Favorite Apple Orchards + Pumpkin Farms in the Great Lakes Bay
It’s the season of warm apple pie and pumpkin-spiced everything — which means the time is ripe to partake in the bounty of fall! With apples and pumpkins plump for picking and farm fresh produce awaiting, find time this season to wander about glorious orchards and unforgettable farms.
Enjoy a leisurely hayride, get lost in corn fields, find future jack-o-lanterns, and absolutely indulge in the quintessential combo of fall: cider & donuts! Grab a fleece, gather your flock, and enjoy a crisp autumn day in the Great Lakes Bay!
Bayne's Apple Valley Farm
Freeland
Two words: Cider Slush! Pick a peck of u-pick apples at Leaman’s Green Applebarn while you sip on 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 Leaman’s annual Fall Country Craft Show for unique gifts, one-of-a-kind crafts, metalwork, photography, and art.
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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 yourself, or someone else, for unique and made-in-Michigan items inside the Bayne’s gift shop.
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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 40 varieties of crisp, tart, sweet, juicy apples while they last at Witzgall Apple Orchard. Explore gardens and savor the last blooms of the season, and head out into the orchard to pick & choose your favorites. Stop by the store for gourmet caramel apples, sweet apple treats, apple cider slushies, and cinnamon donuts made fresh daily. 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 apples grown on more than 2,000 fruit trees in the orchard. With cider and 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 visiting the little school house, playing on the pirate ship, petting goats, 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!
Apple Valley Orchard: Warm up your autumn days with piping-hot, freshly pressed, delicious cider at Apple Valley Orchard! Enjoy more than 30 varieties of apples already picked, packed, and ready to take home. Take a ride on the orchard train, and enjoy perusing the gift shop for special treats. Satiate sweet tooths and quench cravings with baked goods, caramel apples, and a variety of donuts, all made fresh daily.
Moore Orchards: Open to the public at the end of September, prepare to discover more than 130 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 tastebuds. 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!
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!
Saginaw
Take the scenic sunflower walk, let wee ones find their way through the kiddie soybean maze, and get lost in the gigantic, 13-acre corn maze 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 petting bunnies, goats, ostriches, and alpacas. Wander through special events like the Classic Car Show and seasonal Craft Show, and taste irresistible street food during Food Truck Fridays at Johnson’s!
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Midland
Who knows family-friendly better than a grandma? Get to Grandma’s Pumpkin Patch 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, and hop aboard a hayride through the patch. Take little ones to the designated Toddlerville play area — but take the whole family to the Fall Farm Flea, Penny War Car Show, and Big Truck Day at Grandma’s Pumpkin Patch this fall!
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Johnson's Giant Pumpkins | @lovethewolfgangs
Warmbier Farms: Experience this family owned & operated farm that is ripe with all kinds and sizes of pumpkins — orange, white, green, striped, huge, tiny, bumpy, smooth — and it’s home to a 12,000-square-foot shoppers' 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 seasonal Farmer Bill’s events to pet farm animals, dive into the corn box, and enjoy a hayride through the pumpkin patches!
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 & decor! Bring your inner artist to Tomac Pumpkins for a Barn Quilt painting class, discover the inner workings of a farm, and enjoy a hayride. While you’re there, grab some BBQ from the Sovis Farm Food Truck!
Grandpa Tiny's Farm | @lindsayirrer
Grandpa Tiny’s Farm: Stroll this working historical farm to pet and feed farm animals, pick pumpkins, and savor tasty cider & donuts at Grandpa Tiny’s Farm! 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! Explore 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 5-acre Frankenmuth Corn Maze! Use the provided map and your powers of observation for 3 mazes in 1! Solve riddles to earn points as you wind your way through 8-foot-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. 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!
Author
Jen W. O'Deay
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
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!
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Things To Do
Find yourself smiling at apple orchards, sauntering through pumpkin patches and corn mazes, and enjoying delicious mulled wine with friends. Whether you hike, bike, or sit back & sip cider together, discover the best of fall in the Great Lakes Bay!
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