Happy Tuesday! As I mentioned yesterday my family spent the day Sunday at the National Apple Harvest Festival in Biglerville, PA. A good friend of mine had mentioned a great apple festival that wasn’t too far from us that she recalled having a petting zoo as well as antique car show, and of course, all the apple things! I am a huge fan of fall festivals and activities as well as apple everything, so I googled it and came up with this one, and sure enough it was the one. This festival looked like it would have something for all of us, and would be a great way to spend time together while being outside after being cooped up with so much rain. We headed up to PA, about an hour away from us, Sunday morning. I wanted to write about it immediately because it falls on two consecutive weekends, so you still have a chance to head there this coming weekend. And if my post doesn’t convince you that it’s a perfect family friendly day in the country, perhaps The Travel Channel can.
There was just so much to see and do, and so many different foods to try including nostalgic foods as well as tons of apple products and baked goods.
Let’s start with the food, because food is pretty much my favorite. We didn’t try the apple pizza, but as you can see, they really do offer apple everything, which I would expect from the National Apple Harvest Festival, of course!
Candy apples are a no-no for us because Emmy has braces, and I’ve just never really cared for them, but they’re quintessential to an apple festival, so I had to snap some photos.
We saw apple dumplings, fried apples, apple pie, apple bread, apple cookies, apple cider, cider donuts, hard cider, wine, rum, and so much more. Next year we decided we are skipping breakfast, hopping in the car, and arriving very hungry. We’d had a good breakfast, so we just had some small things I’ll share below.
This booth was selling cups of warm applesauce for just 75 cents each. Emmy and I are both huge applesauce fans, so I got us a couple cups of the cinnamon apple sauce and it was divine!
As soon as Chris spied this food truck which offered vintage style fountain soda, he made a bee line for it. He really wanted the root beer, but a certain 9 year old has an affinity for orange, and they decided to share. (The price was $20 for one, with the souvenir cup, and unlimited refills, so Chris was able to get his root beer later.)
Chris filled the cup with orange and if you look at his face he has this look of pure excitement, but trying to keep his cool about it.
Emmy tried it and approved. We sugared her up well that day…
After the orange was gone I suggested that the vanilla mixed with orange would be divine, so that was the second cup. I tried a sip of that and it was just like a creamsicle. Just check out how giant that cup is, too!
Aside from the apple sauce and beverages, we also purchased some homemade whoopie pies in chocolate mint and smores flavors to take home (the kids love those), apple pancake syrup, a soft pretzel for Emmy, and some german roasted almonds and cashews for me. Oh, and we also came across this set up to make your own trail mix, so Sawyer did that; how awesome would this be for a camping party?
There were tons of vendors with handmade goods, and the kids were enamored by the wooden toys.
We ended up purchasing a bow and soft arrow set for Sawyer, and a wooden spear for Emmy that she wants to use as a walking stick. I told one seller that we were going to let them take their new toys home, put them in the back yard, and let them go at it hunger games style, leaving us with just one tuition to pay for…. kidding, of course!
Several shops were there selling American Girl items and one had a cello… I grabbed a card and asked if they ship (they do!!!) and I think I know one little girl who will be getting a doll cello for Christmas. (You can find their shop here).
This studio had some gorgeous pottery pieces, and I was so tempted, but I didn’t need anything.
I grabbed a card to keep for reference for the future of Christmas gifts. You can find them at Riverbottom Pottery. How beautiful is this blue hanging planter?
In addition to artisans selling goods, there were several who were doing demos in addition to selling at the National Apple Festival.
These guys were cutting wood to make it into shingles. 
A woman was then burning them to finalize the shingles, and create the look you can see on their roof. 
My favorite demonstration was the wood carvers, whose creations were astonishing and made with chainsaws!
They had several statues for sale and each was unique.
This bear cracked me up…. it has such a sweet and docile face but after my encounter a few weeks ago, I don’t think I am going to trust that face. Look at him; he’s all, “I promise I won’t eat your face off. Just love me.”
One of the coolest features of the festival was the antique car show; I had never been to one so was excited to check it out. It was rather small, but had some beautiful cars including my dream car.
This one is not my dream car, but it caught my eye.
I loved how all of the vintage tails looked lined up. I am not really sure what that says about me.
And now for my absolute dream car… I have told Chris before that one day I would love to own an aqua Ford pickup truck, and there she was. Or he.
Even the grill was lovely, and I am no car person… I just loved this one.
Emmy’s dream car was also on the lot… a VW bug. This car is truly what she wants when she is older, and I think it completely fits her personality. Chris and I hope to make it happen for her when she’s much older.
Oh, and the kids tried to convince me that I need a hood decoration like this one… How would it look on a Flex?
Aside from everything I’ve already show you, there was so much more to see….
There was a small animal petting area with pics, sheep, bunnies, ducks, chicks, and miniature horses.
Emmy enjoyed the little horse, and Sawyer adorably talked about a girl at school who would “go crazy for this horse!”
One booth was selling various pumpkins and squash- these guys were all just a dollar. I was so tempted, but I didn’t want to lug them around.
Live music was offered in a few areas; I enjoyed the mix of country and classics (ie Zac Brown Band to Van Morrison) that this group played.
On our way out for the day, we spotted this fountain that the kids just had to check out.
Emmy didn’t like getting splashed, but this kid didn’t want to walk away from it.
We had a fantastic time at the National Apple Harvest Festival and will definitely be going back next year (on empty stomachs!). If Biglerville (near Gettysburg) isn’t too far for you, I encourage you to check it out this coming weekend. You can also find them on facebook here.
PS- This post is in no way sponsored… I just really liked the event and wanted to share our experience with you in the hopes that you might visit, too!
