Michigan fall has a smell: fresh cider, cinnamon donuts, hay bales. Cider mills, orchards, pumpkin patches and corn mazes are a short drive from downtown. Here are the best.
Yates has been pressing apples on the Clinton River since 1874, and its 1894 mill building is still standing; the mill calls it Michigan's oldest working water-powered mill. Cider, donuts and baked goods are fresh every day, and in September and October you can bag your own apples at the Apple Tent. Fall weekends add roasted corn, food vendors, a goat petting zoo and pony rides, and the river trails lead on toward Bloomer Park and the Clinton River Trail.
Hours · Admission
Hours
Historic cider mill: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Ice Cream Shoppe: Friday–Sunday 11 a.m.–7 p.m. (closed Monday–Thursday). The Apple Tent and Frankenmuth Fudge shop are open daily in September and October.
Admission
Pony rides on Saturdays and Sundays after Labor Day, $8 per ride, 80-pound rider weight limit.
Franklin Cider Mill has been a family tradition since 1837, and you can still see the original water wheel and watch the cider being pressed and the donuts being made. Weekends bring mellow live jazz, ducks to feed by the river and fresh roasted corn. The Apple Shack and Franklin Market sell apples and fall goods too, open September 5 through November 29, 2026.
Hours · Admission
This season
September 5 – November 29
Hours
September 5 – November 29, 2026. Mill open daily 8 a.m.–6 p.m.; Franklin Market and Apple Shack 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Thanksgiving Day (November 26) 8 a.m.–noon.
cider mill · U-pick apples · hayrides · farm market · pumpkin corral · tasting room · family funland
Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill
17985 Armada Center Road, Armada
Blake's has been making memories since 1946 on a family-owned 120-acre farm in Armada, about an hour northeast of Detroit. The original cider mill presses apples in the open air, and the market, bakery and grill keep the donuts, cider and house-made pies coming. Fall weekends add wagon rides out to the orchard and the Pumpkin Corral, Funland has 25-plus family activities, and the Tasting Room pours Blake's own hard cider, beer and wine.
Hours · Admission
Hours
Fall hours. Cider Mill Market & Bakery: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday and Saturday 8 a.m.–9 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.–7 p.m. Funland: Monday–Thursday 9 a.m.–6:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m.–7 p.m. U-pick: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Wagon rides to apple picking: Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Pumpkin Corral: Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Tasting Room: Monday–Thursday 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.–10 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
By day Blake's Big Apple is a classic fall farm: cider mill donuts, 100% pure apple cider, caramel apples, kettle corn and homemade fudge, plus a Funland with an animal farm, a corn maze and a kids' play area. From 6 p.m. the haunted side takes over with zombie paintball, a haunted hayride, a 3-story haunted barn and the family-friendly Spookyland. The haunted attractions run September 12 through November 1, 2026: Fridays and Saturdays in September, Fridays to Sundays in October.
Haunted attractions: Haunted Hayride $28.95, Zombie Paintball $26.95, 3-Story Haunted Barn $22.95, Spookyland $17.95, private Zombie Truck $400. Combo tickets $39.95–$86.95; Combo #3 is $45 on all September dates and Sunday, October 4.
Benijah Aldrich Parmenter founded the mill on Baseline Road in 1873, when it ran on horse power and made vinegar. Five generations of Parmenters ran it until 1968, it was rebuilt after a 1977 fire in time for the next season, and it celebrated its 150th year in 2023. Today it's fresh donuts, cider, cider slush, caramel apples, apple pie, fudge and Michigan jams, honey and maple syrup with free parking, and hard cider and beer are made right next door at Northville Winery and Brewing.
Plymouth Orchards has been a woman-owned family business since Mary Emmett started it in 1977. Along with fresh cider, donuts and pies, you get pumpkin picking, hayrides, farm animals and live music, daily from September 5 to November 8, 2026. Miss that window and the separate Red Shed Market on Ann Arbor Road stays open until November 25.
