Melick's Town Farm - Califon Orchards

Nice place to visit with family and friends. Melick's Town Farm is a highly-rated, multi-location family destination in New Jersey. A great spot for pick your own. Spent some good time here picking and relaxing.

My partner and I stopped by Melick's Town Farm in late September primarily for Asian pears. Just a heads-up before you go: the farm has a policy of no pets (service animals are welcome, of course) and you can't bring large bags or purses into the picking area. So, definitely leave those in the car or you'll have to check them in!

The map of the orchards was accurate and clearly labeled, which made navigating easy. We found the Asian pears right away and grabbed some "crisp" apples afterward. The pears were small but super sweet! I do have to mention that we noticed a fair amount of trash lying around, which was a bummer. I did my best to pick up what I saw, but I really wish guests would be more respectful of this beautiful farm.

They also sell gorgeous sunflowers, and their farm shop is well stocked! We picked up some home-made beers that were seriously thirst-quenching on that warm day. Overall, it was a fun trip!

Melick’s Town Farm – Califon Orchards was such a nice experience overall! When I first called, the lady on the phone kept saying “Califon,” and I honestly had never even heard of that town before, so I kept asking her to repeat it — she got frustrated and hung up, which wasn’t the best start.

But once I actually went in person, everyone there was super friendly and welcoming! The apples were fantastic — fresh, juicy, and reasonably priced. They even have sunflower picking, which was really cute (a little scary with all the bees, but manageable!). Definitely worth visiting once the season starts — just maybe skip calling ahead

Delicious apples, and the apple cider is soooo good. Take a short tractor ride to pick your own pumpkins and apples. The pumpkin area gives you enough to choose from without it being miles of pumpkins. Good for kids that want to "see it all" before they pick the "perfect" pumpkin. Great selection to pick your own or at the store front you can choose from a variety of shapes, colors and sizes. The apples are unreal. So many to choose from and all delicious. Their prices are more than fair, so you won't break the bank. They even have a corn maze and a goat pen. You may even see the goats butt heads! The kids loved it! Definitely stop at the store before you go for some fresh veggies and sweet treats: apple cider donuts, cookies, PIES 🥧 and for the adults hard cider, apple wine, rose, red and white wines. Don't forget to pick up some local honey. Take the day, grab some snacks from the store and sip on some cider while hanging out on their picnic tables and enjoying the view. Worth the trip!

During apple picking season, it feels like the state of New Jersey is suddenly overrun with you-pick orchards. After researching several options with a mind toward reasonable entrance fees and fair prices per unit, Melick's was where we landed. At $5.99 per person for weekend pricing (which includes a free hayride to the furthest points of the orchard) at peak picking season, I felt it was worth the longer drive to get there. I also loved that they issued free plastic picking bags without the added cost, as many orchards are now wont to do.

In late September, there were plenty of apples ripe for the picking, with clear signage to denote which types were ripe. Honeycrisp apples were a little more per pound, but once I tasted a few, it was clear why. True to its name, I've never bit into a more juicier or crunchier apple, and I've been spoiled for supermarket apples for good. Most folks seem to come for the apples, but I saw a fair number of people coming down from the fields with armloads of giant sunflowers. Of course, there's always the store at the front, with other farm-fresh produce, cider (both alcoholic and non), and baked goodies. The alcoholic apple cider was refreshing, with a light buzz that made time in the orchard just a little happier.

No bags or backpacks are allowed in the orchard area, but there's a small picnic area with some tables and porta-potties at the very front. Our family came prepared with picnic blankets, and the folks here were totally fine with us setting up by the goats (who are fenced in, so there's no direct interaction but the children in our group had great fun watching them while we ate).

Melick may not have all the frills and fancy fun of other orchards, but I was delighted by a few perks, like a small tire play area and a decently sized corn maze that was fun to walk through with the family. The parking lot doesn't seem all that large, but when we went, it never seemed to get so busy that it was impossible to find a spot.