Russell Orchards Winery - Wine Tours of Ipswich, Massachusetts

Russell Orchards Winery
143 Argilla Road
Ipswich, MA 01938

978.356.5366

The School Tours

Each year we welcome thousands of local school children to our farm. We have shown them how to pick and sort apples, and how to press cider. Children are taken out to the orchard on a tractor drawn hayride to pick their own bag of apples (crop permitting), which always makes for wonderful memories. Tours run from September 15 to October 24. Call the store M-F between 9AM and 6PM to book your classroom tour soon! This year there are two options to accomodate schools' needs.

"Apple Orchard Only" Tours include:

Tractor-drawn hayride
1/4 peck bag to fill with apples (picking from trees while crop lasts/until approximately Oct. 17)
Souvenir sticker for each child
Cost is $4.00 per person
Apple Orchard Only tours take approximately 1 hour. Haywagon capacity is 30 people maximum. Groups will be taken out to the orchard to pick apples and returned to the main barn within 30 minutes. Large groups will need to be split up and taken out in shifts (we will try to keep large groups together as much as possible).

"Orchard Classroom" Tours include:

Age-appropriate Q & A session with trained tour guide
Hands-on demonstration of old-fashioned cider press
Video of Cider press
1 cup of pasteurized cider
Tractor-drawn hayride
1/4 peck bag to fill with apples (picking from trees while crop lasts/until approximately Oct. 17)
Cost: $7.00 per person (no charge for 2 teachers per standard size classroom. Must have a minimum of 15 paying to qualify)
Orchard Classroom Tours take about an hour and a half. Typically, groups will be shown into the barn for the classroom portion of the tour and then take the hayride afterwards. Haywagon capacity is 30 people maximum. Groups will be taken out to the orchard to pick apples and returned to the main barn within 30 minutes. Large groups will need to be split up and taken out in shifts (we will try to keep large groups together as much as possible).

Please plan to arrive 15 minutes before your tour is scheduled to begin. The main teacher or adult in charge must come to the store to pay for the total number in the group. This includes all students, siblings, additional staff, chaperones and others, with the exception of two teachers per standard size class (must have a minimum of 15 paying to qualify). Your paid receipt will get you on the haywagon and will determine the number of picking bags you receive. An Orchard staffer will direct you to the appropriate location for your tour.

Due to tight scheduling and increased need for child safety and monitoring, we regretfully cannot accomodate scout troops, parent groups, playgroups, or other non-school related parties.

Ôø? 2003 Russell Orchards, Inc. All Rights Reserved.