The fall season in Michigan holds a special place in my heart. I look forward to fall for so many reasons. However, one in particular is my favorite. Eating my way through the best cider mills in Michigan. Those freshly baked warm, soft, homemade cider mill donuts. My fingers covered in delicious cinnamon sugar. Washed down by a refreshing (or warming) cup of freshly made apple cider.
Here’s my list of the best Cider Mills in Michigan!
What is a cider mill?
A cider mill is where they mill, grind, and press apples into apple cider! The “mill” is the equipment used to crush the apples, ferment, store, and ship apple juice products. Cider mills are mostly found in Michigan and other midwestern states in the USA. They sell apple cider, and a variety of flavored donuts. Each Michigan cider mill is unique, and locally owned, serving it’s own version of the cider donut combo.
Most are located on orchards, where you can pick your own apples or pumpkins. Others have hayrides, haunted houses, and corn mazes for entertainment. Some cider mills have a shop inside where you can purchase a variety of apple and fall goods such as jams, pies, fresh fruits/veggies, wines, and more.
Blakes Farm & Orchard
17985 Armada Center Rd, Armada, MI 48005
Blake’s Orchard & Cider Mill opened in 1946 and was the first pick-your-own orchard in Michigan. This local favorite is located in Armada and makes for the perfect family outing. Blake’s market inside offers fresh pressed cider, donuts, plus rooms full of homemade bakery items to choose from. Take a hayride to the pumpkin patch or apple orchard and enjoy picking your own!
Paint Creek Cider Mill
4480 Orion Road,
Rochester, MI 48306
Paint Creek cider mill is a historic mill powered by the paint creek river that it resides by. The locals favorite, and one of Michigan’s best cider mills just minutes from my home. They offer cider, handmade donuts & light lunches. Bring your bike, and work off all the cider and donuts as you ride down the paint creek trail. Take a stroll along the scenic trail and find a spot on the paint creek river to enjoy your donuts. Or you could always head over to Goodrich Cider Mill, which is right down the street. You know… to compare whose are better.
Goodrich Cider Mill
4295 Orion Rd, Rochester, MI 48306
Yates Cider Mill
Yates Cider Mill1950 E Avon Rd, Rochester Hills, MI 48307
2375 Joslyn Ct, Lake Orion, MI 48360
Yates Cider Mill is also located in Rochester Hills just down the road from Goodrich & Paint creek cider mills. Yates cider mill has been water-powered from the Clinton river since 1863 and presses 300 gallons of fresh blended apple cider per hour. Fresh handmade treats for sale including donuts, apple pies, cider, fudge, apple crisp, jams, and more.
Wiard’s Orchard
5565 Merritt Rd, Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Franklin Cider Mill
7450 Franklin Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301
The Franklin Cider Mill opened in 1837 as a gristmill and is located in the Franklin Historic District north of downtown Detroit. It has been pressing apples into cider since 1895, and today, all 21 varieties of apples used are hand-picked fresh and 100 percent organic. For a special taste sensation, visit in late September for Honey Crisp cider. Take home apple pie or sugar-free apple pie or a bag full of the signature cinnamon spice donuts.
Erwin Orchards
61475 Silver Lake Rd, South Lyon, MI 48178
Spicers Orchard & Winery
10411 Clyde Rd, Fenton, MI 48430
Dexter Cider Mill
3685 Central St, Dexter, MI 48130
Historic Dexter Cider Mill near Ann Arbor is the oldest continuously operating cider mill in the state. Today the cider mill keeps its more than 120-year old cider making tradition by using an oak rack press and blending three to five different locally grown apple varieties in every pressing.
I hope you enjoyed my list of the Best Cider Mills in Michigan! If you did, share it with your friends!
Looking for more to do in Michigan this fall? Check out my post on where the best scenic fall foliage drives are as you visit the cider mills!
43 comments
I would absolutely love this! I had no idea this was a thing in Michigan so this post is very helpful! Great post!
Ooo this post makes me wish I lived closer to Michigan! Would love to visit some of these cider mills!
I love cider! I used to drink it in NZ a lot 😅 never heard of the cider donut combo, sounds interesting 😊
My husband and I LOVE cider! I never knew that Michigan was a place for it! I always thought about Washington for some reason. We need to go try some when we get the chance.
I’ve never actually tried cider, but I know it’s very popular around the autumn time, and all of these locations look really nice to visit – especially with the donuts!
I love ciders! This sounds so amazing!
I love this post! I grew up in Wisconsin so I am all about fall activities and apple cider donuts! Michigan has so many beautiful places too. Even though I am nearby, I haven’t been to Michigan nearly enough. I definitely wanted to change that and visit all of these cider mills!
