Apple Holler - Sturtevant, Wisconsin

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Goat Crossing the Golden Goat Bridge

I am sure that you have heard of the ever popular, a wonder of the modern world, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.  But, have you heard of the "not so famous," Golden Goat Bridge, right here in Sturtevant, Wisconsin?  A bridge built entirely for goats to cross, which delights and thrills visitors to Apple Holler Orchard and Farm located at 5006 South Sylvania Avenue in Sturtevant, Wisconsin 53177.  Come along with me as we explore one of Southeast Wisconsin's most well known apple orchards and see why this is the place to add to your family's destination list no matter what time of year it is.

Upon arriving at the farm, you will notice a large red barn with a restaurant, bakery, and country store.  The restaurant is a charming, farm-to-table type of dining experience.  It is open year round, seven days a week.  During the week, it is open for breakfast and lunch, and dinners are served on the weekends.  The food is outstanding, gourmet, home-cooked, fresh food.  Before your food arrives, they bring out the best, fresh-baked cornbread with their homemade apple butter.  This stuff is irresistible.  The last time I visited, the cornbread had fresh blueberries baked into it.  It was a welcome addition.  Choose from a variety of breakfast, lunch, or dinner items or partake in their buffet offerings.  Their omelets are amazing!  Last time I was there, I had an omelet with spinach and bacon and Hollandaise sauce on top with fresh fruit.  It was so delicious!  It tasted so fresh and their sauce was amazing!  Do you have a hard time waiting for Friday Fish-Fry?  They offer it everyday at Apple Holler.  They also have special Thanksgiving and Easter Prime Rib Dinner Buffets along with a few special times where they have plays and dinner.

Make sure you leave room for dessert.  You can try a good old piece of fresh baked apple pie with ice cream, apple dumplings, apple fritters, cider donuts or go into the cider barn and make your own caramel apples.  They have a caramel apple bar with all the caramel and toppings you can think of to create your very own masterpiece of a dessert.

Scarecrow with Starry Scarf 

After enjoying a hearty meal, step outside to their scarecrow village if you are there in the fall, and have fun posing for pictures with the wide selection of various scarecrows.

One thing I absolutely love about Apple Holler is their intentional efforts to make this a place of great learning for all ages.  You will see boards like this set up all over their farm teaching you all sorts of things.  Learn about different varieties of apples, the life-cycle of an apple, insects that are pests, and insects that are helpful, pollination, how apples are good for your body, the nutritional value of apples, the history, parts of apples and how to grow apples, etc.  These boards are illustrated beautifully and offer the chance for you to really dig into learning adventures while you are here.  It would make an excellent place for a field trip for school kids as well.  I went with a friend and we enjoyed it just as much, if not more than the kids.  It is a terrific place for young and old alike.

All ages, pre-school through adult, are guaranteed to learn something new when they visit Apple Holler.  It's not all learning though, it is a place full of fun, hands-on adventures.  There is a giant slide, bounce pillow, little play houses and tunnels, mazes, haystacks to climb, train playground equipment and so much more.  Plan to spend a full day here to get  as much out of it as you can.

Beware of the Apple Orchard Ogre Sign

If you are a children's literature lover as myself, you will appreciate their emphasis on timeless children's books like, "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Johnny Appleseed,"  "The Three Little Pigs," etc.  You can walk pathways where you can read the entire stories as they are displayed with life-size illustrations throughout the path.  It is a great place to read these stories in an entertaining, lively way with your children, grandchildren, students, family and friends.

The amount of work that must have gone into making these storybooks come alive is amazing.  The artistry is charming and delightful.   I was so impressed and I bet you will be too.  It is a great way to promote literacy with the future generation by making it fun and exciting.

Everywhere you turn, there is another display that helps you learn about life on the farm.  I believe you could easily cover every elementary school subject by just spending a day here reading and encountering all they have to offer.  Forget the textbooks for a day and get outside and learn while living real life.

