Fall Into...Apple Picking

Last week, while I was reminiscing about the end of summer, I was also planning ahead for some of my favorite fall activities. Taz and I started out the season with a trip upstate that's become a yearly tradition for us - apple-picking and wine-tasting at Warwick Valley Winery. This place is amazing, and I highly recommend it for a day trip if you live in the tri-state area (its about a 2 1/2 hr drive from Manhattan). We had perfect (still summery) weather...it was wonderful!

This is a full-service winery! They have 2 indoor tasting rooms, a wine-shop, a brick-oven pizza indoor restaurant, outdoor grills, cider & sangria by the glass, expansive outdoor seating, and lots of room to lay out a picnic on the lawn. (Very kid & pet friendly!)

We grabbed a patio seat (where they would later set up a live band) and started our day with fresh apple-cider donuts & the Sunday Times...

Then there was a tasting (red, white, ciders, & a port), which we followed with a sopressata, fresh mozz, & basil topped brick-oven pizza...

We lounged around for a while on the lawn before trekking up (you can also take the tractor ride) to the apple-orchard...

It was a little early in the season, but we tried our hardest to pick the best apples!...

I think we did pretty well in the end!..

I'm already looking forward to next year's trip!

What are some of your favorite fall activities?