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Summary

This village near Toronto is the Apple Capital of Canada and it's a slice of autumn paradise

Cue the Gilmore Girls theme song!

A hand holding an apple. Right: A person standing beside a bakery.

An apple orchard in Ontario. Right: A farm market in Ontario.

Lead Writer, Travel

You can live "appley" ever after in this charming destination near Toronto. With lush orchards and dreamy fall vibes, this spot is a mini autumn paradise.

Newcastle, located about an hour from Toronto in Durham Region, is known as the "Apple Capital of Canada." According to Invest Durham, the Durham Region "produces 13 per cent of Ontario’s apples with 2,100 acres in production."

Newcastle and the surrounding area are in an ideal location for growing high quality apples due to the warm lake effect from Lake Ontario.

You'll find many lush orchards dotted about the countryside, as well as drool-worthy bakeshops and cideries.

Fall is a great time to visit this spot, when the leaves turn to fiery shades of orange and orchards burst with fruit.

There's even an Apple Adventure you can experience throughout the Durham Region, inspired by the Apple Capital of Canada.

The adventure features stops at cideries, wineries, orchards and bakeries around Newcastle and throughout towns and other areas in the Durham Region, where you can bite into "famous apple fritters."

Some of the wineries and cideries included in the experience are Banjo Cider, Archibald's Orchard & Estate Winery and Two Blokes Cider.

You can also stop by Pingle's Farm Market, Watson Farms, Allin's Orchard and Brooks Farms to pick your own apples or purchase some local produce.

If you're craving a sweet treat, bakeries like Hank's Pastries and Tyrone Mills are the places to be.

Put on you coziest sweater, grab a pumpkin spice latte for the road and take a fall trip to the Apple Capital of Canada and surrounding area this autumn.

This article has been updated since it was originally published on September 12, 2024.

Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.

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    • Lead Writer

      Madeline Forsyth is a Toronto-based Lead Writer for Narcity Media. After earning her B.A. (Hons) at Queen's University, she spent a year travelling much of the world as a flight attendant. Now, she uses her experience in the travel industry and passion for writing to share stories about buzzworthy events and adventures across Canada and the globe. Madeline has been published in PopSugar and has interviewed sports and entertainment personalities for Narcity. She has covered and photographed restaurant openings as well as event launches such as the world premiere of the Dr. Seuss Experience. Some of her favourite things to write about include charming small towns and anything to do with Harry Potter.

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