A large, roughly 190-acre South Metro farm with a flat gate admission that covers a corn maze, petting farm, and hayride — but named apple varieties and season dates couldn't be confirmed from the orchard's own site during this research.
orchard gate admission: ages 5+ $5, ages 4 and under $4; covers play area, petting farm, and hayride access
Afton Apple Orchard is a large multi-crop farm south of Hastings — about 190 acres, per the research notes — that pairs apple and fall raspberry picking with a corn maze, hayride, and petting farm under one flat gate admission. It’s a solid pick if you want a bigger fall-festival feel rather than a quiet orchard visit. The gap in this record is real, though: because the orchard’s own website returned only a JavaScript shell during research, neither named apple varieties nor a dated 2026 season announcement could be confirmed from a primary source.
The one confirmed price point here is admission, not apples. The record lists $5 per person for ages 5 and up, and $4 for ages 4 and under, and states this covers the play area, petting farm, and hayride access. That’s a meaningfully different pricing model than orchards that charge nothing to enter and only bill you for what you pick — worth knowing before you show up expecting a free walk-through. What the gate fee does or doesn’t include when it comes to the apples themselves isn’t stated, so budget separately for your actual haul of fruit.
At roughly 190 acres, per the research notes, Afton runs strawberries earlier in the summer before shifting into apples and fall raspberries, and the property supports a genuinely large attraction list: a hayride, petting farm, a 15-acre corn maze, a playground, and a straw mountain. That scale suggests planning for more than a quick in-and-out stop — if the corn maze and hayride are part of your plan, budget real time beyond just picking fruit.
This is the honest limitation in the record: no apple varieties are named. That’s not because Afton doesn’t grow multiple kinds — it’s because the orchard’s own site loaded as a script-driven shell rather than readable content when this research was done, and no secondary source filled in specific variety names. If knowing whether you’ll find early apples like Zestar or later ones like Cortland matters to your trip, that’s a direct question for the farm — 651-436-8385 — rather than something this record can answer.
The record describes an “Aug-Oct” window for apple and fall raspberry picking, with daily hours of 10am to 6pm. That’s a season description, though, not a dated 2026 announcement — there’s no confirmed opening weekend or closing date on file. Given the size of the operation and the corn maze’s own typical fall run, it’s reasonable to expect the season lines up with other South Metro orchards, but “reasonable to expect” isn’t the same as confirmed, so a call ahead is the safer move if your trip depends on a specific date.
Neither a cider mill nor cider donuts are confirmed in this record. That doesn’t necessarily mean Afton skips them — it means this research didn’t turn up a primary-source confirmation either way, again a byproduct of the site not rendering readable content. If cider donuts are a must-have for your visit, ask when you call rather than assuming either way.
Afton Apple Orchard is at 14421 South 90th Street in Hastings, Dakota County, part of the broader St. Croix Valley / South Metro cluster. The coordinates on file are an approximate area estimate rather than an individually geocoded point, so navigate by the street address.
Afton reads as a large, activity-rich fall destination with a clear, confirmed admission price — but the specifics that matter most to an apple-focused visit (varieties, exact season dates, cider offerings) aren’t confirmed in this record because the orchard’s own site wasn’t readable during research. A quick call to 651-436-8385 fills in the gaps this record can’t.
The record notes an Aug-Oct window for apple and fall raspberry picking, with hours of 10am-6pm daily, but no dated 2026 season start or end was found.
You're picking a farm based on which apple varieties are available — none are named in this record.
The record lists a flat gate admission: $5 for ages 5 and up, $4 for ages 4 and under. That covers the play area, petting farm, and hayride access — it's a per-person entry fee, not a per-pound apple price.
Not stated in the record. The orchard's own site loaded as a JavaScript-only shell during this research and didn't yield readable variety information, so this is a gap to ask about directly.
It leans toward the festival side. Beyond apple and raspberry picking, the property runs a corn maze, hayride, petting farm, playground, and a 'straw mountain,' on roughly 190 acres according to the research notes.
Not stated in the record. The $5/$4 gate fee is described as covering the play area, petting farm, and hayride access; nothing in the record says whether picked apples are priced separately or bundled in.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. In past seasons it has run: Daily. Check with the orchard before driving out.
Prices start at $5. orchard gate admission: ages 5+ $5, ages 4 and under $4; covers play area, petting farm, and hayride access
Yes — it's a pick-your-own orchard.
14421 South 90th Street, Hastings, MN 55033, in Dakota County. It is one of 1 orchards we track in St. Croix Valley / Twin Cities South Metro.
There is 1 other orchard we track in Dakota County. All St. Croix Valley / Twin Cities South Metro orchards →
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
aftonapple.com
Checked September 2026.