September shows up here with cider on its breath and donut sugar on its shirt.
This Michigan farm shifts gears fast once fall gets close. Apples start taking over the barn, the press gets busy, and those hot cinnamon-sugar donuts suddenly become very hard to ignore.
The family has worked this land since 1876, and 2026 marks 150 years on the farm.
You can keep the visit simple with cider and something warm from the counter, or stay longer once the weekend activities start pulling you in.
I know how this would go for me. I’d swear I was stopping for one donut, then somehow end up carrying apples back to the car.
The Long Family Has Farmed This Land Since 1876
The Long family began farming on Commerce Road in 1876, and the same family still operates the property today. Robert Long and his sons oversee the orchard, cider press, produce stands, Fun Farm, and the other working parts of the business.
That timeline reaches well beyond cider season. Spring brings asparagus and peas, summer shifts toward sweet corn and garden vegetables, and fall moves the focus to apples, pumpkins, cider, and the corn maze.
The farm remains agricultural throughout the year even though autumn brings the widest mix of public activities.
In 2026, the property reaches a century and a half under the Long family. The farm marks that milestone with the same core crops and seasonal routines that still shape the visit.
The barn, orchard, press, and fields all belong to the working operation around you. The apples in the cider grow on the same property, and the Long family still handles the farm rather than operating it as a separate seasonal attraction.
A quick cider stop and a full Fun Farm visit use the same ground in different ways, but both connect back to a working family farm that has stayed on Commerce Road for generations.
Fresh-Pressed Cider And Hot Donuts Fill The Cider Mill
The Cider Mill is the easiest part of Long’s to visit during fall. It opens daily in season through Thanksgiving Eve, and you do not need a Fun Farm ticket to enter the barn or farm market.
Fresh apple cider is pressed on the property using apples grown in the orchard. The farm also makes cinnamon-sugar donuts fresh and serves them hot through the day.
Cider slushes, honey, jams, apple butter, breads, picked apples, and other seasonal items can also appear in the barn.
That setup gives you an easy choice when you do not want the ticketed attractions. Stop for a gallon of cider, a bag of donuts, or apples from the current harvest, then continue with the rest of the day.
Bulk cider and donut orders require advance notice at the Cider Mill, while ordinary purchases can be made during regular seasonal operation.
The barn stays open later into the year than the Fun Farm. Cider and donuts continue through Thanksgiving Eve, so the farm does not close its fall food operation when the corn maze and weekend attractions finish.
If cider is the main reason for the drive, the daily Cider Mill schedule gives you more flexibility than the weekend activity calendar.
Fifteen Apple Varieties Ripen In Waves Through Fall
Long Family Orchard grows fifteen apple varieties, with the harvest beginning in late August and continuing through fall. Paula Red starts the season, while September can bring McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Gala, Ambrosia, Cortland, and Jonathan.
October moves toward Empire, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Ida Red. Fuji, Northern Spy, and Evercrisp arrive later, giving the orchard a sequence rather than one single harvest week.
Already-picked apples are sold inside the Cider Mill barn during the season. U-pick apples are also available when individual varieties and picking areas are ready, with access announced as the harvest progresses.
That means a September visit may look different from one in October. Early fall can lean toward Honeycrisp or Gala, while later trips bring varieties better suited to baking or storing.
The orchard also gives you practical ways to choose. Honeycrisp and Gala work well for eating fresh, while Northern Spy is especially useful for baking. Cortland, McIntosh, Empire, Jonagold, and Jonathan can also move easily into pies or other baked dishes.
Rather than expecting all fifteen varieties at once, check what is ripe when you arrive. The changing harvest is part of how the orchard moves through the season.
The Fun Farm Packs More Than Twenty Activities Into Fall Weekends
The ticketed Fun Farm adds a much larger activity list than the Cider Mill alone. Its 2026 season runs on weekends from September 12 through November 1, with additional Friday dates in October.
Admission covers the corn maze, hayride, petting farm, both jumping pillows, the combine slide, pedal karts, and the play structures on the property.
