With fall in full swing, students and teachers alike are once again taking part in a quintessential part of autumn: cider mills.

Dexter Cider Mill

Located directly on the Huron River, the Dexter Cider Mill provides not only delicious food but also a beautiful view and cozy atmosphere. When you get there, you are greeted by a red barn with people buzzing all around it, and probably a line out the door. Once you get inside the barn, you will come face-to-face with a variety of cider mill-themed goodies, including t-shirts, cookbooks, an assortment of jams and jellies, and homemade caramel apples. The Dexter Cider Mill focuses on perfecting only one type of donut: cinnamon sugar. The result? A light, fluffy treat that melts in your mouth. Plus, they make their donuts fresh throughout the day, which means they’re usually still warm when you pick them up. The Dexter Cider Mill also makes their own cider, which you can get in a gallon or pint, but also warmed or as a cold slushie. Pair your visit to the cider mill with a kayak trip down the river for the ideal fall day. Just make sure to bring cash because they don’t take cards! 

Wasem Fruit Farm

Located less than 30 minutes outside of downtown Ann Arbor, Wasem Fruit Farms sports a vast spread of homemade cider, donuts, and caramel apples, as well as a quaint store with a variety of other fall treats food and otherwise, all nestled inside a teal brick building. Surrounding the building is a pumpkin patch and an apple orchard from which customers can choose to harvest their fruits. Wasem makes multiple types of fresh donuts daily with flavors ranging from plain to frosted pumpkin cinnamon sugar. Wasem also prides itself on its large selection of fruit besides its plentiful variety of apples such as raspberries, gooseberries, and peaches that would typically grow outside a cider mill’s usual season. Plus, just down the road from Wasem is the Talladay Farms corn maze, so you can double the fall-time fun!

Wiard’s 

Wiard is your one-stop-shop for all things sweet and scary. Enter from the side, also known as the Country Fair area, and you can pay $20 to visit any of their numerous family attractions like the corn maze, petting farm, and karaoke stage, or their haunted attractions like the Mindshaft, haunted barn, and Hayride of the Lost. If you aren’t in the mood for that, you can enter from the street side without an admission fee to visit Wiard’s cider mill and store which holds a collection of fall bric-a-brac. Continue winding through the store and pick up homemade cider, jam, salsa, and candy, and caramel apples along the way to the cash register. This is part of Wiard’s unique plan to make sure their bustling business doesn’t get too backed up: you order the warm, freshly-made donuts at the cash register, but pick them up at a separate window outside the store. Due to its popularity on multiple fronts, the lines at Wiard’s are often quite long, so plan accordingly!