There is no more quintessentially "fall in Michigan" activity than a trip to an orchard and cider mill. As the second-most agriculturally diverse state in the nation, Michigan produces a wide variety of crops that flourish spring through fall, but apples are one of the largest and most valuable fruit crops in the state. (In 2022 Michigan was the second-largest producer of apples in the U.S., behind Washington.)

No matter where you are in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, you're within an hour's drive of an orchard, cider mill, or farmers market where you can pick your own apples, savor sweet fresh-pressed cider and warm cider mill cake donuts, and buy bags of apples to take home. Here are some of our favorite cider mills from across the state:

Robinette's Apple Haus & Winery

For the kids Robinette's offers a corn maze, petting zoo, and hayride, while adult guests can enjoy the winery and tasting room, which serves its own hard ciders and fruit wines as well as others made in Michigan. And everyone will love strolling through the 125 acres of U-pick orchards for apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines, blackberries, and 35 varieties of apples, as well as the Apple Haus, home of the bakery and cider mill making fresh cider, donuts, breads, pies, and pastries. For hikers, trail runners, and cyclists, Robinette's also has a 5-mile nature trail that runs through the orchards and is open post-harvest season, November through August.

Lewis Adventure Farm & Zoo

Located about an hour outside of Grand Rapids, the 700-acre Lewis Farm is kind of a farm-meets-theme-park vibe, with four food venues and 46 "farm attractions" that include a ropes course, a giant slide, a petting zoo with over 100 animals, rubber duck races, etc. During the fall, there's even more to do and see (and eat), with a Pumpkin House made of pumpkins and squash, numerous fall-themed photo ops, U-pick apples, a pumpkin patch, a corn maze, apple cannons, pig races, and paintball … plus hot donuts and freshly baked pies, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, specialty breads, and more sweets from their bakery.

DK Orchards

DK Orchards is a no-frills farm and orchard offering blueberries, peaches, strawberries, and raspberries in the summer and apples, plums, and pumpkins in the fall. Stop by their barn store for U-pick (out of pre-picked bins) produce and decorative fall items like gourds and Indian corn and take a stroll through their corn maze. With less crowds and some of the best prices around, it's the place to go if you're looking for a relaxing, simple orchard experience.

Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill

Blake's is a sprawling U-pick orchard with a tasting room and restaurant serving its own brand of hard ciders, beers, and fruit wines. Adults can grab a pint of apple pie cider or cinnamon donut stout while the kids play in Blake's Funland. U-pick produce is available from May through December, including strawberries, cherries, squash, lavender, sweet corn, sunflowers, raspberries, and, of course, apples and pumpkins in the fall. There's also a guided train tour of the orchard that includes U-pick time and a farm-to-table lunch. Don't leave without visiting the big red barn with a variety of homemade pies, caramel apples, donuts, and cider (the nonalcoholic kind) for sale.

Franklin Cider Mill

Visiting Franklin Cider Mill, only 25 minutes from Detroit and just a few miles from convenient highways, you could easily forget that you are in a densely populated environment. It's a popular cider mill with Metro Detroiters given its convenient location and availability of all your cider mill favorites, including fresh-pressed cider, hot donuts, fresh-baked pies, and caramel and candy apples. In its farm tent, you'll find a wide variety of Michigan-made farm products like apples by the half-peck or bushel, smoked meats, cheeses, raw honey, pure maple syrup, and preserves. Enjoy a picnic by the river (just beware of the bees.)

Long Family Orchard, Farm & Cider Mill

Less than an hour from Detroit, the scenic drive to Long Family along two-lane roads winding around lakes makes it feel like an escape to the country. Open spring through fall, the farm grows asparagus, peas, sweet corn, garden vegetables, and U-pick apples and pumpkins. Pre-picked produce is available in the eclectic barn, and they also make their own cider that's used in cider slushies and cider floats, along with hot homemade donuts. In the fall, there's a sprawling family fun area that includes a corn maze, a goat farm, hayrides, and tons of activities for kids, and it's usually not as crowded as some of the other better-known cider mills.

Dexter Cider Mill

Open since 1886, Dexter Cider Mill is the oldest continuously operating cider mill in Michigan, and it still uses a century-old oak rack press to make its cider. The bakery churns out apple-infused baked goods and donuts, all for sale in the general store along with other apple products, apples, and pumpkins. The mill also produces its own hard ciders: Pick up a six-pack of traditional, hopped, or bourbon barrel–aged cans to take home! This is a more city-centric cider mill, so there's no orchard to pick your own fruit — but its location along the Huron River, surrounded by trees that turn vibrant shades of crimson and gold, is the perfect fall fix.

Wiard's Orchards & Country Fair

At Wiard's you can pick your own apples and pumpkins, get lost in a corn maze, pet goats and llamas at their petting farm, take an Old West wagon ride, and so much more. This orchard-meets-state-fair experience is really geared toward families with young children, but it's certainly fun for all fall lovers! You can also skip the fair and head straight to the Country Store for cider, donuts, and a wide assortment of other baked goods, farm products, and fall favorites.

