Libby and Son U-Picks is the only New England apple orchard in the top five of a new list of best orchards in the country.
An apple orchard in Maine is setting itself apart from the "peck." Libby and Son U-Picks in Limerick is the only New England Apple Orchard to make one of the top five spots on the USA Today 10Best Apple Orchards 2020 list.
Taking the number four spot, Libby and Son was also one of only two New England orchards on the list at all, with the other being Tougas Family Farm in Northborough, Massachusetts.
To create the list, USA Today designates travel experts to make an initial selection and then the public votes from those choices to rank the top ten orchards.
"It's an honor for our family and it just goes to show what wonderful customers we have," said Aaron Libby, one of the owners of Libby and Son.
The win represents years of hard work by three generations of Libby's family, who have managed the farm since the 1940s until taking it over as owners in 1999.
While the work to plant and grow beloved apples remains generally the same, Libby said that social media and offering amenities like live music and beer, wine and pizza on weekends are also now key to the business.
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"We're constantly posting to our website, our Facebook, putting content out on Instagram and Twitter as well," he said.
Elizabeth Hanna, a mom at the orchard on Tuesday explained it was the orchard's online presence that drew her attention.
"I saw it on Facebook that they had music and donuts and shuttle runs and we knew these little guys would like it," Hanna said of the visit with her young son and her friend Cassidy King and her son.
"Everything was set up here really safely, which we liked," said King of COVID-19 safety precautions being taken at the orchard.
Both moms told NECN and NBC10 Boston that apple picking was a much-appreciated reprieve of activity since their children could run around.
Libby and Son U-Picks is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
