Thompson’s Orchards

Thompson’s is a lovely orchard set just outside of Portland. The drive out in the autumn is beautiful and totally worth it. It can get INSANELY busy on the weekends with families, so take that into consideration. However, that IS when they have the majority of their delicious appley sweet treats. If that doesn’t matter to you, and you prefer a quieter experience (and are lucky enough to be able to do so), then week days are just as wonderful.
Hot cider in hand (two for $ 3; gotta love those just-​outside-​of-​Portland-​prices), we wandered through the orchard on a Monday afternoon with no one else around us. We picked just a few pounds of Macs and Cortlands to go home and make apple crisp with. The leftover apples just for eating, my boyfriend swears were the best he’s ever had in his life. I have to agree — the apple I ate while picking (sorry about that, Thompson’s!, I promise it was only one) was so crisp and juicy and flavorful — unlike anything I had had in a long time.
We spent a few minutes warming up inside at Thompson’s because it was bitter cold when we were there. It was really pleasant — there were some octogenarians sitting in rockers around the wood stove chatting while a teenage girl with her headphones in made donuts in the bakery. Just a really charming juxtaposition. The vintage stuff they have throughout the inside wooden structure is really fascinating stuff, so if you’re into that sort of thing, definitely make it a point to look through it all!
Finally, the baked goods were so delicious looking it was almost unbearable. From apple cream puff pastries to raspberry turnovers, from a variety of cupcakes to the most enormous and gooey looking chocolate-​sea salt-​caramel brownies in the world… they definitely have a variety of options for very palette. When we were there they had just two donut types for sale: chocolate and plain. Unfortunately, the plain donuts are literally just that… plain (vanilla), not apple cider flavored. So we decided to forgo getting anything. But don’t let that stop you from getting in on all that wonderfulness!

Thompson’s is another great place for apple picking! The orchards are gorgeous if you go on a day with blue skies! They were out of donuts the day we picked, but we took home cider along with our apples! It’s a drive from Portland, but we enjoyed it!

One of the best orchards I’ve EVER been to. The trip to New Gloucester is quick from Portland and beautiful (given the time of year and the stunning foliage). You pull into a decent sized parking lot, surrounded by rolling hills of beautifully manicured apple trees. I’ve NEVER seen this many trees at an apple orchard. The property itself is as amazing as any autumn, New England post card.
Every year, apple picking is a necessary tradition. The bf knows that there will be no apple treats unless they’re hand picked (teeeheee). I was incredibly pleased that we were able to buy pumpkins there as well! I’m a very efficient apple picker; I don’t like picking around groups that I know have probably man-​handled most of the fruit, so we headed straight to the untouched corners of the orchard. We walked away with about 15 lbs of Cortlands, McIntosh, & Red Delicious. I’ve never picked Red Delicious before!
While waiting to pay, we perused the freezer with homemade apple cider popsicles, fudge, cookies, apple cider baked beans, and more yummy goodies beyond belief. We indulged in a couple bites of the apple cider donuts with apple drizzle… mmmmm, mmmmm, good!

I went apple picking here yesterday and it was great! The staff were knowledgable and friendly. They had great donuts and cider. The other pastries looked great as well but I did not try them. Prices were also reasonable. Apples were $ 1.10 a pound. The only complaint I have is there were only courtland and Macintosh apples.

Great apples, great people, fun location! What a beautiful day for apple picking last year! I really enjoyed this orchard. Had a few different apples (no granny smiths, which are my favorite). The staff was friendly and the price was average. The orchard was decent size but not overly huge. I would recommend this for a family outing!