Tasting the Season: Best Apple Orchards Eau Claire WI

Foster, Wisconsin

By Angie & Jeff

Updated September 22, 2024

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Fall means apple picking season in the Chippewa Valley in Wisconsin! We’ve visited many apple orchards in Western Wisconsin. Here are our favorites!

Happy fall and enjoy your apple orchard experiences!

Best Orchard for Art Lovers – The Glass Orchard

Where is the Glass Orchard?

The Glass Orchard is located at 130 Deerfield Road, Eau Claire, WI 54701.

There are two main ways to get to The Glass Orchard from Eau Claire. Both routes are an easy drive from Eau Claire and take about 15 minutes of driving time.

The first way is to head south on West Lowes Creek Road. When you get to Deerfield Road, take a left and head east.

The other direct way to get there is to head south on Highway 93. When you get to Deerfield Road, take a right and head west until you get to The Glass Orchard.

When is The Glass Orchard Open?

The Glass Orchard is open September through December on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays each week. 10am to 6pm. Individual craft and class times vary within these hours. The Glass Orchard opening day for 2024 is September 14.

Hands On Art Projects

The Glass Orchard has the best art we’ve seen at any apple orchard. Artists working on site here is what makes this apple orchard experience so unique. There is a plethora of blown glass artwork and handcrafted jewelry you can view and purchase. We found prices to be affordable for the quality of the items. Angie found a gorgeous pair of blue glass earnings during our visit.

Glass art in The Glass Orchard store.
Glass art in The Glass Orchard store.

There are also lots of opportunities to create your own art at The Glass Orchard with their Projects on the Porch and other classes. Many of the projects only take about an hour or less with the supplies for the art projects being pre-cut pieces of glass. You can sign up for classes in advance on The Glass Orchard website.

The Glass Orchard grounds and Projects on the Porch.
The Glass Orchard grounds and Projects on the Porch.

Great Orchard Wines

We really liked the apple wines they make at The Glass Orchard. We were a bit hesitant to join the wine tasting at first because we generally find fruit wines too sweet for our palettes. The Glass Orchard wines are more complex and not as sweet as many other fruit wines we’ve tried over the years. We were pleasantly surprised that the three varieties of their apple wines were hands down the best fruit wines we have ever enjoyed. Fresh pressed apple cider is also available for purchase.

Enjoying apple samples and apple donuts at The Glass Orchard.
Enjoying apple samples and apple donuts at The Glass Orchard.

What are Those Colorful Paint Brushes For?

The Glass Orchard enhances their art theme by labeling apple varieties with color-coded paintbrushes hanging in the trees, blending art with agriculture. There are 11 different varieties of apples grown at The Glass Orchard. You can purchase your apples pre-picked, or pick your own.

The Glass Orchard pick-your-own apples. The various apple tree varieties are indicated by different color paint brushes hanging in the trees.
The Glass Orchard pick-your-own apples. The various apple tree varieties are indicated by different color paint brushes hanging in the trees.

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Join our Western Wisconsin Travel Facebook group today! – where locals and visitors alike share the best places to see, stay, and savor! We look forward to connecting with you. – Angie & Jeff

Hot Glass Blowing Demonstrations

The Glass Orchard has a glass blowing studio in a separate building in the back of the property where you can catch a glass blowing demonstration. We were lucky enough to catch the end of seeing a glass pumpkin being made on our visit. Live hot glass blowing demonstrations take place most Saturdays from 1pm to 2pm.

Hot glass demonstration at The Glass Orchard.
Hot glass demonstration at The Glass Orchard.

If you’re looking for a unique orchard experience that beautifully and seamlessly blends art and agriculture, then The Glass Orchard is your place.

Best Traditional Fall Apple Orchard Experience – Leffel Roots Apple Orchard

Where is Leffel Roots?

Leffel Roots apple orchard is located at W2369 Maple Rd, Eau Claire, WI 54701. Leffel Roots is just a little further southwest from Eau Claire than The Glass Orchard.

From Eau Claire, the easiest way is to head south on West Lowes Creek Road until you get to Maple Road. Turn right and head west on Maple Road and you’ll soon arrive at Leffel Roots orchard. It’s about a 20 minute drive from Eau Claire to get to Leffel Roots orchard.

There are also good directions from Highway 94 posted on Leffel Roots website if you are traveling from somewhere other than Eau Claire.

When is Leffel Roots Open?

Leffel Roots is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm year round. And in October, they extend the hours on Friday and Saturday nights to 10pm to stay open for the Night Corn Maze.

Store at Leffel Roots

Immediately upon entering the store at Leffel Roots you’ll find they have a lot going on here. The following products are produced on site at Leffel Roots:

  • Maple syrup
  • Honey
  • Fresh Baked and Frozen Apple Pies
  • Caramel apples
  • Cider donuts
  • Apple ale
Leffel Roots Orchard Store.
Leffel Roots Orchard Store.