I’ve never been to Wisconsin, but my friend just moved to Madison – so it may be in the cards sometime next year! The cider and donuts are worth the trip, I hope you get to try them some day!
Fall is my favorite time of year and this post basically captures everything I love about it. The colors, the activities and the food! Those donuts…I just want them all. They look so good
I eat way too many donuts in the fall 😍 but it is my favorite time of year, the fall colors make it!
What a fun fall activity! We have a handful of cider mills in Virginia, but not this many. I think I’d most want to visit the Dexter Mill since it’s the oldest, but they all sound great!
They are all unique in their own ways. Some have wineries on them, hayrides, pick your own apples/pumpkins, haunted houses, etc. It’s worth visiting a couple different ones depending on what you like to do!
This sounds like such a fun fall activity! The scenic trail at Paint Creek sounds lovely and Goodrich Cider looks beautiful too. The Honey Crisp cider at Franklin defs caught my attention as well. And those donuts, yum!!!
I’ve never been to a cider mill, but absolutely would be down to check one out someday! I love apple cider + cider donuts are awesome! <3
If you visit MI in the fall – there are over 70 different cider mills to choose from!
I had no idea there were SO MANY cider mills anywhere! How incredible! Thank you for sharing this, I can’t wait to visit one.
This is just a small portion of my favorites haha there are about 70 cider mills throughout the state of Michigan!
I’ve never been to Michigan before, but fall seems like a perfect time to do and visit a cider mill! Sounds like such a great idea, I can’t believe I haven’t heard of it before and that they aren’t more popular elsewhere!
Michigan has tons and tons of apple orchards/pumpkin patches in the fall where you can pick your own – most orchards are located on cider mills!
Ohh this is the perfect weekend activity. I love apple cider… and I love donuts – what a perfect pairing! Makes me want to explore the Midwest now.
MI is an amazing state, and very underrated in my opinion! Visit in the fall and try out some adult cider 😉
I really enjoy drinking cider, it’s such a refreshing drink and some flavours are really interesting. It’s a very good option when you don’t drink beer. I like the idea of picking a pumpkin at the same time, bring on Halloween!
yes, I prefer cider to beer/wine although I do enjoy wine! MI has so many cideries/breweries/wineries there is something for everyone 🙂
I’d always thought a cedar mill was for cedar trees .. learn something new everyday, and now I want to visit. I love apple cider and ciders of all kinds. This looks so fresh and amazing.
Visit in the fall so you can see all the amazing fall colors along your scenic drives to the different cider mills! They have adult cider/cideries across the state as well 😉
So fun…love a good cider mill, especially when there’s hard cider involved. Was hoping to get out there when visiting home this past summer (Chicago!) but alas. Someday!
Next year you should come visit! There are around 70 cider mills across the state, many not too far from Chi!
I really love “pumpkin season”, but I think I may love apples and cider even more! Those cider donuts look so yummy!
I’m from Ohio and one of my favorite things about fall in the Midwest is fresh apple cider. Of course cider donuts and even caramel apples aren’t bad either. This makes me miss my hometown.
Apple picking, cider mills, and fall colors is like the planets way of lightening the blow of summer ending haha
Ooh, I love cider and donuts. Never been to a cider mill,, it sounds like fun!
I really like cider, I drank a lot in the UK. But never heard about eating it with a doughnut, it would be an interesting addition to the experience!
Oh yum! I love cider & almost everything Fall related haha! I’ve never been to a cider mill, but they look amazing!
– Madi xo | http://www.everydaywithmadirae.com
I love everything about Fall. I used to live in Tennessee (now in South Carolina) where we
had cider mills. Seeing your pics of those yummy donuts makes me miss it so much! Your
photos are gorgeous and Michigan looks like a beautiful place in the Fall! Thanks for
sharing.
I love all the different ciders that are available now! Michigan is on my list of places to go, so I’ve pinned this list for later use!
I’ll save this blog post of your just in case I go to Michigan or have friends going there someday 🙂
I love ciders! Also, I plan on going to Michigan soon so I’ll have to keep this in mind when I go!
What a great and delicious trip to do to Michigan
Great post! I love cider and apple cider donuts. Now this just gives me a good reason to visit Michigan!
I love hot apple cider! This is the first year I tried an apple cider donut and it was SO Good!
Yum this sounds delicious and I pin the information for next time I am in the area.
I love this!!!! What a great post!!! Makes me miss the Midwest!!! I feel like I traveled to the cider mills with you though and it makes me happy!!
Oh I love this post, right up my alley! I love ciders!