Apple Picking at Eckert's in Grafton
Two weekends ago, I headed up to Eckert's in Grafton, IL to enjoy one of my favorite fall activities: apple picking! This year and last year I chose the Grafton location because the few years before that I had visited the Millstadt location, and I figured it was time to try something new. Also, if you like scenic drives, heading to Eckert's is for you! You get to drive along the Great River Road and watch all the boats go by, as well as try not to get run over by loads of Illinois motorcyclists. The drive is unbelievably enjoyable this time of the year with the crisp breeze and changing trees.
I made a little adventure out of the day, and my cousin Teddy joined me. We first stopped at the good old Fast Eddie's Bonair in Alton, IL, right after you cross the bridge. If you live in the area, you should definitely hit up Fast Eddie's sometime. It's a wild restaurant/bar where you line up, and shout at the workers what you want to eat from their limited menu. The food is bar food, from burgers to kebobs to fries, but you can also order chilled shrimp for about $.30each! I love going, chowing down on some grub, throwing back a beer, and people watching.
We hopped back in the car and headed to Eckert's. We popped into their country store to see what goodies we should purchase on the way home, and then jumped on the wagon. The wagon drops you off in the currently ripe orchard rows, and you pick as many apples as you'd like. Since we were arrived sort of late in the ripening game, we only were able to choose from Fuji apples and Golden Delicious, and we had to hunt for them! Luckily, Teddy is over 6'0", so he helped a lot with picking the best remaining apples.
The day was fairly cool with a breeze, so I layered up. My skirt and sweater were thrifty finds, my tights are from Nordstrom, the bag was a Target purchase for my trip to NYFW, my T-shirt and necklace are from maurices, my hat is from Urban Outfitters, and my boots were a super sale steal on JustFab.com. The way cool sunnies were a purchase from the blogger tour last Friday at Avalon Exchange, which you'll read more about soon!
After grabbing apples to last me a couple weeks, we grabbed a couple of sarsaparilla sodas from the country store, and hit the road back to Grafton. We wandered through a few of the shops, taking in all silliness that antique malls and small town stores have to offer.
I made a little adventure out of the day, and my cousin Teddy joined me. We first stopped at the good old Fast Eddie's Bonair in Alton, IL, right after you cross the bridge. If you live in the area, you should definitely hit up Fast Eddie's sometime. It's a wild restaurant/bar where you line up, and shout at the workers what you want to eat from their limited menu. The food is bar food, from burgers to kebobs to fries, but you can also order chilled shrimp for about $.30each! I love going, chowing down on some grub, throwing back a beer, and people watching.
We hopped back in the car and headed to Eckert's. We popped into their country store to see what goodies we should purchase on the way home, and then jumped on the wagon. The wagon drops you off in the currently ripe orchard rows, and you pick as many apples as you'd like. Since we were arrived sort of late in the ripening game, we only were able to choose from Fuji apples and Golden Delicious, and we had to hunt for them! Luckily, Teddy is over 6'0", so he helped a lot with picking the best remaining apples.
The day was fairly cool with a breeze, so I layered up. My skirt and sweater were thrifty finds, my tights are from Nordstrom, the bag was a Target purchase for my trip to NYFW, my T-shirt and necklace are from maurices, my hat is from Urban Outfitters, and my boots were a super sale steal on JustFab.com. The way cool sunnies were a purchase from the blogger tour last Friday at Avalon Exchange, which you'll read more about soon!
After grabbing apples to last me a couple weeks, we grabbed a couple of sarsaparilla sodas from the country store, and hit the road back to Grafton. We wandered through a few of the shops, taking in all silliness that antique malls and small town stores have to offer.
Do you go apple picking during the fall too? Or do you stick to city-based fall activities?