5 Stateline Orchards Make List of the 10 Best Apple Orchards in Illinois

Illinois has a wealth of open-to-the-public apple orchards to visit and enjoy each fall, but if you're on a mission to find the best in the state, the Rockford area has excellent options to choose from!

Why Do Illinoisans Love Apple Orchards So Much?

Everyone I know loves Fall for 2 major reasons;

1. Local apple orchards and pumpkin farms are open.
2. The weather is often a perfect mix of warm days and cool nights.

If you've ever met someone who doesn't live in this area and wonders why people are so apple orchard-obsessed when Fall hits, just tell them it's because Rockford is surrounded by 5 of the best apple orchards in Illinois so we have to be. That should shut them up real quick.

How to Pick the Perfect Apple

Before you journey to one of the amazing orchards in the Stateline area, there are 2 very important things to keep in mind. Apple orchards usually offer a pick-your-option that you HAVE to take advantage of. Second, there is a science to picking the perfect apple. If you just walk up to a tree and pick the first apple you see, you may be doing yourself an injustice.

According to an article from Chosen Foods;

Technically, apples are perfectly ripe when they fall to the ground on their own. If you pull on an apple that’s attached to a branch and it doesn’t detach easily, it might not be ready. A slight tug is all it should take.

I don't know about you, but I always thought the apples lying on the ground beneath the tree were the "bad" ones. I definitely learned something new today!

Best Apple Orchards in Illinois

Onlyinyourstate.com, has made a list of the top 10 apple orchards to visit in Illinois for a perfect Fall day, and I'm willing to bet you've heard, and hopefully visited, 5 of them before;

If you want to take apple orchard adventures outside of the Stateline area this Fall, here are the other Illinois orchards that made Only In Your State's list:

• Libertyville Apple Orchard in Edwardsville, IL
• Okay Valley Orchard in Sullivan, IL
• Tanners Orchard in Speer, IL
• Rendleman Orchards in Alto Pass, IL

Oh, how I love living in Rockford in the Fall! Make sure to check out one, or all of these amazing orchards very soon!

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