Belltown Hill Orchards
Orchard · South Glastonbury · Connecticut
A fruit farm above the Connecticut River that has grown apples in South Glastonbury for a century, with pick-your-own hours that shift daily depending on what's ripe. A haunted corn maze runs some fall nights alongside the regular daytime picking, and the farm market stays open into December.
Don’t miss
Plan your visit
Color nearby peaks: October 19–October 23
Color builds from October 6 · mostly bare by November 12
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at Belltown Hill Orchards’s own coordinates and elevation (117 m) rather than a regional average. Estimates, not promises — check locally before you plan a trip around it.
Belltown Hill Orchards on the map
More things to do in Connecticut
Kent Falls State Park
State parkPeak October 19
Connecticut's tallest waterfall drops 250 feet in a series of cascades over exposed bedrock, visible in full from a switchbacking trail that climbs alongside it, framed each October by the Litchfield Hills' turning oak and maple.
Don’t miss: 250-foot cascading waterfall · Trail climbs alongside the falls · Picnic grounds at the base
Gillette Castle State Park
State parkPeak October 24
Actor William Gillette, famous for playing Sherlock Holmes on stage, built this 24-room fieldstone castle above the Connecticut River in 1919, complete with hand-carved oak doors and a former narrow-gauge railroad grade, now trails through river-valley foliage.
Don’t miss: 1919 fieldstone castle with hand-built oak doors · Overlook of the Connecticut River valley · Grounds include former private railroad grade
Essex Steam Train & Riverboat
Scenic railwayColor nearby peaks October 26
A vintage steam locomotive pulls 1920s coaches from Essex through the lower Connecticut River valley, connecting at Deep River Landing to a riverboat cruise past Gillette Castle and the Goodspeed Opera House, a fall-foliage combination running since 1971.
Don’t miss: Vintage steam locomotive and 1920s coaches · Connecting riverboat cruise on the Connecticut River · Passes below Gillette Castle
B.F. Clyde's Cider Mill
Cider millColor nearby peaks October 25
The last steam-powered cider mill in the United States has pressed apples in Old Mystic since 1881, its 19th-century belt-driven press still running each fall. The mill sells sweet and hard cider, cider doughnuts, and pumpkins from a National Historic Landmark barn.
Don’t miss: Only surviving steam-powered cider mill in the US · National Historic Landmark, operating since 1881 · Cider-pressing demonstrations
Plan from a city
Frequently asked
- When does Belltown Hill Orchards peak in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 19–October 23 (best estimate October 21). Color starts around October 6 and is mostly bare by November 12.
- What is Belltown Hill Orchards best for?
- Hartford-area apple picking with a maze on the side.
- How do I get to Belltown Hill Orchards?
- Belltown Hill Orchards is in South Glastonbury. The closest city is Hartford, about 9 mi away (it's right in town). It's part of Connecticut's fall lineup.
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