A genuine agritourism destination west of Boston with over 30 apple varieties confirmed on the farm's own site, but plan around its two closed weekdays and know exact PYO pricing isn't posted.
Tougas Family Farm sits at 234 Ball Street in Northborough, about 45 minutes west of Boston in the MetroWest region, and the record describes a genuinely full apple lineup — more than 30 varieties, with six named specifically: Honeycrisp, Sweet MAIA, Zestar, Gravenstein, Gingergold, and Sansa. That list mixes standard mid-season fruit (Honeycrisp) with less-common early picks like Sansa and Gravenstein, which is a wider spread of ripening windows than many orchards in this research batch name outright. PYO fields run Wednesday through Sunday, 8am-4pm, with the farm store open longer — 8am-5pm most days, until 8pm on Friday and Saturday. Cider donuts are confirmed, and the phone number on file is (508) 393-6406.
The record makes clear this is built as a destination, not a bare orchard row. Confirmed activities include a hayride, a petting barnyard with goats, alpaca, and guinea fowl, a themed playground, and — per the farm’s own research notes — a beer and hard-cider garden. That combination puts Tougas closer to the agritourism model seen at places like Lookout Farm in Natick than to a simple farm-stand operation. For a family weighing a half-day trip against a full outing, that barnyard-plus-playground-plus-drinks lineup is a real differentiator worth factoring in.
Sansa and Gravenstein are worth calling out specifically: both are earlier-ripening apples less commonly named in orchard records generally, which suggests Tougas leans into variety diversity rather than sticking to the standard McIntosh-Honeycrisp-Cortland trio most New England orchards default to. That said, the record doesn’t provide a ripening calendar mapping which of the 30-plus varieties are ready in which week, so a visitor chasing a specific apple — early-season Sansa versus a later Honeycrisp haul — still needs to check the farm’s own daily update before driving out.
Unlike some orchards in this batch that post a clear per-bag price sheet, Tougas’s own site apparently keeps current PYO pricing off a static page entirely, publishing it instead through a “What’s Picking Today” update. That’s a meaningfully different approach from a place like C.N. Smith Farm, which posts fixed bag prices by size. Anyone budgeting for a trip here should expect to check that daily update or call ahead rather than assume a fixed rate.
The PYO fields close Monday and Tuesday every week, which is worth building into any trip plan — it’s easy to assume a working farm is open daily, and Tougas explicitly isn’t for picking purposes. The farm store and other attractions may run on a different schedule, but the record specifically calls out the PYO closure days, so a weekday visit needs planning around Wednesday through Sunday.
Tougas Family Farm backs up its reputation with a genuinely long, varied apple list and a barnyard-and-playground package that goes well beyond simple picking, but the two things a visitor most needs to plan around — exact PYO pricing and which of the 30-plus varieties are ready on a given day — aren’t locked down in this record. Calling (508) 393-6406 or checking the farm’s daily picking update before a Wednesday-through-Sunday visit is the safest way to avoid a wasted trip.
Early fall for the record's named early varieties (Zestar, Gingergold, Sansa, Gravenstein) or later for Honeycrisp — the record lists these among 30-plus varieties without giving a week-by-week ripening calendar, so timing an exact visit still needs a call or a check of the farm's daily 'What's Picking Today' update.
you're planning a Monday or Tuesday visit — PYO fields are closed those two days — or you want a fixed per-bag price locked in before you arrive.
Wednesday through Sunday; the fields are closed Monday and Tuesday, per the record.
The record names six specifically — Honeycrisp, Sweet MAIA, Zestar, Gravenstein, Gingergold, and Sansa — out of a stated total of more than 30 varieties overall.
Yes, cider donuts are confirmed in the record.
The record lists a hayride, a petting barnyard with goats, alpaca, and guinea fowl, and a themed playground, plus a beer and hard-cider garden mentioned in research notes.
Not stated as a fixed price in the record. Pricing reportedly only appears in a daily 'What's Picking Today' update on the farm's site, not as a posted rate.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. In past seasons it has run: Wed-Sun (closed Mon-Tue). Check with the orchard before driving out.
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.
Honeycrisp, Sweet MAIA, Zestar, Gravenstein, Gingergold, Sansa — note that what's actually ready to pick changes week to week through the season.
234 Ball Street, Northborough, MA 01532, in Worcester County. It is one of 3 orchards we track in MetroWest.
We track 3 orchards in MetroWest, 3 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.
What sets it apart locally: it has a hayride or wagon ride, a petting area, which most MetroWest orchards on our list do not.
One caveat worth repeating: this orchard had not published its 2026 dates when we last checked, while 0 of the 3 orchards we track in MetroWest had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the orchard confirms it.
There are 4 other orchards we track in Worcester County. All MetroWest orchards →
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
tougasfamilyfarm.com
Checked September 2026.