Is there anything sweeter than a picture of a cute Midwestern family picking sunflowers and apples out in the sunshine? That could be you! Trust me. If we did it, so can you. For our own sweet pictures, we chose Tuttle Orchard. We had a great time while walking a sunflower trail and picking apples as a family.
About the Farm
Tuttles is in Greenfield, Indiana, which is just 30 minutes east of the middle of downtown Indy. It is a 4th generation family-owned farm that’s been there for over 90 years! They grow lots of stuff on their 200 acre farm, and they grow it all year long. The farm is very clean and welcoming, and there are multiple buildings and activities available.
Our Experience at Tuttles
Prior to this trip, we visited Tuttles during pumpkin season to pick up some treats and check it out. The day of our previous visit was very busy and windy, so we didn’t get to see much. On that visit, I could tell this orchard had quite a bit to offer, so I made sure Tuttles was on our radar for this season. Lo and behold, I saw an advertisement on Facebook about Tuttles having a sunflower trail, so the Adventure Kids hopped in the minivan, and off we went.
We visited on a weekday in the late afternoon, and when we arrived, there were maybe 10 other visitors there. The weather was perfect, which is not common around here. Everything was set for an awesome adventure! We parked and walked up to the mini-barn to buy our tickets to the trail. Because they were running a combo deal when we were there, we paid $26 (for 2 kids and 2 adults) for access to the sunflower trail and the “tractor town” kids area. To see current pricing and activities, just check out their site.
Sunflower Trail
We spent about 20 minutes walking around the sunflower trail and taking pictures of ourselves amidst the sunflowers. It was gorgeous! Some of the sunflowers were over 6 feet tall! And their stalks were the size of small trees! I’d never seen anything like this. The Adventure Kids were really amazed by the giant flowers, and they thought it was lots of fun to “get lost” on the trail.
U-Cut Sunflowers
After we had our fill of walking the trail, we stepped over to the u-cut area and the Adventure Kids and the Adventure Dad picked some flowers for us to take home. The u-cut flowers were $3 per flower. We took those up to the barn where they provided water, paper towels, and small plastic bags to put the flowers in while we continued our time at the orchard. They also provide scissors for cutting the flowers.
Tractor Town Kids Area
As you might expect, the tractor town area was the highlight of the trip for the Adventure Kids. In this area, you’ll find the following:
- Two-story playhouse
- Two-story playbarn with a curly tunnel slide shooting out from the second story
- Swings for kids and porch/bench swings for adults
- Real and wooden tractors and combines for the kids to explore
- Hay bale maze
- Pedal tractors
- Sandbox with diggers
- Checkerboard tables
Later in the fall, they’ll also have a giant slide and farm animals, so we hope to go back to check those out when we peruse their pumpkin selection.
Apple Picking
After the Adventure Kids were good and sweaty from playing in tractor town, we headed over to the apple orchard. The u-pick area has 3 different bag sizes. You just pick your bag, fill it up, and then pay the price for that bag. The prices are $7, $15, or $25. We picked a $7 bag and filled it with about 10 gala apples. When we were there in late August, there were 2 varieties of apples ready for picking, but the orchard does grow 6 different varieties. The best month for apple picking is September. You can visit their apple page for more information about prices, timing, and variety.
The Adventure Kids loved picking the apples. It was fun teaching them how to look for apples that were ripe and didn’t have any bad places. We all loved it, and the apples were delicious!
Treats
By this time, we were all thirsty. We headed across the street to visit the clean indoor bathrooms and to see what the cafe had to offer. We ended up buying four apple slushies. Those are amazing! We also bought some apple donuts and carrot cake donuts to take home because . . . donuts. Ha! And we bought a jug of apple cider to take home for later.
There are two separate areas to buy treats at the orchard: the farm store and the cafe. The farm store has everything you would expect and then some. They sell fresh produce, local fresh meat, seeds, gifts, gourmet groceries, and artisan items. The cafe sells apple slushies, sandwiches, and a variety of other yummy sides. Their menu changes with the seasons because they use what’s growing on the farms. You can check out the current menu before going. We ate at the cafe the first time we visited, and it was very good. They have outdoor seating and, depending on the time of year, some indoor (inside the greenhouse) seating available for you to enjoy your food.
Tips
Make sure you wear comfortable clothes and shoes. These should be items that can get dirty. Also, don’t plan to visit on a Sunday. They are NOT open on Sundays.
Other Fun
Depending on the time of year, Tuttles also offers all of the following. Just check their website for more details.
- Birthday parties
- Narrated wagon rides and hayrides
- Observation beehive
- Greenhouse plants and flowers for sale
- Caramel apple festival
- Special playdates
- Educational tours and field trips
