Apple Hill, California: It's Not Just for Kids!

Apple Hill is an area just east of Placerville, California, about an hour from Sacramento. Take Highway 50 toward Lake Tahoe and look for the signs right after you pass Placerville. Once there, you can get a map from any Apple Hill member ranch, or you can print one out ahead of time on www.applehill.com.

Apple Hill is comprised of a large number of farms and wineries, and most are only open from Labor Day until Christmas Eve. It's a family tradition for many families to head up there for some great family fun in the fall! You can gather pumpkins for Halloween, buy apple pies for Thanksgiving, and cut down fresh Christmas trees. You can buy fresh produce and a large variety of apples for your home canning or baking. Even if you buy nothing, it's wonderful to spend some time out in the country, smelling the country smells!

While many of the activities at Apple Hill are geared toward kids, adults can have a great time there as well. My husband and I like to go at least twice each year, usually some time before Halloween and again to cut down our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. Our teenage daughter is at the age where she thinks most of the fun is for little kids and isn't quite mature enough to appreciate the other fun aspects of Apple Hill, so she generally stays home now.

When Greg and I make our day trips to Apple Hill, we make sure to eat a hearty breakfast at home. There is food available once you get on the hill, but for the most part it's expensive for what you get. Mostly what we want to eat there are apple donuts and apple pie and apple turnovers and apple dumplings...well, you get the idea! There are so many delicious baked goods that you can either eat there or take home, that it's hard to choose. We generally share two or three treats, then bring some home to enjoy. We like to buy frozen whole pies that we can cook ourselves.

The places that we always visit are High Hill and Able's Apple Acres, right on Carson Road, and El Dorado which is not too far from them on North Canyon. High Hill offer free samples of the best apple cider you'll ever taste (not the kind with alcohol, of course)-it's just like drinking an apple. All of them have a large number of craft vendors with everything from homemade candles to dolls to shirts to wall art, great places to do your Christmas shopping. They offer plenty of fresh produce and interesting canned and baked goods.

When we want a little more sophisticated experience, there's Jack Russell Farm Brewery on Larsen Drive. You can get a flight of 5, 10, or 20 samples to taste for just a few dollars. They have great beer! We went on Labor Day and they had a great barbeque and a live band. There are also a number of wineries on the hill that offer wonderful locally-grown wines to taste in a beautiful setting, and a private day spa.

When going to Apple Hill with just adults, it helps to be a little young at heart to really enjoy all the growers have to offer. However, people of all ages can enjoy the area for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas outings, or even just a nice getaway in the country.