A Racine County farm running since the 1840s that pairs u-pick apples with a genuinely large 8-acre sunflower field, though its posted season dates are missing a stated year.
Old Homestead Orchard has been family-run in Franksville, in Racine County, since the 1840s — a long history that shows up in the record’s research notes even though the farm’s website is fairly sparse on some of the specifics visitors most want. What is genuinely distinctive here is the flower operation: an 8-acre u-pick sunflower field and a separate 7-acre sunflower maze, a scale of flower growing that goes well beyond a token “photo op” patch at most orchards.
The farm’s own site reads, verbatim, “We are open starting Saturday, September 5 until Sunday, November 1.” That’s a clear, specific window — but the sentence itself never states which year it applies to. Based on the context of the page as read on September 2, 2026, Sonnet judged this was very likely describing the 2026 season and reported it that way here, but stopped short of treating it as fully confirmed. If the exact dates matter to your travel plans, a call to 262-895-6747 is worth the few minutes it takes, especially since the phone number itself in this record comes from a secondary business listing rather than the orchard’s own page.
The record specifically names two apples: Zestar, a well-known early-season variety that’s typically ready before Labor Day in a normal Wisconsin year, and Mollies Delicious, which ripens somewhat later. That’s a narrower confirmed list than some larger orchards in this research batch post, but it does tell you something useful: if you’re specifically after Zestar, an earlier visit within the posted season window is the better bet, while Mollies Delicious suggests something is still worth picking further into the fall.
The sunflower operation here is genuinely large-scale for a farm of this size — 8 acres of u-pick sunflowers plus a separate 7-acre sunflower maze. That’s a real point of differentiation from orchards that treat flowers as an afterthought; at Old Homestead, it reads more like a co-equal attraction to the apples themselves. Cider donuts are also confirmed, giving visitors a reliable sweet stop after time in the fields.
Hours run Friday, 11am to 5pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 5pm — the orchard is closed Monday through Thursday entirely. That’s worth building a trip around directly; there’s no weekday option here at all, so any visit has to land on one of those three days.
Beyond the missing year on the season dates, this record has no pricing information — no per-pound, per-bag, or admission figure — and no confirmation of a cider mill pressing fresh cider on site (only the donuts are confirmed). No note on u-pick versus pre-picked options beyond both being generally offered, and no additional apple varieties beyond the two named.
Old Homestead Orchard is at 7814 Raynor Ave in Franksville, Racine County, part of the broader Milwaukee-area cluster in this research batch. The lat/lng on file reflects Franksville’s city center rather than a geocoded street address, so use the posted address for directions.
Old Homestead Orchard combines a genuine multi-generation history with an unusually large sunflower operation, but the specifics that matter most for trip planning — a confirmed year on the season dates, pricing, and a fuller variety list — aren’t nailed down in this record. Treat the September 5-November 1 window as likely correct for 2026 and confirm by phone if your visit depends on precise timing.
The farm's own site states verbatim it is 'open starting Saturday, September 5 until Sunday, November 1,' without attaching a year to that sentence. Sonnet resolved this to 2026 based on page context, so it's reported here as likely rather than fully confirmed.
You need firm season-end confirmation for a specific year — the posted dates don't state which year they apply to.
Two are named in the record: Zestar and Mollies Delicious. Zestar is an early-season apple; Mollies Delicious ripens somewhat later.
Almost certainly, but the farm's own site doesn't state the year outright — Sonnet inferred 2026 from page context rather than finding an explicit label. Confirm by phone if the exact dates matter to your plans.
Friday, 11am-5pm; Saturday and Sunday, 9am-5pm. The farm is not open Monday through Thursday.
Yes — an 8-acre u-pick sunflower field and a 7-acre sunflower maze run alongside the orchard, a larger flower operation than most orchards this size.
Yes, cider donuts are confirmed in the record.
September 5 – November 1, 2026. Fri-Sun. Hours: Fri 11am-5pm; Sat-Sun 9am-5pm.
Pricing was not published when we last checked.
Yes — it's a pick-your-own orchard, with pre-picked apples at the farm stand too.
Zestar, Mollies Delicious — note that what's actually ready to pick changes week to week through the season.
7814 Raynor Ave, Franksville, WI 53126, in Racine County. It is one of 5 orchards we track in Milwaukee Area.
We track 5 orchards in Milwaukee Area, 5 of which let you pick your own apples. The orchard has not published a starting price, so it cannot be compared on cost — call before you budget.
Its season runs about 58 days against a regional average of 49, so it is a notably longer window than most of its neighbours, which takes the pressure off picking a weekend.
There is 1 other orchard we track in Racine County. All Milwaukee Area orchards →
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
oldhomesteadorchard.com
Checked September 2026.