With the first official day of fall coming this week, doughnuts, cider and fall colors are popping up across the state.
From metro Detroit to Kalamazoo, and to the Flint area and beyond, local cider mills are open for Michiganders to patronize this season. Many offer family-friendly activities and a chance to pick your own pumpkins or seasonal produce.
The seasonal tradition dates back centuries and represents a cornerstone of local agriculture, with Michigan business owners carrying on family legacies of 19th century mills, serving up sweet treats for communities around the state.
Michigan’s official apple crop estimateof 25 million bushels (1.05 billion pounds) was announced Aug. 24. The 2026 estimate is under the average for the Michigan Apple
industry.
Here's what to know about cider mills in Michigan.
Are apple juice and apple cider the same thing?
Both are made by pressing fresh apples, but apple juice is filtered, may be sweetened, and often contains preservatives. Apple cider on the other hand is unfiltered and typically unpasteurized, according to Kitchn.com.
"Apple cider is made of pressed fresh apples. Unfiltered and raw, it doesn’t contain added sugar, undergoes minimal processing, and is usually unpasteurized. It tends to be slightly darker than apple juice, more opaque, and can sometimes have residue at the bottom," the website explains.
Because apple cider doesn't contain preservatives, it can ferment into hard cider, which contains alcohol, andthen can be made into vinegar.
Where can I get cider and doughnuts this fall?
Michigan is home to hundreds of orchards and cider mills. Here's a look at some cider mills you can visit across the state:
- Almar Orchards in Flushing: Open year-round. Fall hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
- Apple Barrel Cider Mill in Ithaca: Open year-round 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays; open for fall harvest 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays September to October
- Bayne's Apple Valley in Freeland: Open now, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 pm. Sundays
- Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill in Armada: Open now, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday
- Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill in Lyon Township: Open now, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday
- Country Mill Farms, Bakery, Orchard & Cider Mill in Charlotte: Open now, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays
- Diehl's Orchard & Cider Mill in Holly: Open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 31; open Saturdays and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 1-23
- Alber Orchard & Cider Mill in Manchester: Open noon to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
- Big Red Orchard in Washington Township: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
- Erie Orchards & Cider Mill in Erie: Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays
- Franklin Cider Mill in Bloomfield Hills: Opens Sept. 5 to Nov. 29, open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
- Goodison Cider Mill in Rochester: Open daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Thanksgiving eve; open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in December until Christmas
- Klein Cider Mill & Market in Sparta: Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Koan's Orchard in Flushing: Open now, open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
- Kreps Apple Barn & Cider Mill in La Salle: Open now 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and Sunday noon to 4 p.m.
- Leaman's Green Applebarn in Freeland: Open now, store open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
- Long Family Orchard & Farm in Commerce Township: Open now 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
- Meckley's Flavor Fruit Farm in Cement City: Open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Miller Family Orchard in Vassar: Open year-round, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturday, Sundays, noon to 4 p.m.
- Montrose Orchards in Montrose: Open now, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
- Pankiewicz Cider Mill & Farm Market in Casco: Open now, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays to Sundays
- Phillips Orchard & Cider Mill in St. Johns: Open year-round 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
- The Property Farms and McCallums Orchard and Cider Mill in Grant Township: Open now, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Rex Young's Orchard in Rives Junction: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays
- Stony Creek Orchard & Cider Mill in Romeo: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
- Uncle John's Cider Mill in St Johns: Fall hours, open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- VerHage Fruit Farms & Cider Mill in Kalamazoo: Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
- Wiard's Orchards in Ypsilanti: Country store and cider mill; fall hours 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday and Saturday.
How can I find other apple orchards in Michigan?
The Michigan Apple Committee provides aninteractive map on its website highlighting Michigan orchards. The map shows both farm markets and cider mills.
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What is a cider mill?
A cider mill is a mill where apples are crushed into cider, a popular fall beverage served hot or cold. In Michigan, many apple orchards operate cider mills to produce the beverage from the varieties of fresh apples grown on their property.
How did cider mills get started?
Cider traces its roots to Europe, where it is typically fermented and served as an alcoholic beverage, per and Manoff Market Gardens and Falstaff, a European dining magazine.
European settlers planted apple trees in colonial North America in the 17th century, bringing over the custom of turning their apples into cider as a popular beverage, Manoff Market Gardens and Happy Valley Ranch Cider Press say.
Cider mills across the U.S. now offer cider as a fall staple, a non-alcoholic beverage, though the alcoholic version, known as hard cider, is also available at cideries nationwide, including in Michigan.
In Michigan, many cider mills are family-owned dating back several generations to the 19th century.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: It's cider season in Michigan. Where to find fall's sweet treat
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