Apple Orchards + Cider Mills
Freeland

Two words: Cider Sundaes! Pick a peck of apples at Leaman’s Green Applebarn this fall while you indulge in a cool, refreshing treat. Enjoy a day on the farm, and learn about this orchard that’s been a local mainstay for more than 130 years! Find charming country gifts and decor alongside an ample selection of fresh baked goods. Pick up homemade cinnamon rolls — or pick a pumpkin for carving! Wander the orchard or take a wagon ride through, and send the kids off for a spin on the Apple Barrel Express. Discover autumn's Annual Country Craft Show for unique gifts, one-of-a-kind crafts, metalwork, photography, and art.

Read More +
Freeland

Sink your teeth into a fresh-dipped caramel apple or warm donuts, baked daily, at Bayne's Apple Valley Farm. Fresh-pressed cider from the cider mill pairs perfectly with the amazing selection of cookies, pies, muffins, and delectable apple cinnamon rolls! Step into Bayne’s Hard Cider House to taste Tandem Ciders, Painted Turtle, Beewell, and other fine hard ciders produced in Michigan. Can’t decide which to try? Order a flight and sample a few! Shop for unique and made-in-Michigan items inside the Bayne’s gift shop before you go!

Read More +
Bayne's Apple Valley Farm | @rachelwazhere

Brandt Farm Co.: "Make Natural Your Normal" at this Saginaw produce farm & on-farm market, bringing homegrown fruits & veggies and locally sourced products to your table. Pick up crisp apples and organic cider, choose pumpkins, gourds, mums, and corn shocks to complete your fall front porch, and have fun watching the chickens roam the orchard!

The Farm @ Apple Acres: There’s a chill to the air outside, but ice cream is good anytime! Enjoy more than 90 flavors of ice cream at The Farm @ Apple Acres, or warm up with cider and fresh donuts, baked goods, sweet treats, and sticky caramel apples. Enjoy this little farm with big ideas – recycling wood is just one of the ways The Farm goes green. (The wood is used to create custom signs and home decor.) Be sure to stop by the gift shop where you’ll discover handcrafted gifts and furniture made from reclaimed and recycled wood!

Witzgall Apple Orchard
: Choose from more than 30 varieties of crisp, tart, sweet, juicy, hand-picked apples while they last at Witzgall Apple Orchard! Wander through gorgeous gardens and savor the last blooms of the season. Stop by the store for gourmet caramel apples, sweet apple treats, and apple cider slushies — or warm up with mugs of hot mulled cider and delicious Salted Caramel Apple Donuts. Don’t leave without a jar of local honey, fresh from the hive!

Jacques Orchard
: Find more than apples at Jacques Orchard this fall! Gather fresh pears, ripe berries, and seasonal veggies to accompany your autumnal meals. Choose from more than 20 varieties of pre-picked apples, grown on more than 2,000 fruit trees in the orchard. With cider & donuts galore, sink your teeth into a fresh caramel apple and take home a few of Jacques’ homemade jams and jellies!

Bayne's Apple Valley Farm | @lizziebaylerian

Paul’s Produce Farm: Discover a cornucopia of harvest treats, fresh produce, and seasonal mums at Paul’s Produce Farm. Kids of all ages will enjoy exploring the large pumpkin yard, petting goats, playing trucks in the corn box, and meeting the many animals on the farm. Choose from all kinds of pumpkins at Paul’s, including Mellow Yellow, Cinderella, and Warty pumpkins, and discover corn stalks a’plenty for decorating porches & patios this season!

Moore Orchards: Open to the public in late-September, prepare to discover more than 100 varieties of apples at Moore Orchards! Choose staples like Courtland, Honeycrisp, Spies, and Granny Smiths, or venture into the past and search out “antique” varieties to tempt your taste buds. Pick a peck and learn a bushel about apples and their origins as you down a donut or two and enjoy a freshly made caramel apple at the Apple Haus!

Apple Blossom Orchard: With hot, fresh donuts, delicious apples, caramel corn, caramel apples, and even Apple Butter (that's made fresh in a cauldron on the fire), what's not to love about Apple Blossom Orchard? Sip on cider slush as you take in a crisp & quiet fall afternoon!