The Fun Farm includes more than twenty activities in the Fun Farm area, with photo spots and other play features spread around the grounds.
Some extras cost separately. Pumpkins are not included in Fun Farm admission, and the apple cannon requires an additional purchase for ammunition. Children under thirty-two inches tall enter the Fun Farm free, while other visitors need admission.
The setup lets families choose how much of the property they want to use. A child interested in the jumping pillows may spend less time in the maze, while another group might put the hayride and pumpkin patch first.
The Fun Farm also uses a different calendar from the Cider Mill. The barn remains open daily in season, while the larger activity area follows its weekend and October Friday schedule.
If the corn maze or hayride is the priority, match the visit to a Fun Farm operating day rather than assuming those attractions run every weekday.
A Hayride Leads To The U-Pick Pumpkin Patch
Pumpkin season adds another part of the farm as September moves toward October. On Fun Farm days, the hayride carries visitors from the farmyard to the U-pick pumpkin patch.
The hayride is included with Fun Farm admission, but pumpkins are priced separately. The field includes carving pumpkins, pie pumpkins, decorative varieties, minis, and gourds, with the exact selection changing as the season advances.
You do not have to enter the Fun Farm to buy a pumpkin. Pre-picked pumpkins are available in front of the Cider Mill during fall, so a quick pumpkin-and-cider stop can stay separate from the ticketed play area.
Bobby Long’s mums are also grown on the farm and appear seasonally near the barn. That gives the market another fall crop beyond apples and pumpkins.
The U-pick patch follows the same fall activity calendar as the Fun Farm, including weekends from September 12 through November 1 and Fridays in October. The hayride is the route to the field on those operating days.
If pumpkin picking is your main goal, leave enough time for the ride out, choosing a pumpkin, and returning to the farmyard. If you only need one for the porch, the pre-picked selection keeps the stop much shorter.
The Main Barn Keeps The Fall Visit In One Place
The Main Barn and Cider Mill are at 1540 E Commerce Rd, Commerce Township, MI 48382. Apples, pumpkins, cider, donuts, the corn maze, and the Fun Farm are all centered at this location, with parking on the property.
The Cider Mill and farm market open daily during their fall season, beginning in the first week of September and continuing through Thanksgiving Eve. Daily hours can change through the season, so check the current schedule before making a longer drive.
The Fun Farm follows its own calendar, running weekends from September 12 through November 1 and adding Fridays in October. Last admission is one hour before closing.
Long’s is cashless. Major credit and debit cards are accepted, along with mobile payment options. That applies at the farm and at the Fun Farm gate, so cash is not needed for the visit.
A Fun Farm ticket is not required for the Cider Mill, already-picked apples, cider, donuts, or pre-picked pumpkins. Tickets apply to the play area and its included attractions.
That distinction makes planning straightforward. Choose the barn for a quick food-and-produce stop, or add the Fun Farm when the maze, hayride, animals, and play areas are part of the day.
Fall Is Only One Part Of The Farm Calendar
Long Family Orchard is strongly associated with apples, cider, donuts, pumpkins, and the corn maze, but those crops arrive after months of other farm work.
Asparagus and peas lead the growing season in May and June. Sweet corn and garden vegetables follow in summer, with a separate produce stand on Bogie Lake Road handling much of that warm-weather harvest.
Apples and cider take over from September through Thanksgiving, while pumpkins and fall activities run into early November.
A summer stop can center almost entirely on produce, while September brings the Cider Mill and apples into focus. October adds the fullest pumpkin and Fun Farm calendar.
The 150th anniversary in 2026 ties those seasons together. The Long family is still farming the same Commerce Township ground, and the fall activities sit beside crops that continue to be grown and harvested there.
For a first autumn visit, keep the plan simple. Decide whether you want only the Cider Mill or the ticketed Fun Farm, check which apples are ready, and add the pumpkin patch if the timing lines up. Fresh cider and hot donuts can handle a short stop.
The orchard, maze, hayride, animals, and pumpkins can easily fill the rest of the afternoon.