The Big Apple
The Big Apple
3.5
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
About
A Little Bit of Country... A Whole Lot of Fun! And everything's about apples! We offer a bakery and pie factory where our famous pies and breads are made right before your eyes - everyday! We offer a cafeteria-style restaurant with paninis, burgers, poutine, pizza, specialty apple items, and more. Gifts, souvenirs and unique market items surround you as you browse our establishment. A fun, whimsical area awaits you where you'll feel 'like a kid in a candy shop' again! Our apple cider brewery offers FREE cider sampling and a wonderful selection of bottled apple-icious cider blends. Outside (weather permitting), you'll find Mr.Applehead, an observatory - and the world's largest apple-shaped structure, in which you can ascend inside to discover breath-taking vistas of surrounding countryside. We also offer a kiddie train-ride, outdoor activities such as mini-golf, ping pong, lawn bowling, animal attractions, and more! Best of all, all these activities are FREE!
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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  • t_niagara86
    Welland, Canada147 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A road trip staple
    It’s a tourist trap sure, but if you know that going in (and how could you miss it?) it’s great! I’ve been coming to the Big Apple since I was very small, and am in my late thirties now. Each time I come, I can see more investment into the property and the events. This last visit we stopped for lunch and to grab some baked goods. Lunch was wonderful. We had two GIANT poutines with really lovely smoked chicken, and two big handfuls of cheese curds. We probably only needed to order one because it was so filling. There’s a few other menu items I’d now like to investigate. The spiced cider was absolutely perfect on a cold day. The baked goods we got were all fresh and made on property - apple dumpling, apple donuts, etc. The caramel apple pie is delicious. Of course they carry other goods that they don’t themselves make… we usually steer clear of those. The Big Apple also has some products made by locals, mixed in with some cheaper kitschy stuff. It’s a good variety for a business that’s supporting local as well as attempting to turn a profit. So, take it for what it is - a nice little stop on a long road trip. A great place to pick up some amazing baked goods at a pretty reasonable price. There’s a reason it’s been here for so many years.
    Visited March 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 20, 2023
  • TriniSultress
    Toronto, Canada285 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    This would be a cool place-if you didn’t have nut allergies
    We were in the area and decided to stop off at the Big Apple. You can purchase a variety of candies, chocolate, wine, ciders and baked goods here. However, it is an nut allergy nightmare to a certain extent. There are the smells of yummy things being baked, but there is actually very little that can be purchased if you have said nut allergies. The only thing that I was able to buy was maple syrup, and a few other maple-based treats and goodies. They do have a souvenir area where you can purchase non-food items. This place also has its own brewery, petting zoo, train rides, mini golf, and ping-pong tables. I can see where a family could spend a few hours here for some entertainment.
    Visited June 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written June 3, 2023
  • Christina L
    Georgetown, Canada69 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A must stop
    Always a must stop for us on our way back from Ottawa or Quebec. We like to stop to stretch our legs, use the washroom. We always like to bring home a pie as well. Before we leave we like to make a stop in at the petting zoo. The price of the food has gone up it’s now 5.49 for a loaf of their homemade bread. Which is a bit much but for a treat it’s really good. They have also started selling Beavertails.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written August 7, 2023
  • unitedfarmers
    Smiths Falls, Canada402 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Something For Everyone, and Fun!
    The place has something for everyone. Lots of activities, such as mini golf and a petting zoo, and plenty of food either locally made or from small Canadian producers. The price for an apple pie is a tad high, but they taste great and are quite large. A must stop for us when we are on the 401.
    Visited August 2023
    Written August 15, 2023
  • Lilacwheaty
    Nottingham, United Kingdom854 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Not as good as Momma used to bake
    Looks like a great place to take the kids for an outing. The large shop was frenetic and many customers left laden with apple themed foodstuffs. There are viewing windows where you can see staff making pies and cheesecakes and crumbles, it all looks lovely. We tried some food and sat in the cafe. The apple pie flavoured coffee was interesting, but the famous apple turnover and apple cake were very underwhelming, leaving us wondering why the food here is so popular.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 8, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4kids2dogsandahubby
Toronto, Canada270 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2020
We visited the Big Apple enrolee to Kingston for our University visit with friends. It was a beautiful weekend and even though it was quite busy the covid protocols in place made the restaurant especially - run like a well oiled machine. Even though we travelled with two 17year olds they still had fun playing ping pong and humoured me with the photo opportunities that presented themselves everywhere across the property. The pies were incredible and definitely worth the pit stop we made on our trip. I would highly recommend especially if you have littles :)
Written October 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mommyzeeza
Toronto, Canada83 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Family
We recently took a little day trip here to eat at the smokehouse bbq , the food was mediocre at best . I had the brisket poutine and it was more like dry roast beef than smoked brisket , the cheese curds weren’t even melted my daughter had the apple hot dog which I’m pretty sure was pre cooked because the server threw it on the bbq and went back 3 mins later and took it off . $14.00 for a pie and the last one I bought had no flavour to it I’ve had better pie by Sara Lee . Things are very expensive I guess it’s a tourist trap along the 401 . Wouldn’t recommend
Written July 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello and thank you for your recent visit and review! We are sorry to hear your food truck experience was disappointing and your pie was sub par. We would like to learn more about your experience, if you don't mind. Please contact us at service@thebigapple to discuss your issues in greater detail. Have a nice day and we do hope you will visit us again!
Written August 1, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

heather m
Ajax, Ontario Canada8 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
The Big Apple

Colborne

Don't go if you care about animal welfare!!!

