The scent of apple cider donuts and the sounds of children’s laughter fill the air at Eckert’s Belleville Farm as the annual AppleFest enters its peak season. The event includes attractions such as rides, animal feeding, mini golf, as well as apple picking and Jack’s Lighted Trail.
Jack’s Lighted Trail is a new addition to Eckert’s Belleville Farm, having only been introduced at this year’s AppleFest.
“We had a trial run about two weekends ago. This weekend [September 27-28] was the first weekend where we had actual people that paid to go on the trail,” an employee said.
This attraction is found in the pumpkin fields and features a haunted trail and a bar, as well as concessions from the cider shed at the end. Overall, it’s intended to provide entertainment for visitors at night as opposed to other attractions, and to set the tone for the upcoming Halloween festivities.
“It’s just a good way to get more people out into the field at night, because once the sun goes down, there’s practically no other reason for people to go out…It’s mainly for the adults, I will say that…but yeah, Jack’s is pretty new and it’s pretty fun, and I’m excited and scared about how it goes,” the employee said.
As for the AppleFest-specific attractions, there are various spinning rides, a mini roller coaster, mini golf, and many photo ops. There are also goat, sheep, and donkey feeding opportunities. These appear to be popular among visitors that bring their children.
“I think it’s getting better every year; they keep kind of improving it a lot, I’d say. I think it’s a lot better than when we first started coming,” said one attendee.
“We come every year. First couple years, we’ve done it with my kids, so it’s fun to pass on the tradition and do it with them too,” another attendee said.
As for the entertainment value of adults attending AppleFest, there were mixed feelings.
“…We did it before kids. I always liked that, you know, they always have like, the hard apple ciders you can drink. Those are always fun. The food’s always great here too,” the second attendee said.
That particular concern was echoed by another guest, also.
“You’d go apple picking and have something to eat, but you couldn’t really drink because-at least we’re from St. Louis, so you couldn’t really drink and then drive all the way back to St. Louis, I suppose. So, yeah, there might not be much to do,” The first attendee said.
Despite the concern, both visitors ultimately recommend AppleFest.
With AppleFest comes apple picking, and currently there are three apple types to be picked: Red delicious apples, yellow delicious apples, and jonathan apples. All day field access costs $4 per person on weekdays and $8 per person on weekends, with free admission for children under two. The apples themselves cost $2.99 per pound.
Pumpkin picking has also become available for the duration of October. All day field access applies to both the apple and pumpkin fields. Pumpkins cost $0.79 per pound.
For those interested in attending, the Eckert’s Belleville Farm is located at 951 S Green Mt Rd. Tickets for AppleFest rides cost $3, or three tickets for $7, and all day field access is $8 per person above the age of two. Any additional information can be found on Eckert’s official website.
