Brookwood is one of my favorite low-key orchards to visit in the autumn. It isn't commercialized…read morewith overpriced goods and there aren't long lines and throngs of children. There is nothing fancy about Brookwood. This is just a really great farm along a quiet country road that has belonged to the same family for over a century. Come here if you are looking for a peaceful day spent picking fruit or for a short stop to buy delicious donuts, apples, and cider. An oversized Homer Simpson doll welcomes you as you enter the store. A very kind young woman was working there the day I visited and she told me that the orchards were opened. Other than the orchards there is only the small store. Again, nothing fancy, but what matters is the quality of the products which I thought was excellent. There isn't hot apple cider but there is cold apple cider in the fridge and a slushie machine where you can fill your own slushie cup for $2. The cup provided was twice as large as the slushie I bought at Franklin Cider Mill for a whopping $4. I could tell that there are no preservatives added to Brookwood's cider. The cider was excellent and perhaps some of the best I have tasted, and I've been to a lot of cider mills this season. I will definitely return to Brookwood and continue to support this family business.

We love this place. We stumbled on it a few years ago and go back every year. We've picked apples…read moreand raspberries, but haven't tried anything else...yet. Bonus - the orchard is always a great backdrop for fall photos.

Visited Spicers this past Saturday and I was ready to face huge crowds and long lines…read more When I arrived I was pleasantly surprised to see abundant parking options! Although it was busy and there were lines. The line for donuts went by very quick! We got the cinnamon sugar and plain donuts and they were fantastic! They came out fresh and in bags of 6! It was perfect for mixing and matching. We also picked up two pumpkins to carve and they were priced like 50 cents a pound (don't quote me) Over all this was the perfect place to get me in the mood for fall!

I've been coming to Spicer Farm and Orchard every year with my family and friends ; it's become a…read morelittle fall tradition for us. However, during our most recent visit, we noticed quite a few changes from previous years, and unfortunately, not all for the better. They no longer have the scenic hayride that used to include a free donut and a cup of apple cider with your ticket purchase. Now, it's $5 per person, and instead of a peaceful scenic ride, it stops at every station and they no longer give you a donut & cider with ticket purchase. When we asked about the change, we were told it was because they weren't making money off the old setup. I understand businesses need to adjust, but it really took away from the experience. That scenic ride with the cider and donut was always one of the highlights for us ; something we truly looked forward to every year. They did add more bouncy houses for the kids, which is nice, but the ones they had before were just as fun. The food was about the same, decent, but nothing special. It was noticeably more expensive this year. $5 for a single ear of corn felt excessive. On the positive side, the cinnamon donuts are still amazing, and the apple cider is as delicious as ever. I also enjoyed the wine tasting, which is always fun, though seating is still limited and could be improved. Overall, the visit just didn't have the same charm or warmth as before. We still had an okay time, but it didn't feel as memorable as past years. Sadly, I think this might be our last year visiting, we'll probably look for a new orchard next fall.

This visit to the Franklin Cider Mill was very nostalgic for me. I don't live in the Detroit area…read moreanymore and I used to go to the cider mill every year when I was young. When you walk up to the mill you immediately smell the fresh donuts. When you enter the area where the press is located the apples the smell is amazing. There is nothing like fresh cider. The staff seemed friendly and helpful. Of course I went home with both cider and donuts. The mill is easy to find and has plenty of parking, although I would guess it gets very busy. We were there early.

Trusty ole cider mill. We've come here off and on for years. Any Fall that we're in metro Detroit,…read morewe're coming to Franklin. 1/2 a dozen donuts and a gallon of unpasteurized cider. You would be right to suggest that un pasteurized is taking a risk. We're so confident in the cleaning of the apples, the equipment and all the high standards they use here, we'll take the risk in order to enjoy the best cider available. The ambience is perfect. Just like old time mills and manufacturers. Like something out of the past. The smells are incredible. Today we are also walking out with salsa, apples, butter and maple syrup. A quick shout out to Maximilian, who's worth a million! Thanks for your patience and expertise. We reached a better decision faster, and you cut down the wait time for all the good folks behind us. Win-win-win, sir! 09/25

My favorite place for fall activities with friends or family. I visit this orchard at least twice a…read moreyear. Took my parents here recently on a Tuesday afternoon for apply picking and we had such a a great time. You buy your tickets at the front. The staff are always friendly, they kindly explain all the prices and any other questions that we have. We were told where to wait for the ride/tractor to the apple field. Didn't take long at all! The driver that day was the sweetest lady! She was informative and told us which apple was her favorite and what to look out for. Going to any orchard can be pricey but Westview is worth it! They keep this place tidy and fun for all visitors.. already made plans with a few other friends so I'll will be back in a few days (they also have best cornmaze btw). Highly recommend Westview!

