Under The Old Apple Tree

Oak Glen, California is where you go to find apple picking fun, historical turn of the century reenactments of village living, community barbeques, and old west gun fights.

Start your day off with some apple picking. If apples aren’t in season, turn to berry picking. There are many farms along Oak Glen Drive that have different apple varieties and berry fields. Riley farm, for example has 10 varieties of apples. Riley’s Farm also hosts school tours of a historical 1800’s town. They even have an overnight civil war reenactment if the size of the party is large enough and they are willing to pay a fee. They give lessons on corn husk doll making and have a cider press on the property.

Snow Line, like most of the farms, is only open from Labor Day to Thanksgiving. It has terrific mini donuts. They are soaked in homemade apple cider and covered with a cinnamon coating. The line goes out the door most of the time. They also have appealing raspberry fields to pick your own basket from.

Law’s Oak Glen Coffee Shop in the heart of town is a must. Don’t leave without one of their apple pies. Head down the road a short distance to Oak Tree Village and visit the petting zoo, learn about farm life, pan for gold or watch an old west gun fight complete with stunt men at the Parrish Pioneer Apple Farm. There are also many quaint souvenir shops that carry tasty Carmel apples, or apple turnovers, or apple crumb cakes, or apple cider, well, you get the picture.

Spring is a nice time to visit and hike the stunning nature trail at Los Ranchos Rios. Oak Glen provides a quick getaway from the hustle, bustle and heat of neighboring towns during the summer, but the fall and winter are the best seasons in this area.

There are a few RV parks and in Oak Glen, although most accommodations will be found in the nearby cities of Redlands to the west and Palm Springs to the east. Visit www.oakglen.net to find out more information.

If you live in southern California, this is a first-rate annual family trip. Whether you are visiting the pumpkin patch before Halloween or sitting at one of the diners eating apple pie, you are sure to get pleasure from this busy little town.

The best way to reach Oak Glen is to follow the I10 towards Palm Springs. It is about 40 miles to the west of Palm Springs and 20 miles east of Redlands, CA.