In my small midwestern town, a single tree is responsible for signaling the onset of fall. And with this first burst of fire engine red leaves, we also welcome cider and donut season. Our town is surrounded by apple orchards (I have 8 within a 5 mile radius of my house). My husband and I set out on a Saturday or Sunday and scout out our favorites and then proceed to accumulate the calories while judiciously critiquing each stops cider and donuts. We have developed a score card (an analog version of yelp if you will) that will help to denote the subtleties of the cider (clarity, crispness, sweetness, spice and finish) and the characteristics of the cake donuts (sweet, crunchy, soggy, soft, spice and freshness). This may be a Michigan thing, but as summer fades away and fall blankets the country, there are many scenic drives that can include an orchard along the way.

our itinerary:

Last year, I utilized the mapquest app on my iphone and entered in each location avoiding all highways (this helps to ensure we hit some scenic routes along the way – not too mention that most of these orchards are located on winding roads surrounded by changing leaves).

Westview Orchards: Home of the climbing goats. (no I am not kidding, they literally have goats that climb) This place is a beacon for families, which also means it can be pretty crowded on the weekends. They offer a petting zoo, hayrides, corn mazes and also offer a country store. It offers quite a bit of entertainment, but most everything has a small fee associated with it. As for the cider and donuts: The cider tastes spiced and doesn’t have a distinct crispness. The donuts are slightly crunchy and they load on the sugar and cinnamon.

Verellen Orchards: Don’t be fooled by the lack of hoopla surrounding this store, they offer the best cider hands down. It’s crisp, refreshing, not too sweet. There isn’t much more than a parking lot here – but it is worth finding a spot. The donuts this year are wonderful – crunchy and light with the perfect amount of cinnamon and sugar.

Millers Big Red Orchards: These guys offer stuff for the kids on the weekends (ranging from a petting zoo to bounce houses) and they have a good selection of fresh produce as well as their cider and donuts. Their cider is on the tart side but it compliments their donuts which I find a bit heavy. Perhaps the best item on their menu is their tomato soup. These guys are known for their heirloom tomato festival every August and they have mastered this recipe.

Hys Cider Mill: Located quite a bit north of Detroit, these guys are truly a great place for picking apples and having cider. A couple of years they even advertised having some of their staff dress up as storm troopers – so you got to believe they have a sense of humor. The cider was sweet and spicy and the donuts were some of the best – crunchy, light and fresh.

Rochester Cider Mill: Located off Rochester Road, this cider mill is surrounded by subdivisions (so I am not sure where they get their apples) but they have the best donuts around – hands down. Their cider is good – sweet, slightly crisp and spicy but their donuts are a work of art. Consistently they are the crunchiest crust of cinnamon and sugar with a light and fluffy cake.

Stony Creek Cider Mill: With apple crates greeting you and a hand-painted sign, this is perhaps the most picturesque cider mill for me. When I drive by this mill, I often think this is what a cider mill would look like on a movie set – nostalgic and genuine. The cider and donuts are average but I feel the ambiance makes up for it. They also have dog shows just about every weekend.

Hope you enjoy this fall – make sure to post your favorite cider mill here and give a review.