School Tour Information – 2009
Cider Hill Farm

45 Fern Ave., Amesbury, MA 01913

978.388.5525

Please make reservation requests after March 1, 2009

Contact Request:

Please address all tour-related inquiries to tours@ciderhill.com. Phone calls are still welcome, but a coordinator may be unavailable when you call, and the game of phone-tag can drag on long enough to create a missed scheduling opportunity. Email schedule requests will be filled, whenever feasible, in the order received.

The following are the tour options that will be available during the fall of 2008. Everyone in each tour group must select the same option except for the election of ‘picking’ or ‘non-picking’ status. The ideal is for all tours to start on the hour at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 a.m., or 1:00 p.m., though there is some flexibility for schools that have bussing conflicts. A minimum charge of $120 will apply to tour options 1 and 2, while the minimum for option 3 will be $160. (These minimums are based on our break-even student count of 20.)

Tour Option One: Hay ride and Apple Picking Tour (One Hour) $6.00/child or adult (with picking) or $3.00/adult without picking. There is no charge for an adult who is acting as a personal assistant to a special needs child.

Program: Hay ride to orchard

• Pick 5-6 apples into draw-string bag
• Arbor maze and hay maze activity
• Return hay ride to refreshment area
• Cider donut and apple juice refreshment
• Play time in animal barn if schedule allows
• Carving pumpkin for each class

Tour Option Two: Hay ride and Pumpkin Picking Tour (One Hour) $6.00/child or adult (with picking) or $3.00/adult without picking. There is no charge for an adult who is acting as a personal assistant to a special needs child.

Program: Hay ride to pumpkin patch

• Pick one pumpkin/child (3-4lb pre-placed pumpkins)
• Arbor maze and hay maze activity
• Return hay ride to refreshment area
• Cider donut and apple juice refreshment
• Play time in animal barn if schedule allows
• Carving pumpkin for each class

Tour Option Three: Hay ride and Apple/Pumpkin Picking Tour (One and 1/2 Hours) $8.00/child or adult (with picking) or $3.00/adult without picking. There is no charge for an adult who is acting as a personal assistant to a special needs child.

Program: As above including both Apple and Pumpkin Picking

Note on Charges:

The same tour option must be selected by all members of a given tour. As noted, the charge for adults who do not wish to pick will be $3.00. Teachers and aids who return with a second or third class this season will not need to pay after the first tour. There is no charge for an adult who is acting as a personal assistant to a special needs child and there is no charge for babes in arms or toddlers who will share with a parent.  Finally, we do not require a deposit for any scheduled tour.  When you arrive, hopefully at least 10:00 minutes before the start of your tour, we will do a count and determine the appropriate payment, and we ask that you pay then, by cash, check, or credit card prior to your group hay ride to the orchard.

Reminders:

• Prompt arrival is extremely important. Your tour may be shortened if you are not ready to start at the scheduled time.
• Payment must be made before the start of the tour, preferably by check or credit card, but, at the least, in larger bills.
• No Coin Collections - - - - Please!

Refreshment Notes:

We serve a cider donut and a cup of commercial, pasteurized apple juice as refreshments during the tour.  We know that our cider is better, but it is all natural and not pasteurized and we want to avoid any parental concerns. Our donuts are made with enriched wheat flour and soy flour and contain both egg and milk products. No peanut oil or other nut derivatives are used in either the donut batter or the frying oil, but our ingredient suppliers always attach a warning label to their products stating that they were made in a facility that also processes nuts, so we strongly recommend that any child or adult with a food allergy bring personal refreshments.

Weather Notes:

We stand ready to conduct all tours, rain or shine, (hurricanes excepted), but we understand that you may not wish to expose the children to adverse conditions. A decision on your part to cancel tour because of bad weather will be readily accepted, but there may be few time-slots available for rescheduling.

Directions to Farm: (see also the 'Directions' tab on the menu to the right).

From I-95 heading south, take Exit 1(Route 107, Kensington) in NH. Go two miles west on Rt. 107 and then two miles south on Rt. 150 to Fern Avenue. Turn left onto Fern.

From I-95 heading north, take Exit 58B. After exiting the ramp, proceed to the first traffic light and turn right onto Elm Street. Follow Elm into the center of Amesbury and make a sharp right at the rotary onto Market Street (Route 150). Follow Market Street one mile to Fern Avenue. Turn right onto Fern.

From I-495 heading north, take Exit 54. Go north on Rt. 150 to Amesbury center, 2/3 of the way around the rotary, and then north on Market Street (still Rt. 150) one mile to Fern Avenue. Turn right onto Fern.

School Bus Parking:

A new school bus parking area has been constructed on the north side of Fern Avenue (on the left as you approach the farm store) just before the automobile parking space. The advantage of parking busses in this area is that the children can walk to the hay wagon without crossing the street or the automobile parking lot, and the same will apply to their return to the bus after the tour has finished. However, the space has room for only two busses, so additional ones will have to park in the field on the south side of Fern Avenue.

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