Very different than a previous visit -they have invested all their energy into expanding their food offerings and use the publicized ‘petting zoo’ as a tool to draw families but they are NOT looking after these poor creatures.

I was repulsed at what I saw….animals in small cages, dirt, no grass, almost no shade from the beating sun. Laying on the ground dejected, sad looking…..it was horrible.

Ontario has many orchards and farms offering plentiful apple products. Go to one of them instead of The Big Apple!
Written September 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Terry B
2 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
Stopping at the Big Apple was once fun and the pies were delicious. Now it's highly commercialized, the pastries are like cardboard and the prices are exorbitant. Day-old sandwiches in a cardboard box from OnRoute would be a better choice.
Written August 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lulu B
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
Visited on 9 August 2020 at about 4:45 pm. No social distancing. People not wearing masks. Hundreds of people crowding into shops. Very overcrowded. I was pushed 2 or 3 times by adults and children shoving me out of the way. No arrows on the floor. Told cashier there was no social distancing and she shrugged. Dangerous place and could catch Covid easily. Health authorities should step in here. It is tragic this business is so interested in making money they disregard the health of their customers. Most businesses are trying so hard to mind the Covid rules. I don't understand how the Big Apple is getting away with doing nothing. Not even arrows not the floors or a minder to control traffic and input. Ghastly. If you want to catch Covid, go here. Children's play areas over-run with traffic. Pies full of glucose, fructose, palm oil, and lots of cheap ingredients and no apples. Pies are terrible and over-priced. Not at all like what they used to be. What happened to apples, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon? Leave out the palm oil. This shop with kill you with Covid or the crappy ingredients in their over-priced pies. Stay away for your own health.
Written August 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello and thank you for your feedback. We are sorry you feel we do practice social distancing and that it was so busy when you visited. We DO have staff in the lobby and as people leave the store, to control the number of people and masks are mandatory to enter the building. We also have arrow and footprints and wait here floor markings. We are sorry you did not see these but we take COVID very seriously and the health unit has been out to inspect on several occassions and all has been fine. We don't use palm oil in our pies - we use 100% vegetable shortening - and most of our pies are apple-based using traditional ingredients, which are listed on each box. The only glucose that is used is in the home-made caramel that is added to the apple-caramel pie. We hope you will change your mind and choose to visit again. Have a good day.
Written August 21, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sydney J
Ottawa, Canada1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
Trigger warning: animal neglect

Stopped by on my way to Ottawa to check the place out. Inside is very lovely. They have plenty of options for food and drink as well as activities. One of the free activities being the petting zoo. A lovely little outdoor space where you can peer through the fence at sad neglected animals.

The donkey was the worst one. My friend runs a horse sanctuary and this donkey looked almost exactly like the poor neglected animals that are brought to her. His/her feet were too long and the poor thing was having such a hard time walking and just stood in the corner away from people. This was incredibly sad to see. I don't know much about the signs of neglect or harm in other farm animals but I'm sure if I did, I could tell you that the donkey is not the only one.

It is so sad that this popular tourist stop can't even care for their own animals properly. Should be inspected by the SPCA.
Written July 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello. We apologize for our late reply, we are just coming out of a busy season and have been extremely short-staffed. Thank you for your concerns. Our petting zoo has been inspected several times by OSPCA and they are content with our petting zoo. Our animals receive care every single morning by our staff prior to the opening of our location. The ferrier comes several times in the summer to attend to our animals as needed.
Written October 4, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Christina L
Georgetown, Canada69 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
Always a must stop for us on our way back from Ottawa or Quebec. We like to stop to stretch our legs, use the washroom. We always like to bring home a pie as well. Before we leave we like to make a stop in at the petting zoo. The price of the food has gone up it’s now 5.49 for a loaf of their homemade bread. Which is a bit much but for a treat it’s really good. They have also started selling Beavertails.
Written August 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Laura N
Courtice, Canada1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Family
We had a sad experience today. Nothing was up and running during our visit. No rides. No mini golf. No staff to ask questions outside. No staff in the petting zoo to stop a man with a dog from teasing the animals. Loss of an opportunity for my family (and others) and for your retail business to thrive.
Written July 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mike D
Kanata, Canada7 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Solo
“Famous pies” according to them! I paid $20 for one of their famous pies, in this case blueberry. Quite honestly I’ve had much better blueberry pie at half the price! The texture and taste of the pie filing is something that you would expect from a cheap pie filing, sweet and nauseating. Don’t fall for advertising. I submitted my comments to them a few weeks ago. Their lack of a reply is quite telling.
Written February 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Freely Adventure
Edmonton, Canada166 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2019
I highly recommend stopping for a pit-stop! It's a great little tourist highway attraction.
Both my children were fascinated with the Big Apple and being able to go inside. I particularly liked reading the history of the McIntosh and how it all started.

MMMM!!! Going into the store, the smell of pies is sooooooo delicious! We opted out in getting one and went the healthier route in eating apples.

My children still talk about this little pit-stop!
Written January 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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The Big Apple - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)