There is also usually other farm produce for sale at Leffel Roots as well as jams and jellies from other local fruit growers. In addition, they have a lunch counter where you can order food if you’re wanting more than just an apple treat.

There is often someone in the store passing out samples of the cider donuts. Beware though – as soon as you try a sample you’re going to want to buy a pack of these. They are some of the yummiest donuts we’ve ever eaten.

Enjoying treats from Leffel Roots Orchard.
Enjoying treats from Leffel Roots Orchard.

Leffel Roots orchard doesn’t charge an entry fee to see the orchard grounds, which we appreciate. We also really like that they have separate pricing for the different activities here so that you can pick and choose what you want to spend your money on.

Leffel Roots Apple Orchard exterior photos.
Leffel Roots Apple Orchard exterior photos.

Pumpkin Patch

The pumpkin patch is free to view and is a beautiful sight to see. If you want you can pick your own pumpkin at Leffel Roots. They have loppers for you to use to cut the pumpkins off the vines. Pricing is determined using sizing rings. The prices for the pumpkins range from $1 to $15 depending on size.

Leffel Roots Orchard pumpkin patch.
Leffel Roots Orchard pumpkin patch.

Corn Maze

Leffel Roots has a 10 acre corn maze which they currently have priced as follows:

  • 0 to 4 years of age >> FREE
  • 5 to 12 >> $6
  • 13 and up >> $8

The corn maze also has an interactive game to play while finding your way through the maze. The sheet for this game is given to you at the store when you purchase your corn maze entrance tickets.

Night Corn Maze

Leffel Roots also offers a night corn maze on Friday and Saturday nights until 10pm. The last entry to the night maze is 9pm, so make sure you leave enough time to start. Leffel Roots recommends bringing a flashlight with you for the night maze.

If you’re not going to do ALL the activities at one of the bigger orchards in the area, a visit to Leffel Roots would likely save a family money and still provide that fun fall experience we’re all looking for this time of year.

Our pick for the traditional fall apple orchard experience, particularly for an ala carte experience of activities your kids will enjoy, is Leffel Roots Apple Orchard.

Best Apples for Eating & Fast Picking Experience – Mcilquham Orchard

Where is Mcilquham Orchard?

Mcilquham Orchard is located at S13247 Finch Dr, Osseo, WI 54758.

From Eau Claire, there are two main ways to get to Mcilquham Orchard and both take about the same amount of driving time and distance; it’s about a 23 minute drive time from Eau Claire to get to Mcilquham Orchard.

Head south on either Highway 94 or Highway 53 South until you get to the town of Foster. It’s Exit 81 off of Highway 94. We prefer the Highway 53 South route because it’s more scenic.

Then head west on County Road HH to Finch Drive. Head south on Finch Drive for about a half mile and you will arrive at Mcilquham Orchard.

When is Mcilquham Orchard Open?

Mcilquham Orchard is open on weekends (Sat and Sun) from 10am to 5pm.

Pick Em Quick!

Our pick for the no nonsense fast and inexpensive self-picking experience for giant and delicious Honeycrisp apples is Mcilquham Orchard. You can really pick your own apples quickly at this orchard. The Mcilquham name might sound familiar because it’s the same location we love to pick strawberries each summer.

Similar to the summertime strawberry picking experience, you can very quickly pick as many delicious Honeycrisp apples in the fall as your tummies can consume.

We spent about 20 minutes at Mcilquham Orchard and picked 2 half-bushel bags full to overflowing. To be fair though we were also distracted during our picking because we kept admiring the beauty of the orchard and the solitude of our time out there completely alone for most of our visit.

If you really stay focused on your picking, 2 people can easily get a full bushel picked in about 10 minutes time. (Macilquham will provide each person with a half-bushel bag for picking if you don’t have your own bags.) We did see a family of four arrive and pick 2 half-bushel bags full in under 5 minutes!

Angie and Jeff enjoy picking Honeycrisp apples at Mcilquham Orchard.
Angie and Jeff enjoy picking Honeycrisp apples at Mcilquham Orchard.

Last fall, we picked just short of 26 pounds of apples during our visit to Mcilquham Orchard for a total cost of $37. That is about $1.42 per pound for some of the best Honeycrisp apples you’ll ever eat.

This is about 60% less cost than what we usually see Honeycrisp apples being sold for in Eau Claire grocery stores, and those grocery store apples are wayyyyy inferior compared to these Mcilquham Honeycrisps.

Mcilquham also has fresh-pressed Honeycrisp apple cider for sale and they are offering it in three different sizes this year: gallon, half gallon, and pints.

Pick the Orchard that Best Matches What You Want from Your Experience

All 3 of these orchards have something great that makes them the best at what they do. All 3 are great choices and we recommend all of them. Pick the experience you want to have or if your time allows, plan to visit all 3 throughout apple season!

Get the most out of your Wisconsin travels!

Join our Western Wisconsin Travel Facebook group today! – where locals and visitors alike share the best places to see, stay, and savor! We look forward to connecting with you. – Angie & Jeff