Oak Glen's Apple Season Gets a Sweet September Start

The span that stretches from Labor Day Weekend to the Sunday that follows Thanksgiving is a lengthy one, filling out around a full fourth of the year.

And yet?

It can often fly by, especially if you and your crew want to seek out some homespun-fun activities, the kind often depicted in puzzles and greeting cards and covers of fall magazines.

Planning ahead is key, much in the way you might decide what you'd like to do with an apple prior to placing it on the counter. You might just eat the piece of fruit, or slice it for a tart, or bake it.

There are also several ways to approach Apple Season in Oak Glen, which will again uncurl, much like the peel of a pretty pomme fruit, from Labor Day Weekend through to late November.

This doesn't mean that there will be major events or festivals every day of the season — though, yes, the quaint community's Apple Butter Festival, a nostalgic November favorite, is on the calendar — but you can find plenty of ways to soak in the crisp-air'd atmosphere if you know where to look.

The orchards and farms of the verdant area are a fine place to begin your Oak Glen gadabout if you've promised the family an apple-picking adventure this year.

Some regional spots give visitors the memorable chance to remove apples from the trees on their own while others will feature shops brimming with all sorts of apple-y products, from muffins to syrups to sweet sips.

Hours and open days will vary, too, so be sure to check with a specific orchard before making the drive to the town, which is a short toodle northeast of Yucaipa off the 10 Freeway.

There are several shops in towns, and restaurants, too, to consider.

The freshly baked goods and pie choices are plentiful, so you're going to want to decide if you're a warm pie person, or an a la mode maven, before taking a seat at a local counter.

Maybe both? That feels like a satisfactory answer to "how do you like your pie?" We like it in all the ways, please and thank you.

Other sights and attractions, like the Oak Glen Schoolhouse Museum & Park, are also favorite stop-by spots for daytrippers. And horse-backing riding can happen along the region's trails, while sweet moments of adorable animal interactions — think goat-petting and such — are also adorable Oak Glen hallmarks, depending on when you visit.

Weekends during Apple Season do bustle, with more going on around town, but if you're seeking a quieter expression of autumn, consider calling upon the area mid-week. Either way, checking out everything that is happening, before making for the community, is as wise as an apple slice is sweet.

The foliage around Oak Glen is also a delightful draw later in the season, with golds and rusts adding a painterly quality to the trees clustered around the higher-elevation hamlet.