They're the cider mill hidden gems you haven't heard of - until now.
The hidden places for a great time, with less crowds, where no donut goes uneaten and no cider is unsipped.
We've found four of them in four of our local counties.
Jennifer Ann Wilson introduces you to them in the video player above.
Here's the list:
Westview Orchards and Adventure Farm, 65075 Van Dyke, Washington Township. (586) 752-3123 http://www.westvieworchards.com
Westview Orchards s a 5th generation family farm in Washington Township ripe with tradition, warmth, creativity and fun. They have an extensive bakery including pies, cake rolls, sweet fruit breads, savory breads, jams, jellies and canned veggies.
In addition to the standard cider donut, they have several creative donuts including maple-bacon and chocolate-bacon, as well as a unique orchard creation called the fruit flip in several very tasty flavors.
Flavored apple cider is also available here infused with fruit from the farm! We tasted the cherry-apple and peach-apple in addition to the plain cider and found all to be incredible.
Attached to the 150 year old barn and cider mill is a silo with a beautiful winding wooden staircase that leads to the lofted winery where both hard cider and wine is served. The winery is also available to rent for special events.
Outdoor family fun activities abound: including a 6-acre corn maze, pony rides, petting farm, wagon rides, u-pick apples with more varieties than you'll find most other places and a 3-acre playground with a 40-foot slide, an apple slingshot and an apple cannon.
Diehl's Orchard and Cider Mill, 1479 Ranch, Holly. (248) 634-8981 http://www.diehlsorchard.com/
Diehl's is a rustic third generation family run Orchard & Cider Mill off of a tree-lined dirt road in northern Oakland County. They're far from the concrete jungle and that's the way they like it!
In fact, the owner's son says they only recently paved a portion of their parking lot near the gift shop and bakery due to customer request.
They offer cider hot, cold and in a slushie as well as their special recipe cider donuts. Their gift shop offers a variety of other locally made products.
Across the street from the bakery is a wide open field with a few antique rustic vehicles on display and plenty of space for kids to run and play. Much of the play ground is homemade, built from wood and hay.
They have a U-pick apple orchard as well and wagon rides.
Tom Walker's Grist Mill (aka Parshallville Cider Mill) 8507 Parshallville Road, Fenton, Mi
Nestled along the banks of North Ore Creek in Livingston County sits Tom Walker’s Grist Mill, a Michigan Historic Site over a century old. With a 1/4 mile walking trail and many places to sit by the creek and nearby dam, this is an incredibly peaceful place to sip on cider.
Originaly built to mill grain, nowadays, from the old fashioned press to the family-recipe homemade pies, it's all about the apples.
Their pies are made using a large 1920's Italian dough mixer and baked in an old fashioned rotating oven, 150 at a time. They offer hot cider, cold cider, cider slushies, caramel apples and many other locally made products. Sunday's from 1pm-4pm they have a local live band perform on the outdoor deck (weather permitting).
Parmenter's Northville Cider Mill, 714 Baseline Road, Northville. (248) 349-3181 http://www.northvillecider.com/
Parmenter’s Cider Mill is an urban Oasis. You'll find it in a neighborhood off of 8 Mile in Northville flanked by a children's plastic playground, large trees, walking paths and a little creek filled with ducks. Hungry ducks. Which is actually part of what makes this place unique.
Parmenter's only sells perfect donuts. The misshapen or day old donuts, they give away for FREE specifically so people can feed their fine feathered guests.
I met a mother and son who come here every week to drink a glass of cider and feed the ducks!
They offer traditional cake-like cider donuts, no fancy flavors. They have a hard cider & wine tasting counter under the same roof as the non-alcoholic cider, but they also have a separate winery & brewery in the building next door which often features live music on the weekends.
OTHER CIDER MILLS IN SE MICHIGAN TO VISIT:
Yates Cider Mill, 1990 E. Avon, Rochster Hills. (248) 651-8300 https://www.yatescidermill.com
Yates Cider Mill has a rural feel, but it's definitely not hidden. Located on a beautiful tree-lined stretch of Avon Rd. with steady stream of traffic that often backs up during rush hour. Expect to wait in lines and encounter crowds, but Yates is a long time favorite of many for good reason.
