Pick an orange, peach or blueberries when you visit Ridge Island Groves, a family farm in Haines City. Visitors can shop in the gift and produce market, and enjoy fresh orange juice and ice cream.
Groves and Shop
If you’re looking for an authentic Central Florida vacation experience, look no further than Ridge Island Groves in Haines City, FL. Get a close look at how citrus is cleaned and packed, pick and orange, and shop for jam, jelly, honey, orange juice, souvenirs and more.
Like most extra special places you visit in rural areas of Florida, Ridge Island is a little off of the beaten path, but it’s by no means a secret. Don’t be surprised if you find a parking lot full of cars with out-of-state license plates.
The Ridge Island Groves Family
If you run into someone wearing a Ridge Island shirt, there is a good chance they are a Ritch. They are some of the nicest, hard-working and knowledgeable people in the citrus industry. The Ritch family will take your visit from great to fantastic.
Try Fresh Florida Orange Juice
See where the citrus produced by Ridge Island gets washed, waxed and sorted, before it circles the globe. The packing plant is purposefully wide open, so you get a great view of the whole process. Citrus is sorted by size, and all of the “ugly” ones find their way to the juicer.
Speaking of fresh orange juice, holy wow – there’s a chance you’ve never had better OJ in your life. This is probably due in part to their special recipe, which is created by combining the juice from whichever citrus varieties are in season at that time. That makes it more of a science project than a recipe, but it’s delicious nonetheless.
Shipping Fruit
If you’re feeling generous, or just want to secure your title as best: grandparent, parent or friend, Ridge Island will ship citrus in a gift box, and send them to lucky friends and family back home. Sometimes edible souvenirs, are the best souvenirs.
U-Pick Citrus, Blueberries and Peaches
Oranges aren’t the only fruit you can pick at Ridge Island. They also have Florida peaches, strawberries and blueberries.
Hydroponic Gardening
Many of the non-citrus fruit varieties at Ridge Island are now being grown using hydroponics. They even sell the kits, if you’re interested in trying your hand at this gardening method.
Now it’s your turn to go and experience a true Florida citrus grove. Orange you glad we told you about Ridge Island Groves?
