Visit a Cider Mill or Orchard
One of the best things to do in the fall is to spend time with family and friends at the cider mill or apple picking. Most cider mills in the area open in September, and continue to stay open through at least November, offering delicious apple cider, donuts and much more to visitors.
No matter where you are in the area, there is a cider mill likely to be close to you.
Yates Cider Mill in Rochester, with a location in Lake Orion, is among the most well-known cider mills in Michigan. The mill dates to 1863 as Yates Grist Mill, and in 1876, the Yates family installed a cider press.
On top of the cider and donuts, there are pony rides, a petting zoo, and walking available along the Paint Creek River.
Franklin Cider Mill in Bloomfield Hills is another mill that dates to the 1800s. The Franklin Grist Mill opened in 1837 and was turned into a cider mill in 1918.
The donuts at the Franklin Cider Mill are made fresh and served warm every day from an old German spice recipe.
Blake’s Farms has locations throughout Macomb County and there is a variety of things to eat and do. On top of cider and donuts, there is a U-Pick orchard for fresh fruits and vegetables, Blake’s Orchard Funland and Blake’s Big Apple Funland which have petting farms, mazes, sports zones and much more.
For those in the City of Detroit, Detroit Farm & Cider offerings farm-to-table dinners, horseback riding, bonfires and more. It’s located in the Dexter-Linwood Neighborhood. There’s also Cider in the City, taking place on Saturday afternoons in October, which turns Beacon Park into a fall festival.
Wiard’s Orchards and Country Fair in Ypsilanti offers a family-fun destination for fall with a ton of attractions like a corn maze, wagon rides, petting rides, mini golf and much more. There’s also u-pick apples and pumpkins.
South of the city, Apple Charlies in New Boston offers much of the same as the others, including a pumpkin patch, u-pick orchard, donuts, cider, a petting zoo and more.
West of the city, you can find many other cider mills and orchards, including Plymouth Orchards and Cider Mill, Parmenter’s Northville Cider Mill, Erwin Orchards in South Lyon and Three Cedars Farm.
North of the city in Macomb County, you can find some of the cider mills listed above like Yates and Blakes, as well as Stony Creek Orchard & Cider, Westview Orchards & Winery, Big Red Orchard and Verellen Orchards & Cider Mill.
Photos courtesy of: Blake’s Cider Mill and Bill Bowen