Before I moved to cool, coastal Oregon, I lived in flat and humid Missouri, where the only refuge my family found from the harsh sun outside was in the loving embrace of an apple orchard called Eckert's.
The sun’s heat was pitiless and the temperature soared into the hundreds by mid-afternoon, but that only made the trip to Eckert’s better. The crisp apples and cool corn stalks that rose high enough to touch the sun’s glaring rays could only be appreciated during this time of year.
My first trip to the orchard was in the first grade, when my Girl Scout troop headed there for a field trip. It was a long hour and a half drive from our suburban town of Maryland Heights to rural Belleville. As soon as our troop leader pulled into the parking lot, however, every girl in the car was no longer bouncing up and down with restlessness but now with excitement.
That day was one of the best of my elementary school years as I stuffed my face with biscuits and apple jam until my stomach hurt, only to completely forget about it as we sang our troop songs on a tractor ride through the fields of fresh vegetables and navigated through the corn mazes. That field trip was the beginning of a new tradition for me and my family as I went home that night and begged my mother to take me again sometime.
The farm is nestled atop a large, grassy knoll known as “Turkey Hill.” The trek up used to wear me down as a child, but the roll back down made it well worth it. The restaurant sits in front, the incredible aroma of the family’s famous apple pie always drifting out the front doors. That’s probably why every time I’ve gone there’s been a wait!
The inside of the restaurant is what you’d imagine your great-grandmother’s dream kitchen to be like; dark wainscoting wrapped around well-loved floral wallpaper, family portraits lining the walls, fresh flowers planted inside barrels, and the scent of fresh-baked biscuits not far in the distance.
The food there is to die for, they have everything from mac ‘n cheese to chicken and dumplings and it’s always been good enough to keep my finicky family from arguing over lunch. Sitting at the table you can see the carnival rides down the western side of the hill. As a little girl this sight used to make me scarf down my meal to get my family moving faster towards the ferris wheel, a custom that would eventually be carried on by little brother.
The carnival is where I went through my first haunted house and where my little brother had his first pony ride. It begins in late summer during blackberry season and carries into the fall til after Halloween. There’s a petting zoo full of goats and cattle, a face-painting station, a scaled-down ferris wheel that gives you a view of the orchard, tire swings, a corn maze and tractor rides. It may not seem like a whole lot, but for only a $6 admission fee you have access to all the games and rides, which was enough to keep me running around for hours, or at least until I was too sunburnt to keep moving around.
The orchard isn’t just for kids and families though! Some nights, the small concert stage near the restaurant comes to life with the sound of smalltown bands with soft acoustics. Young adults sit outside with a Bud Light to ward off the heat and watch as the fireflies congregate around the quieter parts of the farm, creating the pinnacle of a summer night in Missouri.
Right now, as I’m stuck in isolation with my family, I can’t help but think about all the things I might’ve taken for granted before this quarantine began. Those impromptu family trips to an orchard are among some of the many items on my list.
That’s why when this pandemic is over I think I’ll break tradition a little and spend my next trip there memorizing and savoring all the little things I love, rather than rushing through to get to my favorite parts. I have a feeling my next trip there will be one of the most memorable ones, not because of the food or games but because I’ll rediscover all the things I appreciate so much about the world.
At A Glance:
Eckert’s Orchard
Where: Belleville, IL, 20 minutes from STL.
What: An orchard offering pick-your-own crops, a restaurant, greenhouse, and gift shop, with seasonal events for children and adults.
Status: Open for curbside grocery pickup.
Official website: Eckerts.com
Best way to get there: Fly into St.Louis and take IL-15 E for 19.8 miles.
Admission: Field Access is $1 per person, children 2 and under are free.
Where to eat and stay: Eckert’s Country Restaurant is on the property and there’s a Drury Inn and Suites 5 miles from the city centre.
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