Yates is a Michigan landmark and a registered historic site, making apple cider with water power from the Clinton River since 1876.
Enjoy donuts and cider, pies, the petting zoo, and the river walk trails. Just don't go if you are in a hurry to get in and out.
Paint Creek Cider Mill, 4480 Orion, Rochester (248) 656-3400 paintcreekcider.net
This is more of a restaurant than a cider mill and it's open all year round, with a menu that includes pizzas and BBQ themed dishes along with cider and donuts.
Located near the beautiful nearly Paint Creek Trail, there is nearly 9-miles of ample opportunity to burn off the calories before or after you eat them!
Goodison Cider Mill 4295 Orion Road, Rochester Phone: 248-652-8450 https://goodisoncidermill.wordpress.com/
Come by for a gallon of fresh-made cider and apples to take home.
Enjoy cider, donuts and their self-proclaimed 'famous' pistachio nut bread! A unique feature at Goodison, you can bring your own apples and pay for a custom pressing!
Rochester Cider Mill, 5125 N. Rochester, Rochester (248) 651-4224 http://www.rochestercidermill.com
Rochester Cider Mill offers a simple but unique experience with a petting farm, hay pyramid and antique farm tool collection on display.
In addition to standard apple cider, they have specialty blends available only in November and December.
Their variety of donuts includes: blueberry, apple cinnamon with maple glazed, cherry and lemon with sprinkles
Stoney Creek Orchard and Cider Mill 2961 W. 32 Mile Romeo, MI 48065 586-752-2453
Tall trees line the driveway, antique farm vehicles decorate the property and a play area for kids includes stacks of straw bales for them to climb.
You can pick your own apples, pumpkins and raspberries or buy them pre-picked.
Along with cider and donuts, they offer handmade pies, caramel apples, jams, jellies, honey, maple syrup, and other farmer's market products.
They also offer moonlight hay-rides followed by a bonfire. Fridays are group reservations only, Saturdays are open to the public.
Wiard's Orchards and Country Fair / Cider Mill, 5565 Merritt, Ypsilanti. (734) 390-9211 http://wiards.com
Wiard's is huge! Good thing there is a guest services booth front and center at the entrance. How else would you find your way around??
From six "haunted attractions" to a Fort Wiard miniature golf course, hayrides, u-pick orchards and corn mazes … it's easy to get turned around.
They have wagon rides, a kids playground, a bungee run, pedal tractor races, hay piles, apple cannons and something called "spatter town".
Cider and donuts are a given. They sell baked pies as well as frozen pies you can take home and bake yourself.
There is an admission fee, but there's enough entertainment to keep the whole family busy all day!
Blake's Orchard and Cider Mill, 17985 Armada Center, Armada, (586) 784-5343 blakesfarms.com
Blake is a destination apple orchard and cider mill that has received national and regional attention.
The cider mill and farm house recently underwent massive renovations. There are U-pick field and orchards along with more than dozen acres of land with numerous structures for kids to play on.
A general store and cafe offers bakery items, cider and donuts, produce and made-in-Michigan dry goods like salsa and jams.
In the middle of it all sits the Hard Cider House and Winery, a bar and restaurant.
A short drive from their cider mill you'll find the haunted attractions including a three-story haunted barn, a 3-D maze, haunted hay ride and zombie paintball.
Franklin Cider Mill, 7450 Franklin, Bloomfield Hills (248) 626-8261 http://www.franklincidermill.com/
Another popular fall stop that draws the crowds! Expect to wait in line for the fresh from the oven cinnamon spice donuts, the cider (hot cold or slushie) and baked goods.
Their cider is not filtered or pasteurized, so expect sediment at the bottom of your glass. Apples and apple products are available or purchase. The mill was originally built in 1837.
