Grab a basket: The best apple-picking places in the 518 🍎

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Hey, 518 readers! Can you believe it’s already time for apple-picking season? Today, we’re taking you to the freshly renovated Goold Hill Orchard where the cider donuts are not to be missed! Plus, we’ve got a list of 6 more wonderful farms with pick-your-own apples.

🎟️ The 518 Dinner Club meets next Thursday night with restaurant seating around Lark Street and Center Square. There’s still time to reserve your spot!

👏 We’d like to thank the Lark Street Tavern and owner Chris Pratt for generously sponsoring this month’s 518 Dinner Club—as well as leading the charge for Lark Out Loud on Saturday. Bravo!

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Grab a basket: The best apple-picking orchards in the 518 🍎

If you haven’t been to the Goold Hill Orchard in a while, you’ll barely recognize the place now.

Known more recently as Windy Hill Orchard, the century-old Schodack farm is back under a familiar name, Goold Hill Estate. The new owners, Neviana Zhgaba and Ardian Llomi, have spent the past year and close to $1 million giving the property a major makeover.

They bought the farm last September and have since renovated the store and bakery, added new gathering spaces, planted thousands of grapevines and started building out a much bigger vision for the property: orchard, winery, cidery, and entertainment destination for the Capital Region. It’s just 20 minutes from downtown Albany.

Now, for the first time under the new ownership, apple picking is back.

“The community really wanted this place to open, and we felt the community support as well,” Neviana tells us.

As soon as the pick-your-own season kicked off, she says, the orchard was noticeably busier.

Unusual for an orchard, Goold Hill plans to operate year-round. Already, there’s a slate of regular events: live music, paint-and-sip, crafting, food trucks, a corn maze, and even goat cuddling.

“The entertainment brings the people,” Neviana says, “so that they can enjoy the farm products.”

Despite the cost of renovations, the orchard is deliberately keeping its prices competitive. A half bushel of pick-your-own Macintosh or Gala apples here costs $20—at 20 pounds for a half bushel, that’s a dollar a pound. Most other orchards are selling pick-your-own half bushels for $28-$40.

Don’t sleep on the cider donuts here. They are the epitome of farm-fresh cider donuts—warm goodness with just the right amount of sweet and spice.

🍎 The orchard and winery is located at 1297 Brookview Station Road, Castleton-on-Hudson, NY. Follow Goold Hill on Instagram for the latest events.

Here are six more orchards around the Capital Region and Hudson Valley worth putting on your fall bucket list:

Indian Ladder Farms, Altamont: The classic choice. This century-old farm beneath the Helderbergs grows more than 40 apple varieties, with daily PYO, cider donuts, a charming farm store, biergarten, and DeFazio’s Pizza Garden. Another bonus: Its apples are EcoCertified, which means it practices farming that protects pollinators and natural resources.

Bowman Orchards, Clifton Park: Go here when variety matters: Bowman has more than 65 acres of apples and some 63 varieties, plus plenty of kid-friendly attractions. Apple picking runs through October.

Altamont Orchards, Altamont: An old-school picking experience on a 57-year-old family farm with a delightful post-orchard reward: its beloved cider donuts. PYO runs weekends, with different varieties ripening through mid-October.

Samascott Orchards, Kinderhook: This fourth-generation Hudson Valley farm has bounced back after a devastating January 2025 fire destroyed its main barn. Rent one of their cute Surrey bikes to explore the orchard. And if you want to make a day of it, Samascott’s nearby Garden Market has a 7-acre corn maze open in September and October.

Hicks Orchard, Granville: Billing itself as New York’s oldest U-pick orchard, Hicks has been welcoming pickers since 1905. After filling your bag, sip hard cider at the atmospheric 1935 tasting room. They also has a year-round outpost at The Shirt Factory in Glens Falls, selling apples, cider donuts, fresh cider and other farm goods.

Mead Orchards, Tivoli: This 100-plus-year-old Hudson Valley farm offers pick-your-own apples across more than 100 acres, with 50-plus varieties ranging from Honeycrisp and Macoun to heirlooms like Esopus Spitzenburg and Roxbury Russet. Fall visits also bring a five-acre corn maze, hayrides, pumpkins, cider donuts and a farm stand, making it an easy full-day orchard stop.

