Franklin Cider Mill
Franklin Cider Mill
4.5
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
A Family Tradition The Franklin Cider Mill is a one-of-a-kind living piece of history. We take pride in our family-friendly atmosphere and strive to provide exceptional service. We press and bottle our own cider right here at the Mill! Each side of the press can hold up to sixty bushels of apples. Our cider season opens Labor day weekend and remains open until the first weekend after Thanksgiving. The donuts sold at the Mill are an old German recipe brought to this country many years ago. The donuts are served warm as the perfect paring to our chilled or hot cider. Franklin Cider Mill's cider is NOT filtered, NOT pasteurized, and does NOT contain any form of preservative. It is a pure fruit juice and MUST be kept refrigerated. We are the only outlet for our award-winning cider and donuts. Come visit us this season and experience the incredible taste of our cider with our one-of-a-kind delicious donuts.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
267 reviews
Excellent
171
Very good
57
Average
31
Poor
5
Terrible
3
Stan
Las Vegas, NV581 contributions
Sep 2021
Nice cider mill on Franklin Road. The place sits on a picturesque hillside next to a small river. We went on Labor Day and it was very very busy, and parking was hard to come by - but it was a sunny day and no one complained. The mill has some ancillary vendor operations which included some oversized hot dogs and a gift shop along with a few other things including music from a streetside DJ. This is a fun one hour diversion especially for young children. The cider was OK and the doughnuts are fine when they are hot. The Hot Dogs are good but $7 seems a bit stiff - but they were selling rapidly. I recommend giving this one a try.
Written September 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jacob M
2 contributions
Oct 2021
This is NOT in "Bloomfield Hills", it is in Bloomfield Township ... but you had might as well think of it as being in the Village of Franklin ... municipal disagreements notwithstanding.
This is a very traditional cider mill (previously a grist mill also). The apples used to be grown right up the hill at the old Pickering orchard about about 500 yards away.
This is a very traditional cider mill (previously a grist mill also). The apples used to be grown right up the hill at the old Pickering orchard about about 500 yards away.
Written July 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steven S
San Antonio, Texas, Usa40 contributions
Nov 2022
One of many cider mills in MI but I consider Franklin mill one of the best with great cider and donuts. Service was top-notch despite the crowds.
Cider mill is historic with its rich history.
Cider mill is historic with its rich history.
Written December 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J A
1 contribution
Oct 2022
Overall it is nice place for your regular fix of cider and donuts. However, parking is very limited and they are not clear on their donut menu. I was there with my work outing for the afternoon and was very disappointed for their donuts. I went up to the counter on my way out to order a dozen donuts. I said I will take a dozen cinnamon sugar donuts please. The counter person said we only have one kind and those are it. I said okay thats good. So I was handed a fresh warm batch of donuts in a bag closed ready for the road home. I live about 30 minutes away. When I got home, I was ready to eat a few and when I looked in the bag, they were PLAIN! So I was really upset that I spent the expensive amount for donuts I was told were cinnamon and sugar donuts. So I brought it to their attention, and they said the cinnamon is in the batter of the donut. I replied and said, you are misinforming customers. Any other cider mill serves cinnamon and sugar donuts that is on the outside. Yours here are NOT that and it should be explained better for customers. They are also very limited on their other products they sell. Only one type of pie was available and no half sizes. From what I remember in years past, this was a great place to go to. I wont be back any time soon that is for sure.
Written October 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CindyJV
Detroit, MI317 contributions
Oct 2019 • Family
We visited the mill on an absolutely beautiful fall afternoon. Of course, everyone else had the same idea, so the lines are long. That’s to be expected, so that really wasn’t a problem. We also expected the ridiculously high prices! The downfall was the donuts just weren’t all that tasty. I’ve had much better donuts at Long’s and Erwins.
Written February 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aic
Ferndale, Michigan, United States2 contributions
Oct 2014 • Friends
My family and friends decided that we'd like to adventure and try out a new cider mill this year and wanted to try Franklin's out. We also, called ahead because we heard that dogs are allowed and decided to take my 2 pitbulls with me and the staff member on the phone said that it would be no problem as long as they dont eat ducks or the children. Sounds good to me since neither of my dogs do either.
But honestly, it turned into a bad trip due to misinformed staff and fellow customers that only believe what the media says. We showed up and walked around a bit and we were having a nice time. Then other people's dogs started barking at mine. And my dogs aren't the type to ignore another dog, yapping at them aggressively so they barked back louder.It was a very brief incident and we stayed in the back where we could sit and the dogs could sit next to us quietly. We had quite a few groups of strangers just play and pet our dogs gently and not surprisingly have anyone's face bitten off. Although, there were people staring at my dogs warily like they were some type of sharks with laser beams attached to their heads. Seriously, you guys need to calm down and if you're so worried than don't sit 5 feet away from me with your sideways glances. It is common sense that if you're worried about pitbulls then dont sit next to one and maybe you should go eat your donuts elsewhere.
We ended up getting the boot with the reason being that "my dogs are making people nervous"...really? Did you just see that Labrador be the first to give crap to my dogs and the owner did nothing? ' Instead of arguing, we left with an "okay" to not make matters worse and last thing we need to do is start arguing with staff that it is unfair to toss us out and not the other dogs that caused issues.
After getting told to leave, we placed the dogs in the car for a few minutes to grab some cider with friends but then the same worker sent another person to follow us to make sure we didnt do anything suspicious. Seriously...after we just left our dogs courteously and placed them in our car. You're going to think we are going to cause trouble?