Alber Orchard & Cider Mill

This stunning historical property surrounded by rolling hills and century-old heirloom apple trees is also a popular wedding destination. The orchard itself dates back to 1890, while the farm's original barns are thought to be pre–Civil War structures. Here they grow over 100 different varieties of apples, many of them heirloom varieties. This is not a U-pick orchard, but you can taste all apple varieties available and enjoy the fresh cider still made on the original cider press from 1890. There's also a corn maze, a U-pick pumpkin patch, tractor-drawn hayrides, and plenty of homemade donuts.

VerHage's Farm Market & Bakery at the Mill

VerHage sells produce grown on the farm, homemade farm products, and an assortment of breads and pastries from its bakery. During the fall season, the mill uses a vintage 125-year-old cider press for its secret blend of apples to create all-natural, unpasteurized cider. On busy weekends you can catch a cider press demonstration several times a day or just enjoy the cider with fresh, homemade donuts in a variety of iced, powdered, and plain flavors. The farm also has an 850-foot-long zip line that soars 50 feet overhead as well as hayrides, pony rides, tractor driving lessons, and U-pick apples.

Dutch Farm Market

This orchard is located in the birthplace of the world-renowned Red Haven and other Haven varieties of peaches. In addition to these local native peaches, it also grows cherries, plums, blueberries, sweet corn, apples, pears, and more. It's open late spring through fall with U-pick options, or you can stop into the farm market for pre-picked produce; jars of homemade pickled veggies, jams, and chutneys; Michigan honey, butter, and maple syrup; and a host of housemade bakery items including fruit pies, cinnamon rolls, breads, and donuts. In September and October, they also offer free horse-drawn wagon rides.

Crane Orchards

This 200-acre, sixth-generation family farm is located on a gentle rolling hillside just four miles inland from Lake Michigan and looks as picture-perfect as a postcard (or an Instagram post). In the summer you can pick your own cherries and peaches, and in the fall you can pick apples from their two dozen different varieties. It also has a U-pick pumpkin patch. Other fun fall activities include a 20-acre corn maze (featuring a new design every year) and tractor-driven hayrides. While you're here, visit the Crane family's cousins at Crane's Pie Pantry Restaurant & Winery just next door.

Friske Farm Market

Friske has a farm stand of pre-picked fresh fruit, including more than two dozen varieties of apples grown in their orchard; U-pick strawberries, cherries, and apples; a bakery that makes beautiful pies and donuts; and homemade brick oven pizza. There are also playgrounds for the kids and vacation suites nestled in the orchards, and RV camping is offered on the property. In fall, Friske hosts "Fall Fun Saturdays" and Friske Applefest. The general store sells jams, honey, fruit salsas, dried fruits, cherry juice (very Northern Michigan), applesauce, apple butter, and pie filling. It also makes its own hard cider and nonalcoholic sparkling apple cider with Northwoods Soda.

Knaebe's Apple Farm & Ciderworks

Knaebe's is a family-run operation with a tasting room serving house-made hard ciders, beers, and wood-fired pizzas; a bakery making fruit pies, donuts, apple crisp, and apple walnut cake; and a barn filled with Michigan-made gift items, foodstuffs, and antique décor. In September and October, you can pick your own apples and pumpkins, while also enjoying free admission — a rarity among the bigger orchards — to pet the farm animals, play horseshoes and cornhole, wander through the corn maze, and take a wagon ride pulled by a vintage 1947 farm tractor. There's also kid-friendly cider served hot, cold, and in slushy form.

Golden River Orchard

Golden River Orchard is a fairly new family-run orchard in Cheboygan. The family behind this no-frills orchard is passionate about environmental responsibility, and so it is verified by the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) for its environmental stewardship. This is a great spot to hit if you just want to grab a few bags of hand-picked, sorted, and bagged apples (this is not a U-pick apple orchard). You can also pick up some buttercup squash and take a stroll through the pumpkin patch to pick your own pumpkins.

Country Mill Orchard & Cider Mill

U-pick peaches and apples are available starting in August at Country Mill, along with fresh-pressed cider. During fall, there's also a corn maze, tractor-drawn wagon rides, an apple cannon, a U-pick pumpkin patch, a pumpkin pitch, and events like craft shows, themed 5Ks, and family fun runs. Enjoy fresh donuts from the bakery and take home a homemade pie or some farm-fresh products like apple sauce, apple butter, and apple cider vinegar from the market. Country Mill is also a farm-to-bottle winery and cidery: They grow, press, ferment, and bottle all their own hard ciders and fruit wines, with tastings available in September and October.

Uncle John's Cider Mill

Uncle John's, a sprawling family farm passed down from one generation to the next since Uncle John himself first started making cider on the farm in the 1970s, is a favorite mid-Michigan fall destination. Now, in addition to the traditional family-friendly fresh-pressed apple cider, they also make their own popular line of hard ciders in a variety of flavors as well as fruit wines and spirits made from fermented apples. One of the farm's historic old barns is home to their hard cider production and taproom where you can sip and sample their products. Inside the other century-old barns you'll find their homemade breads, pies, donuts, cookies, jams and jellies, honey and maple syrup, local cheese and jerky, caramel apples, cider slushies, and pre-picked seasonal produce. Elsewhere on the farm you'll find food trucks, a corn maze, train and wagon rides, a U-pick pumpkin patch and U-pick sunflower fields (the sunflowers peak in late summer/early fall), a 5K farm trail, and a gift shop with an assortment of Michigan-made home décor and apparel.

Visit this page to find more Michigan orchards, farms, and cider mills.