Our son Arlo turned eight while on our trip to Door County so we let him call the shots that day. What a lucky kid! In the morning we listed off all sorts of activities to choose from like mini golf, the beach, go karts, a boat ride, etc.

Arlo chose cherry picking as his top choice! Can you see the “Eight” on his shirt?! He was so proud to turn eight. He told everyone he saw!

So we headed to Soren’s Valhalla Orchards in Sturgeon Bay. It was close to where we were staying and it had been recommended to us.

There are many things to love about this family owned farm but my favorite was their laid back attitude!

After a warm welcome, they handed us a couple of buckets and sent us on our way! Not a lot of rules and very welcoming.

They told us that there are two types of cherries that we could pick: tart and sweet. The tart cherries are brighter red (pictured here) and are typically used for baking and canning.

The trees were filled with cherries. The cherries were so ripe that they practically fell into our hands.

The orchard has ladders that you are welcome to use if you like. You don’t need to though. There are plenty of cherries within reach while you’re standing. I would definitely say this is a great “all-ages” activity for the whole family!

They also said that we could eat as much as we liked while we picked! That’s what really made our adventure fun! We laughed and snacked our way through the entire morning. Nothing beats fresh cherries right off the tree!

By the end our hands, chins and even legs were covered in cherry juice! Ha!

I promise if you go - you don’t HAVE to get covered in juice! Thats just a bi-product of our snacking habits!

We came home with the best Door County souvenir I can think of - two full buckets of fresh cherries!

We were very lucky that we happened to be in Door County during prime cherry picking season. It is only a few weeks long. Typically in late July. If you cannot make it during that window of time, do not fret. The entire peninsula is filled with Door County cherry products. You’ll find jams, pies, salsa, cookies, breads, ice cream and more for sale everywhere you go!

It is safe to say that Arlo had a terrific start to his birthday!

Thank you to Soren’s Valhalla Orchards for the wonderful morning! If you’d like to visit them, you can read more online at www.sorensvalhallaorchards.com

{All opinions and ideas are my own - of course.😊} Our trip was sponsored by Door County Visitor’s Bureau.