*Post updated on Sept. 6, 2021

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but summer is pretty much over. Pumpkin spice-everything is already lining the shelves at your local grocery store, the pumpkin-shaped Reese’s have sprouted from the soon-to-be leaf-littered ground, and, perhaps most importantly, football season is underway. Instead of fighting it, why not just turn the page and delight in all that the autumn season has to offer?

To help your mind transition from summer to fall, I've cobbled together a list of Michigan cider mills that'll certainly get you in the mood for sweater weather. So, grab your pumpkin spice latte, pull on that cardigan, and prepare to get a little frost on the pumpkin. Here are seven cider mill recommendations from yours truly (with a little help from my friends):

1. Klein Cider Mill & Market (Sparta)

Situated a tad south of Sparta, just off M-37, Klein Cider Mill & Market lies within a region in Michigan colloquially (and perhaps more widely) known as "the Ridge", what the Wikipedias call an "agricultural mecca" due to unique features (fertile clay loam soils, elevation, and proximity to Lake Michigan) that make it one of the prime fruit-growing regions in the entire world. After visiting in the fall of 2017 for the first time, I can also tell you they have a boatload of pumpkins, often at great prices.

2. Apple Charlie's Orchards (New Boston)

Apple Charlie's — the first cider mill I ever visited (at least in my adult life)! J. chilling off of I-275 between Ann Arbor and Detroit, Apple Charlie's comprises 95 acres of farmland and an unlimited amount of autumn-themed awesomeness in the form of pet-able animals, dwarf apple trees for easy picking, hayrides, and more. Sadly, when I visited a few years ago we arrived rather late and it was too dark to do much; less sadly, I walked away with a half-dozen donuts.

3. Uncle John's Cider Mill (St. Johns)

Two friends recommended this one, so you know it's gotta be good. Halfway between Mount Pleasant and Lansing — and right along US-127, for your apple-picking convenience — Uncle John's Cider Mill has been holding down the fort in central Michigan since the 1970s. Nowadays, aside from making apple cider, donuts, pies, syrup, and other goodies, they also have a fairly busy schedule of events during the season, such as the Mid Mitten Cider Fest and the Fall Craft & Gift Show.

4. Wiard's Orchards (Ypsilanti)

This might be the most popular cider mill not just in southeast Michigan, but in all of the Lower Peninsula (though there are probably places up north that would dispute this claim). Like those silly Chevy commercials where they try to have the "real people, not actors" list off all the awards the company has accrued in recent years, you could try (and fail) to name all of the activities available at Wiard's Orchards in one breath, or you could save yourself the trouble and just take a look at their homepage.

5. Tandem Ciders (Suttons Bay)

Makers of artisanal hard ciders, Tandem Ciders prides itself on creating a European-style culture of apple and cider appreciation in Northern Michigan. With nifty offerings like Smackintosh (sweet and tart cider; 4.5% ABV) and The Crabster (crisp, tart, dry cider; 9% ABV), your taste buds will thank you for stopping here. Save for the cider, you can always use an excuse to take a drive up M-22 anyway.

6. Robinette's Apple Haus & Winery (Grand Rapids)

What started off primarily as a peach farm in 1911 has grown into what Robinette's is today: a 125-acre property that, on top of the peaches, now grows apricots, cherries, nectarines, blackberries, and 35 varieties of apples — some of which are harvested strictly for hard cider production. Robinette's Apple Haus opened in 1973 and has been serving bread, donuts, pastries, pies, soups, sandwiches, coffee, and, of course, apple cider, ever since.

7. Frugthaven Farm (Greenville)

Last but certainly not least is Frugthaven Farm in Greenville (or thereabouts), which comprises 75 acres of the former Klackle Orchards. When Klackle’s 600-some acres were auctioned off back in 2019, April and Michael Petersen were determined to keep the community’s orchard tradition alive. Frugthaven (frugt being the Danish word for fruit) may not have all the bells and whistles of its predecessor, but it still has the most important pieces: 40 acres of apples, 20 acres of pumpkins, and a market selling coffee, hard cider, and those mouthwatering Klackle doughnuts.

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Be a dear and let me know if there is a cider mill in the Lower Peninsula missing from this list that you absolutely love, would ya?

-LTH