Hours · Admission
This season
September 5 – November 8
Hours
Cider Mill & Orchard: daily 9 a.m.–7 p.m. (September 5 – November 8, 2026). Red Shed Market (10260 Ann Arbor Road): daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (September 5 – November 25, 2026).
Dexter Cider Mill opened in 1886 and calls itself Michigan's oldest continuously operating cider mill: the cider is still wood-pressed, just like it has been for 140 years, and 2026 is its 140th season. Grab fresh cinnamon doughnuts, caramel apples and apple nut bread, then taste hard cider (Traditional, India Pale Cider, Bourbon Barrel Aged; 21 and over) on weekends in the tasting room on the banks of the Huron River. It's cash or check only, but there's an ATM on site.
Westview has been run by the same family since 1813, and you can pick your own apples or grab them already picked in the Farm Market (Honeycrisp is market-only, not U-pick). From September 5 to November 1, 2026, Weekend Fall Fun brings an America's 250th themed corn maze, wagon rides, straw and tire mountains, a giant slide, a straw bale maze and petting animals. On weekends the outdoor Schoolhouse Porch Winery pours from noon to 6 p.m.; just leave the dog at home, since pets aren't allowed.
Hours · Admission
Hours
Farm Market daily 8 a.m.–6 p.m.; U-pick and Fall Fun daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (weather dependent); Winery Porch Saturdays and Sundays noon–6 p.m. (weather dependent). Last fun ticket sold and last wagon out at 5 p.m.
Big Red has been going since 1878 and calls itself one of the oldest cider mills and U-pick orchards in Michigan. The family-owned mill has fresh apples, cider and donuts, plus peaches, plums and cherries in season. The on-site Legacy Bar runs Quizzo Trivia on Thursdays at 7 p.m., so apple picking can turn into a night out.
Hours · Admission
Hours
From September 10: Farm Market Wednesday 3–7 p.m., Thursday and Friday 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. U-pick closed Wednesday; Thursday and Friday 11 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Legacy Bar Wednesday–Friday 3–10 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
Upland Hills Farm opens every October weekend for its Harvest Festival, October 3–31, 2026, Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: admission covers a magic show, a farm show, a hayride, the pumpkin patch, a nature trail, the playground, the animals and even milking a cow. Fresh farm donuts and Hy's Cider are for sale, you're welcome to bring your own food, and it all goes on rain or shine. On October Saturday nights from 7 to 10 p.m., the Harvest Moon Hayrides offer a family-friendly (not haunted) ride with cider, a donut and a bonfire.
Hours · Admission
This season
October 3 – October 31
Hours
Open to the public on select Sundays June–August and every weekend in October. Harvest Festival: Saturdays and Sundays in October (October 3–31, 2026), 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Harvest Moon Hayrides: Saturday nights in October, 7–10 p.m.
Admission
Harvest Festival: $13 per person, adults and children; 24 months and under free; groups of 10 or more $11 per person; seniors and military $2 off. Extras: pony rides $3, duck feeding 25 cents. Donuts $1.50 each, $7 per half dozen, $10 per dozen; Hy's Cider $1.50 a cup, $7 a half gallon, $10 a gallon.
Wiard's dates back to 1837 and calls itself Michigan's oldest continually family-owned and operated orchard. A Country Fair ticket covers the corn maze, mini golf, wagon rides and the petting farm, and weekends add a giant slide, fire engine rides and pedal tractor races. You can pick your own apples and pumpkins for an extra charge, and the Country Store & Bakery and the cider mill are right there on the same Merritt Road farm.
Hours · Admission
This season
September 8
Hours
Country Fair Wednesday–Sunday 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Country Store Tuesday–Sunday 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; closed Mondays. November hours vary, so call ahead.
Admission
Weekday tickets (Wednesday–Friday) $18 per person; weekend tickets (Saturday–Sunday) $27 per person; season pass $46 per person. Babies 23 months and under free. U-pick apples and pumpkins cost extra.
