October 16th, 2017 at 8:59 PM ^
After Franklin, there are several good ones.
October 16th, 2017 at 10:09 PM ^
I know cider mills. And Franklin is no cider mill!
Yates is pretty good.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:20 PM ^
just the best donuts and cider of any cider mill in Michigan
October 17th, 2017 at 12:53 AM ^
Amen.
October 17th, 2017 at 7:45 AM ^
Franklin has the worst donuts out of any cider mill in SE Michigan, and I grew up going to Franklin. Long's in Commerce has great donuts, as does Erwin's in South Lyon. Better get to Erwin's this year though, as they are selling the entire property (orchard and all) to Pulte homes.
October 17th, 2017 at 9:20 AM ^
Lets agree to disagree. I love their spice donuts, and yes...they're greasy...but they're heavenly. To me, anyway...
October 17th, 2017 at 3:15 PM ^
Franklin is near where I live and is smack dab in what is arguably the wealthiest zip code in Michigan (not mine). Which is how they're able to get away with charging $10.50 for a gallon of cider. I literally live two miles from there and will not stop. I usually get my cider at a weekend farm market and pay no more than $6.
October 17th, 2017 at 5:12 PM ^
If you live 2 miles from there we should get a beer sometime. I'm at 14 and Northwestern.
October 16th, 2017 at 9:00 PM ^
I've always been a fan of Yates Cider Mill in Rochester, but it can be pretty packed especially on a Saturday afternoon.
October 16th, 2017 at 9:17 PM ^
I second this...best donuts around
October 16th, 2017 at 9:45 PM ^
Yates is a literal zoo. The place stinks of manure from the "petting zoo" which is just a bunch of pathetic looking animals jammed in a pen. They also have a terrible wasp infestation. Why anyone would subject themselves to fighting the throngs of people for that is beyond me.
October 16th, 2017 at 10:22 PM ^
For the donuts.
October 16th, 2017 at 10:22 PM ^
LOL, guess we're not going to Yates :D
October 17th, 2017 at 12:40 AM ^
I would imagine that most cider mills have a wasp problem. When you get close to the farm animals, it smells like farm animals. It is not pervasive. I think somehow he managed to get some manure smeared under his nostrils.
October 17th, 2017 at 10:24 AM ^
Except they put the animals right by the main seating area. Cider mills often go hand in hand with wasos, but the sheer numbers Yates gets makes the problem so much worse than anywhere else I've been.
If Yates was the only place in the area, that'd be one thing, but there's nothing that great that separates it from the countless cider mills we're lucky to have in Michigan.
OP, if you're going to go to Yates, the best thing to do is grab your cider and donuts and head down the Clinton River Trail.
October 17th, 2017 at 12:18 PM ^
& proposed to my wife there :)
October 16th, 2017 at 10:32 PM ^
Franklin and Yates are too urban. Need to either get to to Romeo/Almont area on the East side, out to Hartland/Howell on the West side. There are several good ones in each area.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:08 PM ^
..for the same reason that all those people are there for....because it is a great cider mill
October 16th, 2017 at 9:02 PM ^
Blakes is the best in Michigan, in Armada, north of Macomb
October 16th, 2017 at 10:25 PM ^
Another vote here for Blake's. Pick up some hard cider while you're there.
October 17th, 2017 at 2:52 PM ^
Love the fact you can drive into the orchard to go apple picking and pumpkin picking and then there is a lot to do when you go back to get donuts and cider. It feels more spread out than the other mills.
October 16th, 2017 at 9:03 PM ^
Spicer Orchards in Fenton. But a little outside of SE Michigan. Has a winery and lots of activities for kids.
October 16th, 2017 at 9:14 PM ^
I 2nd Spicers. They have awesome apple fritters as well.
My personal fav hard cider mill is JK’s Scrumpy in Flushing. They brew a damn good switchel if you’re into apple cider vinegar/ginger tonics (non-alcoholic version).
October 16th, 2017 at 9:05 PM ^
Yates might be my favorite; but Parmenters in Northville, the Dexter Cider Mill, Spicers in the Fenton area, the Franklin Cider Mill, and Long’s Orchard in Commerce Township are all excellent. If you’re up for a drive, the cider mills in Parshalville and St John’s are also outstanding.
October 16th, 2017 at 9:09 PM ^
"Uncle John's" Is the name of the place in st. John. I'll vouch for that one. It's quite a big operation but as a bonus they do have a wine and hard cider tasting barn.
October 16th, 2017 at 9:45 PM ^
Which I believe is an old grist mill.
I think it's important to make a didtinction between authentic cider mill operations that make cider, Large farms that make cider but aren't quite as traditional, and an old style mill that happens to stock cider for sale.
Blakes is awesome for christmas trees, pumpkins, cider and now beer/alcohol, I'm really impressed how theyve gone all-in on becoming a one-stop seasonal event farm.
