Jonamac Orchard

Jonamac is very family friendly with lots to do for kids! Lots of fun "free' activities and the $5 wristband is worth it for the more high end activities. All the facilities and grounds were super clean and well maintained. The donuts and snacks were all delicious and the option of the cider house with wine and beer was a bonus. Wish the prices weren't quite so high , but we went in a weekday so did not have to pay the admission fee, so it made high pumpkin prices seem ok. Will definitely go back next year! Convenient location right off 88 between downtown Chicago and the Quad Cities.

When it comes to apple orchards, you can do the "theme park" orchards or the "actual orchard" orchards. Jonamac is definitely the theme park version.Although you can buy tickets in advance, it doesn't save you time at the orchard. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait in line with all the people buying tickets with cash. You will save a few bucks buying online, however. The wait to get in is disappointing, but understandable. Just budget that into your timeline.When you enter, you'll pass lots of kid-friendly activities. The orchard itself is very small, and the trees are tiny. When we arrived October 7, most of the trees had been pretty well picked over. There were maybe 10 rows of apples available for picking. If you're looking specifically for apples, there are better options, like the nearby Honey Hill Orchard in Waterman.Jonamac does earn decent marks for the children's activities. There's a corn bin where your kids can play and slide. There are a couple of games inside. There's a trough where you can pump water and send rubber ducks down a chute. There's a slide and a petting zoo and one of those jumping pillows. There's a cider house, but we didn't go in because the line was out the door. Food trucks roll in around noon. The crowds really swell around that time.You can also buy pumpkinsWe got fresh cider and donuts from the bakery shop at the front.If you have small children, Jonamac is pretty good. If you're looking for bushels and bushels of apples, you'll probably want to go somewhere else with a more robust harvest.

Definitely a great place to go to!! I recommend going Monday-Friday as it is a lot less busy and you do not have to pay to enter. It's only $5 those days to get a wrist band and do most of the things they have there. I think mon-thurs is 2-5:30 and fri is 12-5:30.

This place is great for kids and lots of activities to do. It did appear the apples were a little picked over but we didn't try to pick them.We came on a Saturday afternoon and though since it's outdoors, it did not feel packed, the lines were outrageous. My husband waited half an hour for the caramel apple slush but it was delicious! And I waited over an hour for the wine flight. We really liked some of the cider and wine, bought a few bottles. FYI you can check out at the side counter in the cider house. We planned on going to the bakery and store but glad she told me I could get the wine and cider there bc the store line would have been another 30-60 min wait...For that reason, we skipped the donuts which is one of the main reasons we came so that was a bummer but I didn't have it in me for another line.All in all, the cider house was worth it if you like taste testing. The prices were reasonable and the homemade cider is GREAT! Buuuut if you don't want to stand in line for everything, I would skip weekends. Long day of waiting.

So right when you arrive, you get the stench of fried food in the air. If you have just came from breakfast, like we discussed, I could be very off putting. Walk up to the purchase tickets kiosk and you get your arm band, and a $16 gallon Ziploc bag that they want you to put apples in. $16 for 4 apples Absolute rip off. And this is too much of a commercial environment. I was expecting the same atmosphere like when we go get our Christmas tree every year, you park and go get your tree then go to the shop and then take your tree. This is just overkill. Food trucks all over the place, not to mention their own kiosks scattered throughout their "orchard." Save your money. Unfortunately there are some apple types that I would like to try but I'm not paying $16 for them. Cost me more in gas to get out her than I'm getting in apples.

Very pretty orchard to visit during apple picking season. Honey crisps were picked clean when we went a few days after they were in season, so we got plenty of gala apples which were just as delicious for pie. We went quite early before it was packed, and it was nice and quiet. They had 2 food trucks on premises for food options, and we had some local bbq that was pretty solid. The orchard has frozen apple cider which was refreshing on a hot day. We enjoyed their brew house, and picked up some wines that they make. I am a big fan of the cranberry apple wine! Nice crisp fruity taste, not too overwhelming, tastes very close to cranberry juice. And of course you need apple cider donuts, which theirs were very delicious and moist.

I always get excited for apple picking weather, as I only moved up to chicago from South Florida 5 years ago so it's still a novelty for me. This past weekend was my second visit to Jonamac. My first visit was in October last year. I've been to a few other orchards and Jonamac is my fav! The vibe here is so fun and full of energy! All of the staff are so , so nice and helpful! They have so many family friendly activities, but we came for the apples, cider donuts, and hard cider! Hopefully next year I can get here before they run out of the honey crisp cider (honey crisp apples are my absolute favorite!). This year we tried the Bushfire and Traditional and I really enjoyed both. The bushfire has a nice ghost pepper kick as you swallow that keeps you coming back for more. I would say if you're sensitive to spicy - this might not be for you. They also have a flight so that could be a good way for you to test your comfort with the level of spice. In addition to ciders, they also have apple wine, beer, and slushees. Pro tip: make sure you are in the line to the right if you want to order by the cup or in the left line if you are ordering a flight. The orchard itself is so relaxing to walk around - I never new so many varieties of apples existed! I also recommend pre booking your time so that they are not sold out for the day when you get there.Can't wait to come back next year!

My family and have been coming here for years. Love everything about this place. The apple picking, the alcohol, especially the alcohol. The pumpkin patch, the general store, those donuts. YUM!

Nice store and orchard with a building to sample wines. Tons of stuff for the kids to do with a lot of it free. Definitely worth the trip.

I really like this place but will NOT be going back. They charge an admission fee which includes nothing! Inside, all the kids activities are $1-$8 each, 1/2 peck apple picking bags are $16! Which is about $1.60-$2.00 per apple. The tiny apple cider donuts are $1.50 each or $12.99 per dozen which i guess it's typical. If you can afford it go for it! Otherwise, im sure you can find better prices. After spending $210 for admission, kids activities, 4 tacos, 1 dz donuts, 2 half peck bags of apples, and half a gallon of apple cider....it's a hard pass for next year. Will check out other places.