Diehl's has been family-owned for 70 years, and in 2026 its corn maze is free: half a mile to a mile of paths winding through the apple orchard. Apples here are fresh picked rather than U-pick, pre-packaged or mix-and-match in the Pack-n-Tote room from September (Honeycrisp excluded), and the pumpkin patch is open every day. Bring the dog, say hi to the Scottish Highland cows and Nigerian Dwarf goats, and try the house specialties: hot, cold and slushy cider with hot donuts.
Hours · Admission
This season
August 15 – November 22
Hours
August 15 – October 31, 2026: open daily 9 a.m.–6 p.m. November 1–22: Saturday and Sunday only, noon–5 p.m. Corn maze open 7 days a week, 9 a.m.–6 p.m., with evening hours available.
Admission
Free corn maze, parking, playground, hay maze, haypile and kiddie maze. Weekend hayrides $3 (ages 3 and under free); weekend pony rides $10; campfire add-on $35 for evening maze visits.
The Long family has farmed the same stretch of Commerce Road since 1876, so fall 2026 is the farm's 150th. Cider is pressed right on the farm, the cinnamon sugar donuts come out hot all day, and you don't need a ticket for the cider mill or farm market. From September 12 to November 1, 2026, Fridays to Sundays, the Fun Farm packs in 20-plus attractions, from the corn maze, jumping pillows and petting farm to apple cannons and slides, and your ticket includes a hayride out to the U-pick pumpkin patch.
Hours · Admission
Hours
Cider Mill & Farm Market daily 9 a.m.–7 p.m. (Fridays from 7 a.m.) through Thanksgiving Eve, no admission needed. Fun Farm & Corn Maze September 12 – November 1, 2026: Fridays 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m.–7 p.m., last admission at 6 p.m.
Admission
Cider Mill and Farm Market: no admission. Fun Farm day pass $19 online, $21 at the gate; kids under 32 inches tall free. Fun Farm season pass $45.76. Fire pit rental $80 (Fun Farm admission required for each guest). Pumpkins, apple cannons and select activities cost extra. Cashless farm.
Goodison Cider Mill is home of the world-famous Pistachio Nut Bread, selling hundreds of loaves a year, alongside fresh-pressed cider, daily donuts, pies, pumpkin nut bread, jams, apples, caramel apples, old-fashioned candies, handmade caramel and honey. Look for the red and white building on Orion Road at Hilltop Road, minutes from the Paint Creek Trail; classic cars, strollers, bikes, leashed pets and even horses are welcome. On September and October Sundays through October 25, 2026, there are free balloon creations from 1 to 4 p.m. and free live music most afternoons.
Hours · Admission
This season
December 24
Hours
Season runs Labor Day weekend until Christmas Eve. Open seven days a week 9 a.m.–6 p.m. in September and October, then 9 a.m.–5 p.m. in November until Thanksgiving Eve. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m.–5 p.m. in December; Christmas Eve (December 24) 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Admission
Free parking; balloon creations and most live music are free.
Alber's land was originally deeded by President Andrew Jackson in 1832, John Alber bought the farm in 1881, and since 1999 Mike and Therese Bossory have run it as the first owners outside the Alber family. They grow more than 100 apple varieties, many of them heirlooms, and press cider on the original 1890 Mount Gilead Cider Press, with working demonstrations. Besides cider and hard cider, Freedom Winery pours wine on site, and there are pumpkins and fall activities too.
Hours · Admission
This season
September 10
Hours
Orchard (from September 10, 2026): Thursday and Friday noon–6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Freedom Winery (opens Saturday, September 12, 2026): Thursday–Sunday 2–6 p.m.
BJ Pumpkin Farm had planned 2025 as its last year, but it's back for 2026 because visitors asked, open Fridays to Sundays from September 18 to October 31. There's a Search and Find Corn Maze, BJ's Little Pumpkins Playground, a free family game center and crafts in the barn, plus pumpkins, heirloom pumpkins, mums, corn stalks and squash to take home. Donuts can be ordered in any size, with regular or slushy cider on the side, and getting onto the farm is always free.
Hours · Admission
This season
September 18 – October 31
Hours
September 18 – October 31, 2026: Friday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Admission
Admission to the farm is always free. The pricing page lists ages 3–5 at $4 and ages 6 and up at $6, with 2 and under free. Playground $2 per child (under 2 free). Family game center free.