Lastly, even though our friends at Golden Harvest in Valatie don’t offer PYO apples, people come from all over to get their apples, cider donuts, baked goods, barbecue and hard spirits.

A word from our sponsor

🎸 Lark Street is getting loud this Saturday.

Back for year two, Lark Out Loud takes over the parking lot behind Lark Street Tavern for a free, seven-hour blast of live music.

The party kicks off at 1:30 pm, featuring four stellar tribute acts:

• Tonight’s The Night (Neil Young): 1:30–2:45p

• Saturday Soul (R&B + soul): 3:15–4:30p

• Electric Rodeo (’90s country): 5–6:15p

• Toys In The Attic (Aerosmith): 6:45p

But before the guitars start cranking, things get a bit… fluffier. New this year is Golden Hour, a meetup at 11 am just for golden retrievers, followed by a doggie parade down Lark Street at noon. Woof! We’re here for it. 🐕️ 

Come for the dogs. Stay for the music. Stroll Lark Street in between.

📍 Lark Street Tavern, 453 Madison Ave., Albany
⏰ Sat, Sept. 19, 1:30-8p. Golden Hour kicks off at 11a.
🎟️ Totally free!

🌯 Bubbakoo’s Burritos is opening its first Albany location at 1704 Western Ave and they’re making a big splash—the first 50 customers at its grand opening at 10 am Wednesday are being promised free burritos for a whole year!

☕️ The forthcoming 7 Brew in Clifton Park is popping up prior to its grand opening on Sept. 28 to offer a “pay-what-you-want” event this weekend benefiting Albany Med’s Children’s Hospital. [News10]

🎸 Local rock heroes Super 400 were honored with their own street sign at the corner of River Street and Rensselaer Street—Super 400 Way. Well deserved! 👏 [News10]

🧀 The Old World Gourmet Market in Wilton has closed after only a year in business, but its deli at 514 Broadway in Saratoga will stay open. [Albany Business Review]

Brought to you by

A stunning property in every way, The Grey Arrow is a historic 1860s farmhouse on 113 acres of mature field and forest. It’s been thoughtfully renovated to preserve the richly textured original beams, wide-plank floors, local bluestone, and Rumford fireplaces. The Master Chef-worthy kitchen and spa-like primary suite feature more of that brilliant bluestone, while the main house is highlighted by several lofty bedrooms and bathrooms.

This is truly a property for cherishing the seasons of life with the people you love. Outside the main house is a stylish 500-square-foot guest studio, four historic barns, a spring-fed pond, established gardens, and lovely woodland trails. Situated near Delanson and Duanesburg, just a half hour away from Albany and Schenectady, The Grey Arrow offers a rare mix of history, privacy, and modern country living at its finest.

The deets: 4 bd, 4 ba, 2988 sq. ft., 113 acres. Asking: $1,699,000. See the full listing here.

TOP 5 PICKS

⭐️ 🎸 Lark Out Loud | Returning for its second year behind Lark Street Tavern, this neighborhood music festival brings a rollicking afternoon and evening of tribute bands celebrating Neil Young, R&B and soul, ’90s country and Aerosmith. New this year is Golden Hour, a meetup and parade down Lark Street for golden retrievers, at 11 am before the music kicks off at 1:30 pm. Sat, 1:30-8p, free.

⭐️ 🎈 The Adirondack Balloon Festival | Filling the skies with dozens of massive hot-air balloons, this free, volunteer-run event features sunrise and sunset launches, a balloon “moonglow,” loads of food vendors, and family-friendly activities, with most events centered at the Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Queensbury. Pro tip: Get there early (like, super early) and be prepared for major traffic backups from 5–9a for morning launches and 3–8p for evening sessions. Thur-Sun, various times.

⭐️ 🇺🇲 Red, White & Brew | Don’t be surprised to see more than a few cowboy hats on South Pearl Street as the MVP Arena hosts a free block party with country music, tasty food, and local vendors. Honoring veterans, this year’s event is headlined by Lee Brice, with Grace Tyler, Bro Country and Whiskey City also on the bill. Sat, free. Gates open at 12:30p and music starts at 2p.

