Jonamac Orchards
Photo courtesy of Jonamac Orchards

When Jerry and Mary Lynn McArtor purchased an apple orchard from the Johnson family in 1984, they decided to pay homage to the original owners and combined the names Johnson and McArtor, dubbing the farm Jonamac Orchard.

Today, nearly 35 years later, the farm in Malta (70 miles west of Chicago) has grown to 105 acres and more than 20,000 apple trees featuring 30 apple varieties, including Honey Crisp, Gala and Golden Delicious. Three generations of the McArtor family now run the farm, which offers family activities such as apple picking, a petting zoo, pumpkin cannon and 3-mile-long corn maze. For ages 13 and up, the labyrinth turns into a haunted maze open on Friday and Saturday nights in October.

For adults, the farm also operates the Jonamac Cider House, which offers apple wines, hard ciders and ale made fresh from apples grown on the farm. Open from mid-August until November, the Cider House hosts tours of its apple-pressing facility and features an expansive patio for guests to sample its apple-based beverages.

To learn more about Jonamac, visit jonamacorchard.com or call (815) 825-2158.

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