Apple Harvest Festival returns for 34th season at Waukesha's Retzer Nature Center Sept. 18 🍎

WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The popular Apple Harvest Festival will return for its 34th season at Waukesha's Retzer Nature Center on Saturday, Sept. 18.

The event features plenty of food and activities for families to enjoy. Familiar traditions include the apple market, arts and crafts vendors, a beer garden and live music. It will also include new self-guided activities to spread out attendees across the grounds.

The event will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Retzer Nature Center located at S14W28167 Madison Street in Waukesha.

“I’m so glad to be coming back together to celebrate fall in Waukesha County at one of our favorite park festivals with delicious treats, fun activities, and great shopping,” said Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow. “Plans are on course for a safe and healthy event throughout the nature center grounds.”

Masks will not be required for festival-goers. There will be increased cleaning and multiple hand sanitizing stations available throughout the grounds. 

Admission is $10 per vehicle, cash only. Visitors will pay from their vehicle upon entry to the parking area. Friends of Retzer Nature Center members receive free admission with membership card. 

More on the event below: 

Food & Drink

The Delafield Brewhaus Beer Garden will be serving ready-to-eat food and assorted beverages and brews, including ‘Retzer Apple Ale.’ The Apple Market will have a variety of apples from Brightonwoods Orchard and Patterson Orchards. Half gallons of cider and caramel apples will also be available for purchase. Waukesha County Technical College’s Baking and Pastry Management students will be baking whole apple pies, whole apple crisps, individual crisps, and other sweet treats that will be available to go. To limit additional contact points, single-serve pie, ice cream and cups of cider will not be sold at the event this year.

Fun Activities

Visitors can shop arts and crafts vendors, bid on items at the Friends of Retzer Nature Center’s Silent Auction, and enjoy a variety of self-guided hikes and educational activities. Scarecrow Lane opens for the season with rows of community-made scarecrows to view and hikers can read the book, Little Acorn, along the Story Hike trail. Children will love the take and make activities, participating in the Passport Expedition and scrambling on the new Wood Climbing Exploration Station recently added to the Discovery Trail. Limited tickets will also be available for the Horwitz – DeRemer Planetarium show.