Pumpkin Patches + Corn Mazes
Saginaw

Let wee ones find their way through the kiddie soybean or sunflower maze, and get lost in the gigantic, 13-acre corn maze together at Johnson’s Pumpkin Farm! Find fall decor out in the pumpkin patches, all throughout the farm, and inside the large, inviting craft store complete with a country cafeteria — and fresh cider & donuts! Spend time with the kids petting bunnies, goats, and llamas, and look forward to weekend kiddie train rides, horse rides, face painting, and live entertainment! Wander through special events like the Classic Car Gathering and Fall Craft Show, and taste irresistible street fare during Food Truck Fridays. With over 80 varieties of pumpkins to choose from (some weighing in at up to 70 pounds), you're sure to find your perfect pick at Johnson's!

Read More +
Midland

Who knows family-friendly better than a grandma? Get to Grandma’s Pumpkin Patch in Midland for hands-on fun and kid-sized play! Sail down a tube slide and take a ride on the Cow Train in the Kidland Play Yard, or wind your way through an unforgettable corn maze. Spend time petting farm animals from goats and bunnies to alpacas, and hop aboard a hayride through the patch. Take little ones to the designated Toddlerville play area — but bring everyone into the Feed Trough for fresh, warm donuts, caramel apples, and apple cider.

Read More +
Johnson's Giant Pumpkins | @lovethewolfgangs

Warmbier Farms: Experience this family-owned and -operated farm that is ripe with all kinds and sizes of pumpkins — orange, white, green, striped, huge, tiny, bumpy, smooth — and home to a 12,000-square-foot shopper's-delight indoor showroom! Inside, you’ll find jewelry, clothing, cider slushies, unique fall decor (and so much more), and outside includes a large selection of fall florals and more than 1,800 unique concrete lawn statues. Look for Warmbier Farms Fall Weekends to pet farm animals, take a hayride, or join in a special Halloween Scavenger Hunt!

Tomac Pumpkins: Cooler autumn days set the stage for warm soups and savory flavors. Explore more than 200 varieties of fresh squash and pumpkins for your fall fare and decor! Head to Tomac Pumpkins for a Barn Quilt painting class, discover the inner workings of a farm, and enjoy a hayride to the pick-your-own pumpkin patch before warming up with chili from the Sovis Farms Home Cookin' food truck!

Schomaker Farms: With a four-acre u-pick pumpkin patch waiting (and homegrown, hand-picked pumpkins & gourds at the ready), step out into the crisp, fall air at Schomaker Farms in Saginaw. Watch for "All You Can Carry" pumpkin-picking events with hayrides to the patch, fall photo ops, and pumpkin carving stations so you can leave the mess behind!

Grandpa Tiny's Farm | @lindsayirrer

Grandpa Tiny’s Heritage Farm: Stroll this working heritage farm to pet and feed farm animals, pick pumpkins, and savor tasty cider & donuts! Look for seasonal craft shows, farm-to-table dinners, and opportunities to learn about local agriculture and heritage farming techniques. Explore rich history in Robert's Workshop, the Farming Museum, and the one-room schoolhouse — and be sure to ring the school bell! Discover the Herb Ill Granary, List Corncrib with a corn box play area, and the Petting Barn & Coop for cuteness overload!

Frankenmuth Corn Maze
: Solve a mystery? Find hidden treasures? It’s all part of making your way through the five-acre Frankenmuth Corn Maze! Use the provided map and your powers of observation to tackle three puzzling mazes in one! Solve riddles to earn points as you wind your way through tall, towering stalks. Bring the family for fun on the dairy farm with courtyard games, a petting zoo, and hayrides to fill an autumn afternoon. Or, explore the maze in the dark for a spooky experience! Fairly warned: rustling leaves and nighttime sounds might have you quaking like a corn stalk in the wind!

Like This? You Might Also Like:
Things To Do

With pumpkin patches & corn mazes ready — and fresh apple cider & donuts waiting at orchards & farms — read on to discover what to do this season to make family memories that'll last a lifetime!

Read More +
Things To Do

Find yourself sampling at apple orchards, sauntering through pumpkin patches & corn mazes, and enjoying delicious mulled wine with friends. Whether you hike, bike, or sit back and sip cider together, discover the best of fall in Pure Michigan’s Great Lakes Bay Region!

Read More +
Author
Jen W. O'Deay + Go Great Lakes Bay

By: Jen W. O'Deay | Updates: Go Great Lakes Bay | Jen is a Saginaw native and owner of Feel These Words, an independent copywriting studio & home to the free "5 Day Website MiniBoost". Jen specializes in writing that connects, delivered through website copy, branded content articles, and WingWoman writing services. You'll find Jen camping with her family, laughing, and at feelthesewords.com