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are a child's delight. Children can
actually reach the apples without
any help. Free tractor-pulled hay
wagons take the family out to the
orchards. Erwin's supplies you with
containers. Browse in the country
store and buy cider, donuts, home-
made baked goods, jams and jellies.
Erwin's Orchard, 61019 Silver
Lake Rd., South Lyon, 1/4-mile south
of 1-96 off Exit 153, 437-4704. 9-6
daily. Open all year.
Wiard's Orchards offers U-Pick
apples along with special country
fair weekends. From Labor Day
until the end of October, each
weekend is full of family activities.
Artists exhibit their art and crafts
amid the trees; butter and soap mak-
ing is demonstrated; children can
visit the working farm. For a mini-
mal fee, there are pony and train
rides, children's face painting and a
haunted house. Lots of live
entertainment adds to the excite-
ment. Wiard's Orchard, 5565 Merrit
Rd., Ypsilanti, 482-7744. 9-6 daily.
Country Fair: Weekends. No admis-
sion charge.
Hy's Orchard and Cider Mill
may be Michigan's only Jewish-
owned and operated apple orchard.
It's been in the Goldstein family
since 1915. Pick your own apples
from semi-dwarf trees and browse in
Ruby's boutique and country store.
Lots of home-baked items are for
sale each weekend.
Hy's Orchard and Cider Mill,
6350 W. 37 Mile Rd., Romeo, 798-
8843. Thursday through Sunday
10-6.
Cider mills dot lower Michigan's
landscape. Drink cider, eat caramel
apples and spicy donuts, and fend off
the bees. Enjoy the scenic country
setting, watch the cider as it's
pressed and the donuts being made,
shop for seasonal treats in the coun-
try store.
Franklin Cider Mill is around
the corner, tucked away in charming
old Franklin. Avoid the weekend
crowds — drop by on a weekday and
take time to walk out back. You'll
see lots of antique relics and a
slow-moving river.
Franklin Cider Mill, 7450
Franklin Rd., Franklin Village,
corner of Franklin Re.. and 14 Mile,
626-2968. 9-6 Monday through
Saturday; 9-8 Sunday. Open until
Nov. 30.
Paint Creek Cider Mill is one of
the Rochester area's best loved mills.
Set on a wooded river bank, in the
midst of marked nature trails, Paint
Creek offers a relaxed country at-
mosphere for enjoying autumn
treats. The Paint Creek Restaurant
provides guests with heartier fare.
Paint Creek Cider Mill, 4480
Orion Rd., Rochester, on Orion Road
between Adams and Rochester Rd.,
651-8361. 9-6 daily. Open until Dec.
30. Paint Creek Restaurant, Lunch:
Tuesday through Friday 11:30-2:30;
Dinner: Tuesday through Sunday
5-10 p.m.; breakfast: Sunday 9-2.
Bring your own apples and con-
tainers and make your own cider at
Indian Springs Metropark in
Clarkston. Reservations are neces-
sary.
Indian Springs Metropark,
Clarkston, 685-1561, or 1-800-247-
2757. By reservation, from 10 a.m.
all day, Oct. 1425, 26.
Make a note for next year. The
best and only honey show in town is
held every September at Cranbrook's
The Franklin Cider Mill
Institute of Science as part of its
creative, informative and lively
Autumn Fest.
Cranbrook Institute of Science,
500 Lone Pine Rd., Bloomfield Hills,
645-3200.
October is the month to pick
your very own pumpkin at area
pumpkin festivals. Carve it, color it,
dress it up or cook ,it, but realize
ahead of time, your kids will become
quite attached to the pumpkins they
choose.
Wiard's Orchard offers free hay
wagon rides out to the pumpkin
patch. Pick a fine specimen from
among hundreds of orange acres. Be
sure to enjoy the other Country Fair
activities taking place every
weekend.
Upland Hills Pumpkin Festival
offers lots of family entertainment.
Enjoy a horsedrawn hayride, petting
farm show, Halloween play, and
country band.
Upland Hills Farm, 481 Lake
George Rd., Oxford, 628-1611. Ad-
mission: Adults-$4, Children-$2.
Pony rides and the Haunted House
are an additional fee. Saturday and
Sunday 11-4.
Meyer Berry Farm is a U-Pick
farm for all seasons. Pumpkins will
be available for picking during Oc-
tober, along with mum plants, corn
stalks, Indian corn and gourds.
Meyer Berry Farm, 48080 W:
Eight Mile Rd., Northville, 349-
0289. Daily, daylight to dusk.
Kensington Metro Park also of-
fers U-Pick pumpkins from its farm
center garden, located in the middle
of the park.
Kensington Metropark, off 1-96
in Milford, 1-800-247-2757; October
weekends, 12:30-4:30.
Ride a horse-drawn hay wagon
at Kensington Park. Wagons depart
every 20 minutes, from 12:30-4:30 on
Saturdays. $1.50-adults, $1-children
and senior citizens.
An evening hayride, for those
with strong constitutions, is also
available, Oct. 28 and 29, between 7
and 9:30. Each ride is 45 minutes
and costs $3-adults, $2-children.
Many area orchards and state
parks have small, but delightful pet-
ting farms. Children are encouraged
to notice how animals prepare for
the winter. They can touch the
sheep's heavy woolen coat and see
where the chickens sleep during the
snowy months.
Wiard's Orchards 482-7744.
Upland Farms 628-1611.
Kensington Farm Center
1-800-247-2757.
Maybury Petting Farm, May-
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