At Blake's South Lyon you can pick your own fruit and vegetables and take a wagon ride through the orchard. Funland has over 25 activities, including a petting farm, jumping pillows, a seasonal corn maze and Straw Mountain. The farm store sells donuts, pies and jarred goods, 12 to 15 hard ciders are on tap Friday through Sunday, and food trucks roll in during the fall.
Funland day pass for children: weekdays (Monday–Friday) $9.95, weekends (Saturday and Sunday) $12.95; adults and seniors $3 off; children 2 and under free with a paying adult. Includes unlimited Funland and train rides.
Bonadeo Farms is a family fall farm with homemade doughnuts and cider, hayrides out to the pumpkin patch and a corn maze. On Friday and Saturday nights from dusk to 11 p.m., the Full Moon Haunted House opens its three zones: an anxious hayride through the cornfield, a 10,000-plus-square-foot haunted house and the Mystic Cornfield. It runs September 25 through October 31, 2026, and isn't recommended for people with heart conditions, asthma, epilepsy or claustrophobia, or for expectant mothers.
Hours · Admission
This season
September 25
Hours
Opening day Friday, September 25, 2026. Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (cider, donuts, caramel apples, hayrides, corn maze, pumpkin patch, kids' playground). Friday and Saturday evenings from dark until 11 p.m. (haunted house and hayride).
Detroit Harvest Fest at Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park
1801 W. Jefferson, Detroit
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy throws Detroit Harvest Fest on October 3–4, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., in the 22-acre Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park on the riverfront. Kids under 12 can pick a free pie-size pumpkin (one per child, while supplies last), then hit the decorating tent, the trick-or-treating Kids Adventure Trail and the free creative activities in Art Alley. Grown-ups get live entertainment, full bars and dozens of food trucks in a park that opened October 25, 2025, and links the Riverwalk from Gabriel Richard Park to Belle Isle.
Hours · Admission
This season
October 3 – October 4
Hours
Detroit Harvest Fest: October 3–4, 2026, 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Park hours 6 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
Admission
Advance tickets $5 each; Family Four Pack $15; $8 at the door. Free for children 3 and under, seniors 65 and over and active military with ID.
Erie Orchards is a real working farm with about 70 acres in production and roughly 15,000 bushels of apples harvested a year. Fall means apple picking, pumpkins, hayrides and a corn maze, and the store keeps donuts, cider, cider slush, hot cider, caramel apples, Indian corn and pumpkin pies coming, with fritters Fridays to Sundays in September and October. Every fall weekend in 2026 has its own theme, from the Apple Festival (September 12–13) through the Pumpkin Festival (October 3–4) and Cider Making Weekend (October 17–18) to Halloween Treat Day on October 31.
The Parshallville mill stands on North Ore Creek in Livingston County, where Isaac Parshall ran his "Success Flour" mill and set up the area's first post office in 1837; Michigan recognized Tom Walker's Grist Mill as a historic site in 1975. Cider is made weekly, and donuts, pies, cakes and cookies are baked daily, with live music on Sunday afternoons. The mill hasn't separately confirmed its 2026 season, so call before you head out.
Hours · Admission
Hours
Wednesday–Sunday 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Labor Day weekend through mid-November, weather permitting.
Kackleberry Farms' Fall Festival packs in 30-plus attractions on weekends from September 12 to November 1, 2026, including a super-mega slide, a jumping pillow, pig races and duck races. The 2026 corn maze has a USA 250th anniversary design, and the you-pick pumpkin patch is back along with a sunflower field, farm animals and a hayride. New on the snack front: an Apple Crisp Cup, plus gluten-free donuts.
Hours · Admission
This season
September 12 – November 1
Hours
Fall Festival September 12 – November 1, 2026: Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; plus Thursday and Friday, October 15, 16, 22 and 23, 3–7 p.m.
