Braeutigam Orchards - Awesome Apple Picking, Slushies, and Donuts

Braeutigam Orchards Summary

We headed out to Braeutigam Orchards in southern Illinois to pick apples with some friends. It has been five years, pre-pandemic, since our last trip out this way. I knew it had been a while because we drove right past Eckert's, which is where we went way back in 2019.

It's a bit of a hike from our side of town, about 40 minutes. The directions will try to take you straight through East St. Louis, which is the fastest way. I normally recommend an alternate route that stays on the highway. It adds maybe four minutes, but you avoid driving through the city proper. That said, I've done it twice now around 10 AM on a Sunday, and it was totally fine.

Now, this is the key. Eckert's is like the Disneyland of apple picking. It's huge, it's commercial, it's an event.

Braeutigam Orchards is like the local park version.

And honestly? I think I prefer it.

There's no admission fee. The tractor ride out to the fields is free. They have a whole play area for kids, which is also free. It just has everything the bigger farm next door has, but at a smaller, more manageable scale. No stress, no massive lines.

We were there for about three hours total. The kids played for 20 minutes in the play area before we even saw an apple. They have a little farm animal area where you can feed pigs (they were actually cuter than you'd expect!), some mini-goats, a bunny, and chickens running around.

The main play area is awesome for little kids. There's a big climbing hill made of hay bales, a hay maze, a couple of sheds with kids' tool sets, and a play pen filled with corn kernels.

The tractor comes maybe every 10 minutes or so, and it's less than a five-minute ride out to the fields. The setup for picking is great for kids. They have ladders set up and these long poles with a grabber on the end so the kids can reach the higher apples. They loved it. My kids had a blast running around with their friends in the apple rows.

Okay, here's the one little caveat. The apple selection.

They only had three varieties you could pick from: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and one other I can't remember. And those just... aren't the best apples, flavor-wise. I was really hoping for a Honeycrisp, a Fuji, or a Macintosh. So, I'm probably not going to eat any of the apples we picked.

But! The kids had plenty of fun picking them, and they're only $3 a pound. We got back to the main barn, and the store sells all the usual pre-picked apples, jams, and ciders. They also had apple spice and pumpkin spice donuts.

This is where it gets good. They have Apple Cider Slushies.

Think of a slushy machine, with the ice swirling around, but filled with apple cider. It was so light and fluffy, which is an odd thing to say about a drink, but it was almost foamy. It was incredibly refreshing and quite tasty. I'm not even a huge apple cider fan, but I really, really enjoyed this. It was probably my favorite part of the whole experience, actually.

So, yeah. All in, I was really impressed. For $20 ($19.99, to be exact), we got five pounds of apples and two slushies and spent three hours playing. You can't beat that.

Even with the "meh" apple selection, I think I would go here again instead of Eckert's. It's just so much more kid-friendly, less expensive, and not nearly as stressful.

Braeutigam Orchards Things To Do

The farm is broken down into a few key areas, all right next to each other.

Apple & Pumpkin Picking

This is the main event. You can grab a bag (they give every kid one) and hop on the free tractor ride out to the fields. For apples, they have ladders and special "grabber" tools for kids. The selection was limited to Red Delicious and Golden Delicious when we went, but the experience was top-notch for the kids. They also have a pumpkin patch you can pick from.

Kids Play Areas

This was a huge hit and, best of all, free. There's a dedicated play zone with a large hay bale climbing hill, a hay maze, and a play pen filled with corn kernels.

Animal Farm

Right near the play area, there's a small farm animal section. We saw pigs, mini-goats, chickens, and a bunny. You can't go in with all of them, but you can watch them and feed a few.

General Store & Eatery

This is the main barn where you pay for your apples and grab the good stuff. They sell pre-picked apples, jams, ciders, and local goods. This is also where you buy the apple spice and pumpkin spice donuts and the amazing apple cider slushies.

Braeutigam Orchards Details And Info

Braeutigam Orchards is located in southern Illinois, past Belleville and the much larger Eckert's. From St. Louis, it's about a 40-minute drive.

The farm itself is a little off the beaten path. You have to go past Eckert's and then down a dirt road, but there were signs the whole way down, making it super easy to find.

Parking At Braeutigam Orchards

Parking is free in a large, unpaved (grass and gravel) lot. We got there right at 9 AM on a Sunday and had no problem finding a spot near the front.

When we left around noon, the lot was about three-quarters full. On a nice day, I'd expect it to be busy, but there seemed to be plenty of space for everyone.

Braeutigam Orchards Receipt

We didn't get a paper receipt, but the total for 5 pounds of apples and two apple cider slushies came to $19.99. For three hours of entertainment, that's a fantastic deal.