The colors may be fading in the north and peaking in the south, and the days are getting shorter and colder, but there is still time to make a visit to a Michigan Cider Mill.
Many cider mills stay open until at least Thanksgiving, and some operate beyond. And you can bet that as the sugars concentrate in the apples as nights get colder, the cider becomes the sweetest treat of the season.
Near St. Johns, between Lansing and Clare, for example, Uncle John’s Cider Mill has been hosting family fun since the 1970s, and is planning to be open through Dec. 31. This month, kids can pick their own pumpkins, take train rides, and get lost in the corn maze, and after, sip all that great cider and munch on a cinnamon donut, too. Check out Uncle John’s at www.ujcidermill.com, or call 989-224-3686.
In Southeast Michigan, Apple Charlie may be gone, but his cider mill that has crushed the fruit of the season for more than 50 years lives on in New Boston, southwest of Detroit. Apple Charlie’s will be open through Dec. 31 as well, and its haunted house, a fixture at many cider mills, is open through Oct. 30. Go to www.applecharlie.com for more, or call 734-753-9380.
In central Lower Michigan, don’t pass up Fruitful Orchard, just west of Gladwin on M-61. Buy an apple pie produced by the mill’s Amish cooks. Pick a peck of fresh apples, and enjoy that great smell of cider with fresh donuts wafting through the building as you walk through the door. Fruitful Orchard is open through Nov. 24. Go to http://www.michiganappleorchard.com/Home.aspx, or call 989-426-3971.
Three other perennial favorites are Plymouth Orchards and Cider Mill near Plymouth, Parmenter’s in Northville, and the Frankilin Cider Mill in Franklin.
For more information and hours, a good starting point is www.michigancidermills.net. It does not list every one, but if you Google Michigan cider mills and your nearest city, you’ll quickly be on the way to enjoying some of the best of Michigan in fall.
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