Ricker Hill in nearby Turner offers a great way to spend an afternoon during your stay at Wolf Cove Inn, a bed and breakfast in Maine. Only a 30 minute drive through rolling hills of the Maine countryside, you’ll enjoy the ride almost as much as your time there. Read on to find out 3 fun activities at Ricker Hill Hard Cider Orchards.
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Three distinct areas make up the Ricker Hill complex. Right on route 117/Bucksfield Road you’ll find the farm stand. Adjacent to the farm stand is Ricker Hill Road. Across the road from the farm stand is the Ricker Hill Mainiac Hard Cider Tasting Room and production facility. Then follow the signs down Ricker Hill Road for a few miles to the u-pick orchard.
#1 – Ricker Hill Hard Cider Tasting Room
Ricker Hill produces their hard cider from apples grown right in their own orchard, not concentrate from somewhere else as other hard cider producers may do. For nine generations, they’ve been growing and tending to their orchard up there on the hill. So they sure know something about producing the best raw materials to use in their hard cider.
Mainiac Hard Cider represents Ricker Hill’s most famous product. However, it’s not the only hard cider they produce. A visit to their tasting room gives you the opportunity to sample almost the entire array of their product line. With 12 taps on-line in the tasting room, you’ll have a hard time (pun intended) choosing the hard cider you want to sample. A recent visit to the tasting room had this line-up:
- Blueberry
- Strawberry
- Black Select
- Apple Pie
- Maple
- Vanilla
- Gingerbread
- Dry Cider
- Horseradish
- Mac
- Gold
- Gold Cranberry
During apple picking season in the fall (generally late August through mid-October) their production line is in full operation. They offer tours of the cider making process throughout the day.
#2 – The U-pick Orchard
A few miles up the road from the Ricker Hill Hard Cider tasting room, you’ll find the Ricker Hill Orchard. Perched atop Ricker Hill, you’ll enjoy breathtaking views of the gorgeous Maine countryside. It’s claimed that this orchard has the best orchard views in New England. During apple picking season (late August to mid-October) you’ll discover a whole lot going on at the orchard. Of course you’ll find apple picking. However, you can also catch a tractor ride through the orchard. Furthermore you can visit their pumpkin patch and grab one or two to carve your own jack-o-lanterns.
Question – how do you fix a broken jack-o-lantern? Answer – with a pumpkin patch!
Apples grown at the orchard include:
- McIntosh
- Cortland
- Ginger Gold
- Red Delicious
- Golden Delicious
- Jona Gold
- Empire
- Gala
- Honey Crisp
- Northern Spy
- Duches
- Black Oxford
- Yellow Transparent
- Wolf River
- Baldwin
- Wealthy
#3 – The Farm Stand Near Ricker Hill Hard Cider Tasting Room
The Ricker Hill Farm Stand is across the road from the tasting room and it’s a real hotbed of activity. At the farm stand itself, you’ll find their bakery that cranks out, among other items, apple cider donuts, chocolate donuts and (of course) apple pies. The farm stand also carries apples, cider and their own cranberries grown right out back. Furthermore, you’ll find a variety of local Maine and New England produced products.
Other activities (seasonal) centered at the farm stand include, for example:
- Disc golf,
- A corn maze,
- A hay climb and slide
- A hay maze
- A farm animal petting area
About Your Stay at Wolf Cove Inn
The Wolf Cove Inn is a premier Maine B&B. With eleven rooms in the main Inn and a beautiful cabin, as well as two beautiful wooded and gardened acres, we are a travelers choice for a romantic getaway in Maine. Situated right on Tripp Lake with 550 feet of private waterfront in Poland Maine, you’ll enjoy our countryside atmosphere with plenty of open spaces and lots to do. For example:
- Right on property, take a tour of Tripp Lake in our complimentary kayaks and canoes
- Enjoy the gorgeous sunsets around the fire pit with gourmet “1927 S’mores” kits
- Each morning, wake up to the aroma of freshly ground and brewed coffee, then enjoy our Maine Comfort Breakfast that’s complimentary too
- And so much more …
We hope to see you soon at the Wolf Cove Inn – featured in Conde Nast, The Boston Globe, Redbook and on MSN.
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