Overall, thanks to the worker that turned us away from your business. I understand what you were trying to do in terms of making customers that are "nervous" to be happy to be there. Its good to know right off the bat that this isn't the business with close minded customers you serve is the type of establishment for us. This type of discrimination is not acceptable and this is a warning to fellow pitbull owners to not bring your dogs if this is the place you want to go for a fun idea for the weekend.
But honestly, it turned into a bad trip due to misinformed staff and fellow customers that only believe what the media says. We showed up and walked around a bit and we were having a nice time. Then other people's dogs started barking at mine. And my dogs aren't the type to ignore another dog, yapping at them aggressively so they barked back louder.It was a very brief incident and we stayed in the back where we could sit and the dogs could sit next to us quietly. We had quite a few groups of strangers just play and pet our dogs gently and not surprisingly have anyone's face bitten off. Although, there were people staring at my dogs warily like they were some type of sharks with laser beams attached to their heads. Seriously, you guys need to calm down and if you're so worried than don't sit 5 feet away from me with your sideways glances. It is common sense that if you're worried about pitbulls then dont sit next to one and maybe you should go eat your donuts elsewhere.
We ended up getting the boot with the reason being that "my dogs are making people nervous"...really? Did you just see that Labrador be the first to give crap to my dogs and the owner did nothing? ' Instead of arguing, we left with an "okay" to not make matters worse and last thing we need to do is start arguing with staff that it is unfair to toss us out and not the other dogs that caused issues.
After getting told to leave, we placed the dogs in the car for a few minutes to grab some cider with friends but then the same worker sent another person to follow us to make sure we didnt do anything suspicious. Seriously...after we just left our dogs courteously and placed them in our car. You're going to think we are going to cause trouble?
Overall, thanks to the worker that turned us away from your business. I understand what you were trying to do in terms of making customers that are "nervous" to be happy to be there. Its good to know right off the bat that this isn't the business with close minded customers you serve is the type of establishment for us. This type of discrimination is not acceptable and this is a warning to fellow pitbull owners to not bring your dogs if this is the place you want to go for a fun idea for the weekend.
Written October 6, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Johannawrites
36 contributions
Oct 2019
The apple cider is delicious (take home a bottle of the sparkling cider too) but I really enjoyed the donuts and took some home as well to enjoy. It's an outdoor space for the most part so wrap up warm fall/winter especially because the line into the store extends outside. There's a huge mill wheel to see and it's nice to sit on one of the benches and watch the ducks swimming along in the little river.
Written November 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alfred Brock
Wayne, MI411 contributions
Oct 2018 • Family
This is a nice location once you get into it. The parking lot is challenging to say the least. It is difficult to get into and out of. Walking to the facility is not easy. Handicapped persons, the elderly and anyone with children should be on guard and ready for action!
Entry is close up on what can be a very busy intersection.
Having said that, on a busy day the facility is quite packed. Their pies are wonderful. The cider ranges from first rate to rather disappointing. I don't know if it's all the source apples or the process.
They have a profusion of bees at this location and because of the constricted space it will be difficult to avoid them if you or someone in your party is allergic. The place is heavily wooded all around and the River Rouge runs along and throug the property. The river can alternately run calm and rough - children should be kept away from the river. Do not enter the water.
The pies are fine and donuts are good. This attraction is just what it says it is - 'A Family Tradition'. You might not recall the actual reason you are doing but you did it last year so you might as well do it again.
It's okay for a short day trip and to pick up the sweet (sometimes) cider and pies and donuts.
I give it a solid 'Eh'.
Entry is close up on what can be a very busy intersection.
Having said that, on a busy day the facility is quite packed. Their pies are wonderful. The cider ranges from first rate to rather disappointing. I don't know if it's all the source apples or the process.
They have a profusion of bees at this location and because of the constricted space it will be difficult to avoid them if you or someone in your party is allergic. The place is heavily wooded all around and the River Rouge runs along and throug the property. The river can alternately run calm and rough - children should be kept away from the river. Do not enter the water.
The pies are fine and donuts are good. This attraction is just what it says it is - 'A Family Tradition'. You might not recall the actual reason you are doing but you did it last year so you might as well do it again.
It's okay for a short day trip and to pick up the sweet (sometimes) cider and pies and donuts.
I give it a solid 'Eh'.
Written July 23, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shampa525
Winter Springs, FL64 contributions
Sep 2018 • Family
I have been coming to the Cider Mill since I was a kid. I love they still sell cider and donuts there. You can see the process and walk around on a nice crisp fall day. Not to be missed!
Written October 14, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
detroitmom
Bloomfield Hills, MI123 contributions
Nov 2017 • Family
If you are in the area, the Franklin Cider should be on your to go list. FCM is not a farm where you pick apples and pumpkins. It is a great place for in house made donuts and cider. There is also a small market area with cheese, apples and pies. Go her for the cider and donuts. The staff still write down your order and tally it by hand. You can watch the water wheel and the pressing of apples. But you are here for the wonderful warm donuts and fresh cider.
Written June 18, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There is no fee, parking or otherwise, for coming to the Franklin Cider Mill.
Written August 25, 2020
Are the Bumblebees really that bad? My granddaughter is petrified of bees, should I bring her.. she's 3?
Written September 11, 2018
They are pretty bad right now. Maybe wait until the first frost. The are also a little less active in the morning it seems.
Written September 12, 2018
The Franklin Cider Mill opens the Saturday of Labor Day, September 5, 2020 and we close the Sunday after Thanksgiving, Sunday, November 9, 2020. Weekdays are quieter than weekends; morning quieter than afternoons. Hope that helps!
Written August 25, 2020
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