Get ready for caramel apples, popcorn, fresh-baked pies, and hot cider when the Apple Store at Conner Prairies opens for the fall season.
When does the Apple Store at Conner Prairie open?
The Apple Store at Conner Prairie opens on September 14 and will be open from 12 pm-5 pm Wednesday through Sunday through October 31. Families can visit the Apple Store later in the evening during the Headless Horseman Fall Festival, and hours will be extended until 9 pm.
This year, the Apple Store will open for a soft opening during the Jupiter Flights Balloon Festival. The Apple Store will be open on September 9 from 5-9:30 pm; and on September 10 from 12-6 pm.
What are the Apple Stores’ hours?
- Standard Hours: September 14 – October 31* (Wednesday – Sunday) 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- Jupiter Flights Balloon Festival nights (Soft Opening):
- Friday, September 9: 5 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
- Saturday, September 10: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m
- Open evenings until 9 p.m. during Headless Horseman.
- *October 31 is National Caramel Apple Day!The Apple Store will not be open on Sunday, September 11.
What does Conner Praries’ Apple Store sell?
Popular products returning this season include hand-dipped caramel apples, gourmet caramel apples, apple cider slushies, fresh popcorn, apple pies, gifts, homemade candy and various treats. Other long-time favorites returning are caramel apples dipped in dark chocolate and dusted with sea salt and Annie’s Apples – fresh-cut apples drizzled with caramel and served in a bowl.
“Our members work hundreds of ours during the season and we truly enjoy what we do, from dipping caramel apples, interacting with customers and greeting visitors to Conner Prairie,” said Conner Prairie Alliance member Karen Arland, an attorney at Ice Miller. The Alliance is an all-volunteer woman’s group that includes more than 100 members and runs all Apple Store operations. “We are pleased with the level of community support our efforts receive and we are hopeful for another terrific season.”
Last year, the store sold:
- 365 single apples
- 57 pecks of bruised apples
(think applesauce and baking pies) - 741 gallons of cider
- 695 hot ciders
- 5,636 slushies
- 5,619 plain caramel apples
- 5,677 nutty caramel apples
- 583 gourmet apples
- 1,191 chocolate toffee apples
- 1,205 salted chocolate apples
- 709 plain Annie apples
- 570 nutty Annie apples
- 66 specialties
- 1,634 apple fritters
- 802 bags of fresh popped popcorn
- 28 pies
- 778 pie slices
- 34,950 donut holes
- 637 dozen donuts
(that’s 7,644 individual donuts!)
Conner Prairie Alliance
The Apple Store is the Conner Prairie Alliance’s primary fundraiser with proceeds supporting the mission and programs of Conner Prairie. Since the store’s inception in 1985, more than $1 million has been raised through store sales to support Conner Prairie.
For two months a year, the Alliance team is busy selling all things apple, including the famous caramel-dipped apples. In 2021, volunteers dipped and sold 14,275 caramel apples and served 5,636 people in a 6-week period! This seasonal treasure is managed by the women of the Alliance from September through October.
