“The heat of the autumn is different from the heat of summer.
One ripens apples while the other turns them to cider.” -Jane Hershfield
After a week of rainy weather, our crew was overjoyed to see sunshine and blue skies yesterday and ready to get out of the house. We considered our options for an afternoon outing and decided to head up to Windy Hill Orchard & Cider Mill in York County. The orchard and cidery was started by Fritz and Catherine Gusmer originally from New Jersey. They were gifted a cider press in 1978, and the rest is really history. The operation has become a family affair as the orchard produces apples for hard ciders as well as their famous apple cider donuts.
During harvest time, the public can visit to pick their own apples directly from the orchard, and throughout the fall, Windy Hill sells apples and a host of apple products- pies, wassail, even BBQ sauce! It is a fun place to spend the afternoon as we saw many groups with friends, children and puppies tasting the different ciders and enjoying the fall weather around the fire pits.
Eloise had to dig into a warm donut right away, and then we explored the area before loading up on a hayride around the orchard.
Before heading home, we had an early dinner at The Pump House in Rock Hill. The restaurant is located in a former industrial pump house situated overlooking the Catawba River. The menu features fresh, local ingredients and a very impressive wine list. It’s truly worth the drive!
A Sunday well-spent and more fall family memories made.
