.

That makes an early arrival especially smart on busy weekends. Come with room in the schedule, because this is an easy place to stay longer than planned.

3. Apple Picking Is A Late-Summer Favorite

Mid-August is the starting gun. Apple picking here typically opens around the fifteenth with early varieties like Ginger Gold, and the picking generally carries on into October, which gives families a long window to squeeze in a trip.

The system is simple. You buy your bag before heading into the orchard, then fill it with whatever is ripe that week.

Buying first keeps the process moving and avoids confusion at the trees.

There are a few picking manners the farm asks visitors to follow. Skip climbing or shaking the trees, and instead cup the apple in your hand and gently turn it upward until the stem releases.

Yanking straight down can strip next year’s fruit buds right off the branch.

Low branches are your friend when kids are involved. Younger pickers can reach plenty without a lift, and the sense of accomplishment when they drop that first apple in the bag is genuinely fun to watch.

Weekday visits tend to feel calmer than weekends. If your schedule allows a Tuesday morning trip, you will have more room to wander the rows at your own pace.

4. More Than Twenty Varieties Across The Season

Twenty-plus apple varieties ripen across the season here, which is why regulars come back more than once. What you pick in August is not what you pick in October, and that turns a single farm into a rotating tasting menu.

Ginger Gold kicks things off around mid-August with a mild, crisp bite. By early September, Macintosh and Cortland usually take the spotlight, both classics for snacking and for sauce.

Deeper into fall, the more unusual names appear. Mutsu Crispin, Nittany, and Cameo show up later in the harvest, and they are the kind of apples you rarely spot in a supermarket bin.

A practical tip for bakers: softer varieties break down into applesauce beautifully, while firmer late-season apples hold their shape better in pies and crisps. Grabbing a mix means you are covered either way.

Since ripening depends on weather, the exact lineup shifts year to year. Checking what is currently available before you drive out saves disappointment, especially if you have your heart set on one specific variety.

Half the fun is discovering a new favorite you had never heard of before.

5. Highland Cows Are Hard To Ignore

Long horns, a fringe of hair hanging over the eyes, and a coat that looks like it needs a brush. Scottish Highland cows are the unmistakable celebrities of the animal farm, and kids tend to stop dead in their tracks the first time they see one.

Their shaggy double coat is not just for looks. Highland cattle developed it to handle cold, damp Scottish weather, which serves them well through a Connecticut winter too.

They share the property with a lineup of other eye-catching residents. Buffalo, llamas, alpacas, fallow deer, emus, and long-horn cattle round out a collection the farm describes as unusual animals, and visitors can observe, pet, and feed many of them.

Photos of the Highlands are close to guaranteed crowd-pleasers. Their calm, unhurried body language makes them easy subjects, and they often stand close enough to the fence for a good shot.

Take a moment to just watch them chew. After a morning of hauling apple bags and chasing kids, standing quietly at a fence rail while a very hairy cow ignores you completely is oddly restorative.

6. The Animal Farm Is A Hit With Families

Five acres of barnyard chaos, in the best possible way. The Animal Farm holds sheep, goats, pigs, llamas, alpacas, deer, emus, buffalo, and a sizable free-range bunny enclosure, and most of the residents come trotting over when they spot a feed bag.

Admission runs $7, with grain bags available for $5. Only food purchased at the farm may be given to the animals, a rule that protects their digestion and keeps everyone healthy.

Practical touches make the visit easier than you might expect. Washing stations are placed throughout, picnic tables give you somewhere to regroup, and there is a small play area where kids can burn off whatever energy the animals did not.

Pets are not allowed inside the animal park, so leave the family dog at home.

Operating hours generally run 9 AM to 5 PM, seven days a week, from March 1 through December 31, with occasional changes for weather or holidays.

Parents frequently mention that the feeding is the part their children talk about for days afterward. Bring hand wipes anyway.

Goats are enthusiastic and not remotely tidy about it.

7. Cider Donuts Make A Sweet Finish

Nobody leaves without donuts. The apple cider donuts sold at the market have earned a genuine following, and buying a bag on the way out has become the unofficial closing ritual of a visit here.

Pair them with the farm’s own fresh-pressed apple cider and you have the most reliably satisfying snack of the season. The tart cider cuts right through the cinnamon sugar.

The bakery case does not stop at donuts. Fresh pies come out regularly, including a Fruit of the Forest pie that gets frequent mention for its mix of fruits under a flaky crust.

Beyond baked goods, the market stocks fresh produce, jams, honey, and assorted local treats, plus plants and flowers depending on the season. It is an easy place to pick up a gift you did not know you needed.

A small strategy tip: shop the market before the animal farm if you want warm donuts, or grab them last if you would rather not carry a bag around all afternoon.

Either way, eat at least one in the parking lot. That is simply how it is done.

8. Fall Weekends Feel Especially Lively Here

September and October turn the place up several notches. Fall weekends bring food vendors selling kettle corn, hot dogs, and ice cream, plus face painting and a pumpkin patch dressed with New England squashes, gourds, Indian corn, straw bales, and cornstalks.

The Pumpkin Challenge is worth trying. Guess your pumpkin’s weight within two ounces and you take it home free, which is exactly the kind of low-stakes gamble kids love.

Once fruit picking wraps up, scenic tractor rides run on select weekends. The route climbs through the orchards, and on clear days the views can reach as far as 50 miles.

Crowds are real during peak autumn, but the farm handles them well. Ample parking and organized traffic flow keep things moving even when the lot looks intimidating from the road.

Arriving early gives you the best of everything: shorter lines, cooler air, and softer morning light on the hillside.

Dress for uneven ground and possible mud. Sneakers or boots beat sandals every time out here.

By the time you head back down Sport Hill Road with pumpkins in the trunk, autumn feels officially underway.