Favorite Apple Orchards + Pumpkin Farms in the Great Lakes Bay
It’s the season of warm apple pie & pumpkin-spiced-everything — which means the time is ripe to partake in the bounty of fall! With apples & pumpkins plump for picking and fresh produce awaiting, find time this season to wander about glorious orchards & 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 when you Go Great Lakes Bay in Pure Michigan!
Bayne's Apple Valley Farm
Freeland
Sink your teeth into a fresh-dipped gourmet 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 bakery selection! Step in to see what's on tap at Bayne’s Hard Cider House, then order a flight to sample a few! Shop for unique made-in-Michigan items inside the gift shop before you go.
Read More +
Freeland
Two words: Cider Sundaes! Pick a peck of apples at Leaman’s Green Applebarn while you indulge in a refreshing treat, and learn about this orchard that’s been a local mainstay for 130+ years. Find charming country gifts & decor alongside an ample selection of 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 for a spin on the Apple Barrel Express.
Read More +
Bayne's Apple Valley Farm | @rachelwazhere
Choose from 30+ varieties of 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 sweet apple treats & cider slushies — or warm up with mugs of mulled cider and Salted Caramel Apple Donuts. Don’t leave without local honey, fresh from the hive!
"Make Natural Your Normal" at Brandt Farm Co., a produce farm & on-farm market. 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!
There’s a chill to the air outside, but ice cream is good anytime! Enjoy 90+ flavors at The Farm @ Apple Acres, or warm up with cider & donuts and sticky caramel apples. Stop by the gift shop where you’ll discover handcrafted gifts & furniture made from reclaimed & recycled wood!
Find more than apples at Jacques Orchard this fall! Gather fresh pears, ripe berries, and seasonal veggies for your autumnal meals. Choose from 20+ varieties of pre-picked apples, grown on 2,000+ fruit trees in the orchard. With cider & donuts galore, bite into a caramel apple and bring home Jacques’ homemade jams & jellies!
Bayne's Apple Valley Farm | @lizziebaylerian
Discover a cornucopia of harvest treats, fresh produce, and seasonal mums at Paul’s Produce Farm. Kids 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, and find corn stalks a’plenty for decorating porches & patios this season!
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 a cider slush as you take in a crisp & quiet fall afternoon!
Prepare to discover 100+ varieties of apples at Moore Orchards! Choose staples like Honeycrisp & Granny Smiths, or 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 and enjoy a freshly made caramel apple at the Apple Haus!
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! Find fall decor out in the pumpkin patches and inside the craft store — and fresh cider & donuts! Spend time with the kids petting goats & llamas, and look forward to weekend kiddie train rides, horse rides, and live entertainment! With 80+ varieties of pumpkins to choose from, you're sure to find your perfect pick!
Read More +
Midland
Who knows family fun 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, or wind through a corn maze. Spend time petting farm animals from goats to alpacas, and hop aboard a hayride through the patch. Bring the whole fam into The Feed Trough for warm donuts, caramel apples, and apple cider!
Read More +
Grandpa Tiny's Farm | @lindsayirrer
Stroll through Grandpa Tiny’s Heritage Farm to pet & 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. Discover the corncrib & corn box play area, and the Petting Barn & Coop for cuteness overload!
Solve a mystery? Find hidden treasures? It’s all part of making your way through the five-acre Frankenmuth Corn Maze, with three puzzling mazes in one! 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 corn maze in the dark for a spooky experience!
Johnson's Giant Pumpkins | @lovethewolfgangs
Experience family-owned Warmbier Farms, ripe with all kinds & sizes of pumpkins — and home to a massive indoor showroom! Inside, you’ll find cider slushies, jewelry, clothing, and fall decor, and outside includes a large selection of fall florals and concrete lawn statues. Look for Warmbier Farms Fall Weekends to pet farm animals and take a hayride!
Cooler autumn days set the stage for warm soups & savory flavors. Explore 200+ varieties of fresh squash & pumpkins for your fall fare & decor! Head to Tomac Pumpkins to 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!
With a four-acre u-pick pumpkin patch waiting (and hand-picked pumpkins & gourds at the ready), step out into the crisp fall air at Schomaker Farms. 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!
Things To Do
With pumpkin patches & corn mazes ready — and fresh apple cider & donuts waiting at orchards & farms — discover what to do this season to make family memories that'll last a lifetime when you Go Great Lakes Bay in Pure Michigan!
Read More +
Things To Do
Find yourself sampling at apple orchards, sauntering through pumpkin patches, and enjoying delicious mulled wine with friends. Whether you hike, bike, or sit back and sip cider together, discover the best of fall when you Go Great Lakes Bay in Pure Michigan!
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