Admission
Weekends $21.99 online, $25 at the gate. Thursday and Friday $16.99 online. Ages 2 and under free; everyone 3 and older needs a ticket. 2026 season pass $60 (online flash sale $44.99). Includes one-day access to 30-plus farm activities, the corn maze, photo ops and the super-mega slide.
Verellen has been a family business since 1920, founded by Henry and Ed Verellen; the donuts showed up in fall 1974 and the cider mill in January 1975. The market sells homemade pies, donuts, fresh cider and in-season fruit, including more than 20 apple varieties from Honey Crisp to Northern Spy, and it's open year-round. U-pick is done for 2026 and reopens in June 2027.
Hours · Admission
Hours
Open year-round: Monday–Friday 6:30 a.m.–6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m.–6 p.m. U-pick is closed for the season and reopens June 2027.
D-Town Farm (Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network)
14027 West Outer Drive (between Plymouth and West Chicago), Detroit
D-Town Farm is a slightly-more-than-seven-acre organic farm in Detroit's Rouge Park, run by the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network since 2008 and growing more than 30 different fruits, vegetables and herbs every year. Anyone can volunteer on weekend mornings, no experience needed, and farm tours are available on request. 2026 is the network's 20th anniversary: its free Harvest 2026 festival took place September 19–20, and the D-Town Farmers Market runs on the last Sunday of each month.
Hours · Admission
Hours
Volunteer hours Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m.–1 p.m. during the growing season (April 11 – November 22). D-Town Farmers Market on the last Sunday of the month.
cider mill · U-pick apples · hayrides · farm market
Hy's Cider Mill
6350 37 Mile Rd, Romeo
Hyman Goldstein opened Hy's Cider Mill in fall 1973 on the 37 Mile Road farm his father Joe bought in the early 1930s, and the family has been making cider for over three generations. The first press made 200 gallons an hour, today's makes 1,200, and a wagon ride takes you out to U-pick apples: McIntosh and Gala from September 12, Empire and Cortland from September 19, Jonagold and Jonathan from September 26 and Ambrosia from October 3, 2026. In the mill's own words it's less carnival, more authentic orchard, with picnic areas, caramel apples and donuts.
Hours · Admission
This season
September 12 – November 1
Hours
Saturdays and Sundays only, September 12 – November 1, 2026: 11 a.m.–6 p.m. (U-pick until 5 p.m.).
At Spicer you pick your own apples, from bargain varieties like Gala, Cortland, Fuji and Empire to premium Honeycrisp and Crimson Crisp, and fall weekends add scenic train and wagon rides around the orchards, a corn maze, a pumpkin patch and food vendors. Donuts are fried in a cottonseed and palm oil blend (no beef tallow) with gluten-free and vegan options, and the farm has its own winery to go with the cider. Weekends stay busy through the end of October, so come Monday through Thursday for a quieter visit.
Hours · Admission
Hours
Farm Market daily 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; Winery daily 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Pick your own: last wagon ride goes out at 5:30 p.m., and everyone is brought back from the field by 6:15 p.m.
Wasem is a family-owned orchard near Milan where you can pick your own apples and pumpkins in the fall. Homemade unpasteurized cider and fresh donuts are made daily all autumn, and the farm also sells currants, gooseberries, plums, pears and fall raspberries. Leashed dogs are welcome on the farm, just not in the store.
Hours · Admission
This season
September 10 – November 20
Hours
September–October: Wednesday–Sunday 9 a.m.–6 p.m. (closed Monday and Tuesday). November: Fridays only, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (November 6, 13 and 20). Closed Thanksgiving through mid-February.
Paint Creek Cider Mill is closed: Oakland Township's page lists the main-floor retail space as vacant, and the upper floor now houses the township's Parks & Recreation offices. The building began as Needham Hemingway's 1835 gristmill, became a destination cider mill after Dale O. Miller Sr. bought it in 1945, and got a two-ton-plus wooden replica waterwheel with 48 hand-machined white oak paddles from Jerry Mancour in 1993. It sits between Orion Road and the Paint Creek Trail; the Nicholson family donated the then-thriving cider mill, restaurant and pub to the township in 2005.
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