Farm animals of all kinds abound.  You will have the opportunity to go on pony rides, see pig races, watch the goats cross the Golden Goat Bridge, observe chickens, etc.  They don't just have real animals for you to see in action, but they have more educational boards that teach you all about the various animals they have.  They also have a cow maze that you can go through with all sorts of trivia about cows.  I learned quite a bit that I didn't know by walking through there.

Your little ones will enjoy climbing through fun house tunnels, corn mazes, getting inside potato sacks and going down giant slides, riding on tractor pulled train cars to go pick apples or pumpkins, playing in playhouses, bouncing on the bounce pillow, etc.  They probably will not want to leave.

I love how everything is homemade and unique.  You can tell the family put a lot of effort into creating all of the many photo ops, playground equipment, and educational stands.  Everything is colorful and appealing and has a welcoming, playful feel to it.  Your child's imagination will run wild and free at Apple Holler.

Train Play Area at Apple Holler

Three of the playhouses are based on the story of the Three Little Pigs.  They have a straw house, a stick house, and a brick playhouse.  But beware, the big, bad, wolf is just around the corner waiting to huff and puff and see which playhouse he can blow down.

Three Little Pigs Playing in the Mud at Apple Holler

The Johnny Appleseed history walk is really fascinating.  So much detail went into the retelling of this tale.  You will enjoy walking through and reading all the boards.  It will take some time but is totally worth it, and if you have children who are readers, it would be fun to have them read it aloud or take turns.

Johnny Appleseed History

You can purchase homemade items in their store.  Chicken pot pies, apple desserts, cider, etc.  Or have fun creating your own caramel apples at the caramel apple bar inside the cider barn.  Under the pavilion of the cider barn there is the ABC's of life on the farm.  That would be fun to read together too, especially if you have children just learning the alphabet.

There are so many photo opportunities.  Don't forget your cameras.  You will be happy to have them.  You could easily spend a good deal of time just taking pictures at all the photo ops.

They don't just cover history, science and literature, but they have health boards too.  Your children will leave with a whole new sense of how good apples are for their health.  The best part is, you can pick your very own apples or pumpkins to take home with you.  In the summer time you can pick peaches and plums as well.  There is nothing quite like the taste of a freshly picked apple from an apple tree picked in its peak ripeness.

Take a tractor train ride out to pick your own apples or pumpkins in the fall, peaches in the summer, and when there is snow on the ground they give horse drawn sleigh rides.

You will have to pay admission to enjoy the farm, but it is half off during the week, only $5 when I visited.  So, if you are looking to save a little money, I would recommend going then.  Also, if you go to their rewards page, you can sign up to receive rewards certificates and specials for your birthday and wine specials.

Apple Holler is a great place to take the family.  Enjoy this locally owned farm, restaurant, and gift shop.  See for yourself why U.S. News and World Report named it as one of the top 25 places to go apple picking in America.  If you go, I would love to hear what you liked about this adventurous farm.  Leave me a comment below and share your special story.

Pumpkin Display at Apple Holler

Enrichment Ideas for When You Come Home

For children who loved the animals at the farm, I recommend The Big Bucket of Farm Animals so children can set up their very own farm yard.

Wanting some good recipes to try with the apples you picked?  I recommend The Apple Lover's Cookbook by Amy Traverso.  This will give you plenty of ways to cook up your harvest.

Always wanted to try your hand at making your own apple cider?  Try out this 1.6 gallon fruit and wine press.

Did your children enjoy the story of Jack and the Beanstalk?  If so, did you know that with the Lego Pop-Up Book Kit, they can build their very own Jack and the Beanstalk pop-up book?

I hope you get the chance to visit Apple Holler.

Until next time, always choose the scenic life.


Hannah Babiak is a stock photographer and travel blogger.  For writing assignments or ideas for future posts, please contact her at alwayschoosethesceniclife@gmail.com or leave a comment below.