🤠 Not to be outdone on the country music tip, Indian Ladder Farms is also putting on Big Sky Fest this weekend.

⭐️ 🌽 Harvest Festival at the Altamont Fairgrounds | Get to the sprawling fairgrounds for a celebration of the autumn season with a farmers market, craft vendors, pumpkin carving, horse-drawn carriage rides, kids activities, live music and plenty of your favorite fall foods. Sunday adds a car show, while adults can also sample local wine and spirits. Admission is $10, and kids under 16 are free. Sat-Sun.

⭐️ 🌻 Sunflowers & Cars at Dancing Grain Farm Brewery | Dancing Grain says you can expect to see a “million” sunflowers across its fields in Moreau. Count them yourself when the farm and brewery pairs a full-size car show with a new kids and collectors die-cast car show. Take tons of Insta-worthy pics in the sunflower fields, and enjoy live music from Fox Row, a farmers and makers market, and lots of farm-brewed beer. 11a-2p, free to attend; $20 to enter car show.

Honorable mention…

⭐️ 🇺🇦 The Capital Region Ukrainian Festival celebrates Ukrainian culture at Albany’s Polish Community Center with traditional food, live music, dancing, crafts and goods. Sat, 12-6p, free.

WEDNESDAY

🖼️ Art, sound, and community all mix as DJ Trumaster mans the turntables at ACG After Hours.

THURSDAY

📜 Immersion Tours: Freedom & Opportunity in Albany, the Revolution & Beyond invites you to explore the roles of immigrants, free persons of color, abolition & reform.

🕰️ Support the Woman’s Club of Albany at their Annual Super Garage Sale.

🎭️ Harbinger Theatre debuts The Counter, a Capital Region premiere play about a lonely waitress who befriends a regular customer. Tix are just $15!

FRIDAY

🍺 Opalka Gallery winds down its Pop-Up Beer Garden series with a makers’ market and music by Swamp Baby and JJ’s OK.

🚀 Get to miSci for the Sci:Fi Schenectady Film Festival, featuring 15 films spanning science fiction, fantasy and supernatural horror, plus related events. All weekend.

🖼️ Celebrate the Albany Institute of History & Art’s newest exhibitions at the reception for Mexico Masks / Rituals: Photographs by Phyllis Galembo and Inspired Landscapes: Women of the Hudson River School.

🍺 Rocktoberfest at Allied Brewing features Hot Cousin, Mixed Tape Legends and Muscle Shoals over 3 beer-filled days.

👗 More than 90 vendors are expected at the Sand Lake Townwide Garage Sale & HUGE Flea Market.

🎬️ Collar Works presents Lost Lovers’ Play, a non-fiction film, performance, and experiential archival installation triptych by Pioneers Go East Collective.

SATURDAY

🎪 The Pioneer Charitable Foundation is back with its 7th annual Grand Carnival—free for the whole family!

😂 The Capital Region Funniest Comic Competition kicks off several weeks of competition at Son of Egg.

🥕 Has it really been 50 years? Join Honest Weight Food Co-op to celebrate its half century in Albany!

🛼 Smash it with the Albany All Stars Roller Derby.

👛 Go down the Dynasty Handbag rabbit hole at EMPAC.

👨‍🌾 Bring the kids out to celebrate the season at the free Clifton Park Farm Fest. Sat & Sun. Also: The Crailo State Historic Site is putting on its Harvest Faire as well.

SUNDAY

🐋 The Sanctuary for Independent Media invites you to StoryHarvest, its annual food justice celebration.

🎭️ Julius Caesar comes alive in a bold, walkable performance that unfolds across three distinct locations, at the Trail Traveling Show with Will Kempe’s Players.

🐍 Slither into the Capital District Reptile Expo and discover all kinds of scaly, slippery critters.

UPCOMING

• Schenectady Curling Club Learn to Curl (9/25-27)

• 9th Annual Albany Book Festival (9/26)

• New York Paw Paw Festival (9/26-27)

• Saratoga Book Festival (10/1-4)

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

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