Came here on a fieldtrip with the little ones. They seemed to like it but it was a long day in the…read moresun. The playground was cute for them, I liked the basketball hoop and the underground tubes they could crawl through. They had a chance to feed the animals, but I did not get much time over there this time. They loved the very large slide. There is a hay bale for the kids to jump around, but the images online look like it might be several tiers, but on this day it was only two and the kids told me there were a lot of hole. The tractor ride was fun. Since it is summer, I did not see anything to pick yet, but it looked like they will have a bunch for fruits and vegetables in the fall. There is a large area for the kids to have lunch, some of it was covered. I did not have a chance to check out the store, wine section, or anything outside the kid area. I did not try any cider, but we had cinnamon sugar donuts. I only had one bite and gave the rest to my child, but it was very delicious and fairly large. It tasted nice and fresh. I wonder if the donuts are this large in the fall. There was an outdoor concession stand. They sold drinks and treats, the turnovers looked delicious. My child got a cider/ blue raspberry slush, it was a very hot day so it was good they sold them. I liked that they had real bathrooms with running water. But I wish they had a better water filling station for the kids. They were getting very hot and the only places to fill their water was the bathroom sink or next to the animals and they were not excited about either of those options. Plus, the kids were very little, so they did not have money from home to buy cold waters. The people working here seemed nice and seemed to have experience with fieldtrips with little kids. I am not sure if I will come back and bring the rest of my family, but if I do, it would be on a weekend in the Fall to check out the rest of their offerings.

As the day is long!!!! I was given a cookbook by Chef Alex G. Signed sealed delivered…read more Yes!!! You are the store I ran to to get the ingredients for Tony Soprano the man that left us too soon. Once you buy the cookbook, Italian American forever. The lasagna. The lasagna is over the moon. It is that good!!! All the ingredients I needed I picked up here. And yes, I was given fresh I mean "fresh" lasagna sheets. I will never stop making that lasagna. Edie Falco!!! Thank You!!!!! Magazines that are laying around in restaurants. Pictures of Hollywood eating great food!! Great Store!!! Stay away from the bakery!! It's a trap!!

I'm here for 1: the fish, 2. Bakery section, their sourdough is the best. , 3. Produce (mainly…read moreTomatoes in the summertime) Everything else is ok. Nice, clean, friendly staff, but the place can be pretty pricy & you'll easily get carried away.

My family has been going to this orchard for years. Every fall we would make a picnic out of apple…read morepicking. Yoder's is one of the only drive in orchard in the area. Stopping at the store shed, we would pick up our empty baskets, and head to the back of the orchard. We would enjoy our picnic among the hills, trees, and birds. It is a very peaceful, meadow like space. Our annual event spanned generations to include my children and my sister's children. Although my sons are grown, they still enjoy going to Yoder's, eating the apples, and playing football in the fields. The apples are always so fresh and deliciously crisp. The end result of homemade applesauce for the holidays is still a greatly anticipated treat for my family. Last year (2017), we discovered Yoder's has a new owner. He was every bit as nice and friendly as the previous owners were. Since it is Spy season right now, this weekend we will be in the orchards once again. This is one of my family's cherished traditions and one of our places.

When I was little, we used to go to the apple orchard every fall... we would pick apples, stuff our…read morefaces with the fresh fruit, and go home with bushels of apples for canning. I still love going to the orchard every fall and I like to take my dog with me... but I hate the rat race of the big money-making orchards that have turned into circuses. I get that their season is short and they have to make the most of the fall by drawing as many people as possible (hence the pumpkin patches, the petting zoos, the face painting, the giant balloon moonwalks... and the impossible parking and insanely long lines that go with all of it), but that stuff drives me crazy. I love the chirping birds and the bees buzzing around fallen apples. I love not having to walk a half mile to get from my car to the orchard, I love not waiting in impossible lines, and I love not paying inflated prices so as to cover the expense of all the clowns, animal handlers, etc. So, for my third year in a row I have gone to Yoder's. I love it. It's easy to miss, but it is just south of Blakes on M-53/Van Dyke. Just stop at the entrance, pick up a bag/bushel from Ron (who sits in his truck and waits for people to pull up), then drive off beyond the road into acres and acres of quiet, still orchard where you can pick apples, relax, let Fido run around free, and enjoy picking apples w/o the lines, the fuss, or the $$$. If you are looking for all that rig-a-marole, DO NOT go to Yoder's---they don't have it... hell, they don't have cider, or donuts, or caramel apples (and they only take cash or check). But there are plenty of places where you *can* get those things, and not nearly enough places where you can get pick-your-own apples without all the fuss. I'll keep going back to this orchard every year.