The major drawback is that it's such a sprawling place that it seems more like a farm amusement park with a grocery store vibe.
Franklin & Yates are far more traditional, if you want to see an old school grist mill with a creek/river and woods, then this pictureque setting may be more your style.
I'm not a cider snob, so the cider from just about anywhere tastes good to me with a couple doughnut chasers.
October 17th, 2017 at 9:02 AM ^
Used to love parmenters back when I lived in the area.
October 16th, 2017 at 9:06 PM ^
Glei's is where the magic happens
October 16th, 2017 at 9:06 PM ^
Blakes
October 16th, 2017 at 10:33 PM ^
Went there a lot when we lived in Lapeer. Only problem is they charge a lot for the kids stuff
October 16th, 2017 at 9:31 PM ^
Not very well known, but Wasem Fruit Farm is about 15 minutes South of Ypsilanti and has the best donuts I've ever had. I used to live just a few minutes from it. Highly recommend it.
Dexter Cider Mill is good but probably not worth waiting in line for an hour.
If anyone says Wiard's they should be automatically banned.
October 16th, 2017 at 9:45 PM ^
I grew up in Dexter and never knew a line more than five minutes or so. I guess it's gone quite commercial in the forty years since I left.
October 16th, 2017 at 9:56 PM ^
I live ten minutes north of town and I try to go once a year. I should probably clarify though. It's bad on weekends. I would imagine during the week it is a lot easier to get in and out. But every time I've gone has been on a Saturday and it's just painful waiting in line.
October 17th, 2017 at 6:33 AM ^
That's why I don't like going there. The problem is there's a couple who runs it and they don't seem to want to hire extra help and add a few cash register stations on weekends. So, there's one big long line with one group being checked out at a time. Add the chit chat that occurs naturally, and you get long waits.
October 17th, 2017 at 10:49 AM ^
Plug for Blast Corn MAize in Dexter
October 17th, 2017 at 10:49 AM ^
Plug for Blast Corn MAize in Dexter
October 17th, 2017 at 10:49 AM ^
Plug for Blast Corn MAize in Dexter
October 17th, 2017 at 1:39 PM ^
especially on sunny days and there are long lines at Dexter. Wednesday through Friday is no problem.
October 16th, 2017 at 10:38 PM ^
When my sisters come to town in the fall, I always take them to the Dexter Cider Mill...but never on a weekend. Not a good idea to stand around a long time with the bees like they are, unless you like that sort of thing. There's one in Manchester, I believe, but the name escapes me. Alber's maybe?
October 16th, 2017 at 11:20 PM ^
The Saturday of the Bye week there was a 2.5 hour wait at Wasems lol what a waste of a Saturday to do that
October 17th, 2017 at 8:18 AM ^
Glad to see a shout out for Wasem's. The donuts there are indeed amazing.
Out of curiosity, why the hate for Wiard's? Honest question. I wouldn't have thought to recommend it, but I guess I wouldn't have called it out like that either...
October 17th, 2017 at 12:09 PM ^
That place is as gimmicky as it gets. Maybe they have improved recently but the last time I was there (probably over 5 years ago), everything seemed like it had just been shipped in by a vendor. Donuts, pies, everything was pre packaged and looked (and tasted) like it had been made in a factory. The atmosphere might be okay but it just seemed like you could go to Meijer or Busch's and get the same quality stuff.
October 17th, 2017 at 11:02 AM ^
Wasem is fantastic.
Also, if you have a meat smoker, Wasem will sell apple and cherry wood by the truckful for cheap.
October 17th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^
I live 5 minutes away from Wasem in the Greene Farms sub. We live near each other.
October 17th, 2017 at 1:50 PM ^
I have some friends who live in Greene Farms. It's a nice neighborhood. I used to live in Parkside Preserve west, but I moved to Dexter 3 years ago.
October 16th, 2017 at 9:08 PM ^
Plymouth Orchards. Petting farm, cinnamon donuts, cider slushes.
October 16th, 2017 at 9:08 PM ^
Franklin was it for me growing up - still love their donuts, but really nothing to do there except get your food. Erwin's in South Lyon is excellent - donuts are great and you can go apple picking. As others have said, Spicer's near Fenton is also terrific with many things to do, but a little bit of a drive depending on your location.
October 16th, 2017 at 9:09 PM ^
Growing up in Northville, Parmenter's was the go to. Yates and Blake's are probably the most famous. Yates gets super crowded. Blake's is out in Armada but huge and has a nice brewery, I've heard. I've heard Franklin is pretty good too.
Tbh most cider mills are pretty similar. Depending on where you live you could probably get away with going to the closest one.
October 16th, 2017 at 9:10 PM ^
Parmenters. Lots for kids to do, cool creek in back, walking distance to Northville. Winner
October 16th, 2017 at 11:10 PM ^
walking distance?