A Fall Day at Applefest in Warwick

There’s something about a small-town fall festival that just feels like October in New York.

We headed an hour north to Warwick for the 36th annual Applefest, with plenty of changing leaves to admire along the way. We parked at the middle school shuttle stop, and hopped on a school bus into town—which, honestly, was part of the fun.

Once we arrived, we mostly just wandered. There was live music throughout town (four stages!), vendor tables lining the streets, and something good to eat around practically every corner. Cider and cider donuts were firmly on our must-get list, so we tackled those early, then picked up plenty of other good things as we made our way around. (Tip: bring a backpack or tote—you’ll use it.)

One of our first stops was 17 & Orchard Candle Co., where we found beautifully scented candles poured right in Warwick.

Then came Warwick Chocolate Company, where the Applefest spirit continued with all kinds of apple-inspired chocolates, including bars made with dried apples and cinnamon and a caramel-apple version. We sampled a few of their cordials too—the dark chocolate cherry was my personal favorite—and Sydney chose an elaborate chocolate unicorn that was almost too pretty to eat. In fact, she still hasn’t eaten it, and at this point, I’m not entirely sure she ever will.

Everyone found something to bring home. The older girls picked out decorative pins and jewelry from the vendors, and we even found something for our dog Prince—an antler chew that should keep him busy for quite a while.

And, naturally, we left with more food. A chocolate rum cake and an oversized pumpkin loaf came home with us for later, on top of all the good things we’d already eaten along the way.

That was probably our favorite part of Applefest: there was no real agenda beyond wandering through town, listening to the music, trying different foods, and stopping whenever something caught our eye.

Warwick already feels made for fall, and Applefest offers a very good excuse to spend an October afternoon there.

Warwick, New York

Go hungry. Take the shuttle. Get the cider donuts. And apparently, bring home a chocolate unicorn. 🍎🦄