The Apple Holler Family Farm is one of the most popular stops on I-94 between Kenosha and Racine.
It’s hard to miss the Apple Holler when you pass it on i-94 on weekends. Nearly any weekend will find a crowd of cars parked on the frontage road near it. I’ve often wondered what could create such crowds that parking guides are needed at a farm. It had to be more than just apples. I took a closer look and found that the Apple Holler has a whole lot of reasons to stop by and many of them are very tasty.
Some decorated farm machinery at Apple Holler
A family farm and much more.
They have apples of course. Actually, it’s a 74 acre apple orchard where you can pick your own apples as well as some other produce. They have farm animals and pony rides. There is a gemstone mine where kids can pan like old miners for gemstones and fossils. Hay rides and sleigh rides (depending on the weather). A huge corn maze. The Red Barn theater dinner. They also do bus tours to events and places.
The Apple Holler Restaurant features good country food and country style
The Apple Holler Restaurant.
The Apple Holler website does not do its restaurant justice. I checked the website a couple times and even stopped by to pick up some of the many fliers they have available at the entrance to check on the menu. They tend to feature sandwiches and burgers on the website menu. We ate on a Friday night and it was much better than we thought it was going to be.
The wonderful apple butter served with the cornbread is for sale in the bakery
We had the Friday night peppercorn sirloin special. My wife had a salad and mashed potatoes with her steak. I had french fries and vegetables with mine. Our dinner started with corn bread with an apple butter topping to put on it. My wife loved the apple butter (we will probably be stopping by fairly often for some from their market). I’ve had cornbread before but it was so good they probably could have served it as lemon cake for dessert and I would have believed them. Our steaks were cooked just right and my wife loved her mashed potatoes which were very home styled.
My french fries were something I think is worth mentioning by themselves. They were perfect. Not greasy. Not soggy. Not burnt. Not dry. Perfect. They were perfectly crisp and salted just enough to make me forget about the salt shaker on the table. McDonald’s could learn something about french fries from the Apple Holler.
I don’t claim to be a food critic and I don’t ever want to be one. I just enjoy good food that is of the type I like to eat. My wife on the other hand is very hard to please. She wanted me to make it clear that she really liked the food at the Apple Holler restaurant. It has a very country style decor. You would feel very comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt (more or less the uniform of the restaurant). That country style shows in excellent country style cooking and service. Most things on the menu were well under $10.00 with a few offerings that cost more (the Saturday prime rib starts higher and ends much higher as one of the exceptions). Our sirloin special dinners were just over $25 without the tip (and every bite was worth it).
Lots of Apple and Wisconsin related gifts at the Apple Holler Gift Shop
The Apple Holler gift shop.
I’m not sure if it is a gift shop or bakery that has gifts. The first thing you notice in the gift shop are all the desserts most of which have something to do with apples. Apple pie, caramel apples, and many more apple treats are available. Many of the other gift are also apple related.
Back farther in the shop is a bakery with different breads, pies, and more. You will also find just plain apples. There are a large number of preserves, jellies, and butters to choose from including the apple butter my wife enjoyed with the cornbread at dinner. There are lots of different ingredients for home cooked recipes available. They also have a nice selection of Door County Coffees if your local grocery has a limited choice. In fact, the bakery or gift shop is a lot like some of the farmer’s markets you’ll find in door county that feature homemade preserves and local orchard produce.
The Apple Holler Farm
The Apple Holler is hard to miss on I-94
I have yet to see much of the farm as we seem to always be passing Apple Holler in the evening. I do know that they have a petting zoo for kids to meet the animals. In season, you can pick your own apples, pumpkins, and other produce grown on the farm. There is a corn maze and wagon rides. There is an admission fee and some things are extra. It look like a better deal that the motorized rides at the malls and a lot more fun and educational. I bet Bunnyville is very cute too.
It’s worth a stop.
If you’re hungry, the Apple Holler Restaurant is a much nicer option that fast food if your traveling. It’s even worth a short drive for a special evening or lunch ( they have breakfast too). The farm might be a special event for the kids. They even have a special group package for kid’s parties. You might even just want to stop at the farm to give the kids a break from traveling.
I know since my wife liked the food that we will be going back. I am also looking forward to maybe taking some of my nieces and nephews to the farm for a treat. Now that I’ve been there, I wouldn’t even worry if it looks so busy they have someone directing parking (which I have noticed from the highway several times). There is a reason so many people go there. I suggest you stop in and find out too.
