Whether it's a corn maze, pumpkin picking or cider and donuts, fall fun spots have opened for the season near campus. Eastern Michigan University students can venture off campus no more than 20 miles from the school to find everything from apple orchards to hay rides. These featured farms and fall venues are open to the public for the seasonal activities and more.
Wiard's Orchards and Country Fair
Wiard's Orchards and Country Fair, a 6-mile drive from EMU’s campus, offers weekend and weekday fun on a working farm.
The venue has been operating for 187 years: as long as Michigan has been a state.
Every fall weekend, patrons can visit Wiard's to pick their own apples and pumpkins (in season); participate in wagon rides and corn mazes; or take advantage of numerous playground attractions for children of all ages.
On site, Wiard's Country Store features a wide variety of fresh baked goods and cider. Activities and attractions follow fall holidays and events, as well as a variety of rotating opportunities for fire engine rides, paintball shooting and tractor races.
Address: 5565 Merritt Road, Ypsilanti.
Admission: Weekday tickets are $18; weekend tickets are $27
Operating hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday; and 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday
The Pumpkin Factory
The Pumpkin Factory in Belleville, Michigan, is another place to find a spooky attraction.
As October rolls in, the factory revs up its scary sights with Nightmare Fields, featuring a haunted hayride and haunted house. The venue also features activities such as Riddle in the Rows, a haunted cornfield and the Witches Kitchen.
The Pumpkin Factory has filled its October calendar with weekends for all visitors, featuring Military Weekend on Oct. 16-17 and Student Weekend on Oct. 23-24.
Address: 48651 Harris Road, Belleville.
Admission: The Pumpkin Factory is pay by event
Operating hours: 3-7 p.m. Monday to Thursday; noon-11 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday
DeBuck's Family Farm
Another Belleville classic fall destination is DeBuck's Family Farm and Pumpkin Town.
A family-operated business, DeBuck's is off of Martz Road and features new activities every season. Autumn activities include corn mazes, food trucks and the local favorite, a mega slide.
Summertime finds DeBuck's transformed, including a vast tulip field, as the operators host their annual Sunflower Festival.
Run by two generations of the DeBuck family, the farm has been open to the public since 2009 and includes a 15-acre corn maze and 20 acres of pumpkins.
Address: 50240 Martz Road, Belleville.
Admission: $22.95 for general admission
Operating hours: October Fall Festival hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 1-4, 8-11, and 15-31
Donahee Family Farms
One of the more recent additions to fall farm fun venues — with a classic pumpkin patch — is Donahee Family Farms in South Lyon.
With a large selection of pumpkins, squash and gourds, visitors are sure to find something worth taking home.
Beyond the u-pick pumpkin experience, Donahee offers a corn maze for friends and family to enjoy.
Visitors can spend an afternoon picking out the best pumpkin and exploring the endless farmland it has to offer. The Donahee family farm is in its fourth generation of serving southeast Michigan, making it a longtime local favorite to celebrate the cool weather.
Address: 56780 Locust St., South Lyon.
Admission: Donahee Farms is pay by event.
Operating hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday
Three Cedars Farms
In Northville, about 14 miles from Eastern, fall fun seekers will find Three Cedars Farm has attractions for all ages.
The farms are known for the on-site Donut Hut, which features caramel apples, cider slushes and the signature cinnamon sugar donuts.
After a fresh donut, visitors can explore a 7-acre corn maze full of hidden tokens redeemable for a chance to win an end-of-season prize.
Hayrides and train rides are always running at Three Cedars, but the fun doesn’t stop there. A Country Christmas follows the fall season, featuring Christmas trees, hot cocoa, pictures with Mr. And Mrs. Claus and a vast Christmas store.
Address: 7897 Six Mile Road, Northville.
Admission: Three Cedars Farm is pay by event
Operating hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday to Saturday
For those looking to include more farm fun on their bucket list, Michigan's travel bureau site, Pure Michigan, has several pages of farm fun, u-pick and cider mill venues across the lower mitten.