Verellen Orchards 63260 Van Dyke Rd, Washington, MI 48095 (586) 752-2989
http://www.verellenorchards.com/
If you need to make a quick stop for cider, donuts and baked goods, this is a great place to do it.
For the public, Verellen offers mostly a fruit store and bakery. Fruit is already picked and bagged, pies are baked and donuts boxed. Very near M-53.
Middleton Farms Cider Mill, 46462 Dequindre, Utica (586) 731-6699 https://www.facebook.com/Middleton-Farms-Cider-Mill-143533349026604/
A small family owned cider mill. Instead of a website, they have a Facebook page which features pictures fresh donuts, gallon jugs of cider, candied apples and Lucky the mill cat. T
his spot is warm, friendly, simple and easy.
Miller's Big Red Farms, 4900 32 Mile, Washington. (586) 752-7888 http://millersbigred.com
Miller's caters to school groups, so be prepared for large crowds of kids on week days. You can pick your own fruits and veggies as well as enjoy cider and donuts.
Miller's has a large petting zoo with chickens, rabbits, pigs, goats, llamas, sheep and more. There's also a corn maze and hayrides.
Ashton Orchard and Cider Mill, 3925 Seymour Lake, Ortonville. (248) 627-6671 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashton-Orchards/149943108360974
Ashton's Facebook Page describes it as a specialty store. A quaint no-frill spot to pick up cider, donuts and apples while avoiding large crowds.
Plymouth Orchards and Cider Mill, 10685 Warren, Plymouth (734) 455-2290 https://www.plymouthorchards.com/
Plymouth has won awards for it's cider and donuts. This 100-acre farm draws people from all over and caters to school groups.
There are farm animals to see, wagon rides, a pumpkin patch, a variety of homemade pies and award winning donuts and cider.
You can't pick your own apples, but you can buy them.
Dexter Cider Mill, 3685 Central St., Dexter. (734) 426-8531 http://www.dextercidermill.com
Positioned near the Huron River, Dexter Cider Mill calls itself the oldest, continuously operating cider mill in Michigan.
They press 3-5 varieties of apples, making every batch of cider unique. The mill's bakery includes: doughnuts, caramel apples, apple nut bread, homemade apple pies, apple strudel, apple turnovers and hand-rolled gingersnaps.
If you prefer to make the sweet treats yourself, you can buy the "Dexter Cider Mill Apple Cookbook"
Erwin Orchards, 61475 Silver Lake Road, South Lyon. (248) 437-0150 http://erwinorchards.com/wordpress
The farm has been in the family for 3-generations.
Don't be surprised to run into big crowds even during the week. This is a local favorite among school groups!
There are lots of activities for kids including a corn maze, a playground and a large u-pick orchard with wagon rides.
Both their pumpkin-cake donuts and apple spice donuts receive rave reviews.
Hy's Cider Mill 6350 37 Mile Road, Romeo 810-798-3611 http://www.hyscidermill.com
Hy's offers select dates to pick your own apples and a scenic overlook on which to enjoy your cider and donuts.
Alber Orchard & Cider Mill 13011 Bethel Church Road, Manchester http://www.alberorchard.com/
A popular spot for weddings and school groups, this fall favorite offers a seven-acre corn maze, a petting farm, live entertainment and of course cider and donuts.
Apple Charlie's South Huron Orchards 38035 S. Huron Road, New Boston Phone: 734-753-9380 https://www.facebook.com/Apple-Charlies-South-Huron-Orchards-148821038487766/
Simple fall pleasures on a huge farm. Enjoy a u-pick field and orchards with a variety of fruit or purchase it pre-picked.
Indulge in pies, donuts and cider.
Beyond the typical petting farm, Charlie’s has an ostrich, pigmy goat and a baby calf.
Obstbaum Orchards 9252 Curie Road, Northville 734-560-2840http://www.obstbaum.com/
A 40-year-old family-run orchard with winery offering fresh-picked apples, pressed cider and apple cinnamon doughnuts.
Obstbaum offers hayrides and U-pick pumpkins.
