The ‘best apple orchard in America’ is in a small upstate New York town just a few hours from the city

Road trippers who want to visit the ‘best apple orchard in America’ can stop by Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards in La Fayette.

USA Today experts and readers placed Beak and Skiff at the top of USA Today’s annual list Best apple orchards.

The apple orchard in upstate New York is a family business, located on a hill along Route 20.

The LaFayette Apple Orchard offers twenty varieties of apple trees, and as of spring 2019, there are 300,000 apple trees in the ground, according to Beak and Skiff’s. website.

Open seven days a week from late August to late October, Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards has now been ranked number one on the Best Apple Orchards list five times in nine years.

Syracuse onion farmer George Skiff and dairy farmer Andrew Beak founded Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards in 1911 after deciding to enter the apple farming business.

In the 1920s, business in the orchard flourished and apples began to be sold to various supermarkets.

Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards was one of the places hit hard by the drought of the 1930s, and by 1937 all the trees lost their leaves.

The orchard continued to struggle through the 1940s, losing an entire apple crop in 1945.

The top-ranked location survived, and after implementing new methods to keep crops safe and water trees, the founders managed to save thousands of apples from destruction.

Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards continued to grow and more than 60 years after its founding, the business opened to the public in 1975.

Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards offers 20 varieties of apple trees and more than 15 different varieties of fresh apples

The orchard subsequently opened the Apple Hill Country Store and bakery, and in 1979 the company began making apple cider.

“As it gained popularity and demand from our wholesale customers increased, we discovered the need to develop a pasteurization process that extends shelf life but does not alter the delicious taste,” the orchard wrote on its website.

“Our cider factory was the first to ‘flash pasteurize’ fresh cider and distribute it through the wholesale channel.”

The cider’s popularity eventually led to the 2001 creation of 1911 hard ciders, prompting the orchard to launch its own vodka and gin lines in 2010.

Years after the successful opening of the orchard, Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards has six attractions: 1911 Tasting Room and Tavern, Apple Hill General Store, Apple Barn, Beak & Skiff Bakery, Kids Treehouse and 1911 Distillery.

Visitors to Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards must travel by wagon to enter the farm. It is open seven days a week from the end of August to the end of October

What used to be an orchard where visitors must travel by wagon to access the farm is now a huge tourist attraction with activities for adults and families.

The 1911 Tasting Room and Tavern offers guests a selection of hard ciders, spirits and wines.

Guests who want to see how these drinks are made can visit the 1911 distillery, where equipment prepares drinks such as vodka and bourbon whiskey.

Food options can be found at Apple Hill General Store and Beak and Skiff Bakery.

The orchard’s bakery is stocked with treats like donuts, pies and cookies, and the website says apple bread is the company’s “favorite.”

Foodies can also stop by and buy homemade fudge from the orchard’s shop, along with other fun gifts and cold coffee.

Children can enjoy the Kids Treehouse, which offers activities for children aged two and up.

Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards has seemingly everything, from award-winning alcoholic beverages to live music and a summer concert series.

However, it’s not the only apple orchard in the US that can put a smile on a traveler’s face.

Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards has six attractions: 1911 Tasting Room and Tavern, Apple Hill General Store, Apple Barn, Beak & Skiff Bakery, Kids Treehouse, and 1911 Distillery

Two other places on USA Today’s list of best American apple orchards are the Libby & Son U-Picks in Limerick, Maine, and the Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge, Georgia.

Visitors to Maine apple orchards can stop by Libby & Son U-Picks between mid-August and late October and enjoy live music after picking fresh apples.

Travelers looking for a Georgia destination can head to the Mercier Orchards from August to November to pick apples, visit a winery or purchase produce at a farmers market.

Other states that are home to some of America’s best apple orchards include North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.