It's a challenge to accurately rate Blake's Lyon Twp, having grown up with Blake's in Armada, and experiencing recently what it has become. Also never went here when it was Erwin's. I'm glad there is a Blake's closer for all my friends that didn't grow up on the east side like me, but I want it to be a bit more like the Armada location. I get they aren't open all year at this location, but even during October, a indoor dining hall would go a long way! Was pretty chilly sitting eating my wares from the food trucks, which were delicious, but the Armada location's restaurant is even better than what the food trucks offer. Also yay for GF doughnuts! Lots of kids stuff, and food for them. Would LOVE to see them make improvements so they can be open longer! Heated dining tent? Convert one of the buildings to indoor dining? If you're new to Blake's, and don't know what hard cider to get, I suggest Apple Pie, Strawberry Zen, Caramel Apple, or Peach Party! read more

We went over Labor Day weekend - not busy and we did all the activities without much wait time. Just count your doughnuts after you order them. They had four different flavors so I asked for a dozen of the four doughnuts - an equal number of each, thinking they would give me three of each one. Ordered a dozen and they only gave me 10 - they gave me four plain and only two each of the cinnamon, caramel, and caramel with nuts. I didn't look until I got home. Not a big deal but just make sure they have your order right before you leave! Cider was not great. Tasted like watered down apple juice. Wouldn't get it again. read more

this is the old Erwins orchard. still good and Blakes has definitely added their flair to it. huge play/fun land out back now and the addition of the outdoor biergarten and market barn. still Blakes cider and donuts so that part it just ok! read more

Blake's Lyon Township - Cideries Near Me - South Lyon, Michigan

love the cider donuts, hard cider, atmosphere. I'm excited to go on the tractor& and pick peaches, apples, sunflowers, depending on the season. Be Aware as Family: in order to enter the Funland section that has various Bounce Houses, Corn Maze&Petting Farm. Under 14 years old is a specific Price. 14&Up 12.99$ They will not let a 14-year-old in after paying adult price to go in if a 16-year-old/ adult is not present in the Funland Area. 14 yr. All need to pay adult price, but they're not allowed in the Funland section unless there is a 16-year-old or older with them. OK Not making total sense to me but just be prepared to have a parent present or your 14-year-old is 16 today. Point:: 14 years old Adult Price 14 year old can not go in Without Parent( or 16+) Also: two dollars extra per child to Pet the animals, and two dollars for feed.... read more

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The U pick does not seem as good as in past years. The apples were not good. It looks like they are selling off land for new construction and they have a significantly smaller pumpkin patch. My biggest issue was the condition of the porta potties. They were close to overflowing and filthy. We wouldn't let our grand kids use them.The health department should take a look at those! You would think they could afford to get them serviced with the amount they charge for the play area and the U Pick. Would not go back! read more

I grew up near Armada so I was thrilled to see that Blakes purchased a cider mill from a family who was retiring from the business. My review is based on my experience, as an adult with no kids and basically in the off season (a few days before Thanksgiving). I got a Facebook ad about a new cider that was offered - Winter Berry which is a mix of orange and cranberry so we dashed off to Blakes to get some. When we got there, we were told that they were closing for the season and most items were 20% off. Naturally we had to browse a bit. We wound up getting some caramel apple donuts, waffle mix, and fudge. We dug into the donuts on our way home. I never had a caramel apple donut from them before so not sure what to expect - I didn't taste any apple but the caramel in it was thick and delicious. I guess its a donut with the caramel that would normally be on a caramel apple and that is fine with me! Sadly, no pictures cuz we ate our donut before remembering that I needed a picture for my review! Hubby said the Mixed Berry was good but he thought it would be more cider-like than like juice. Either way, he mixed it up a tad of bourbon for an evening drink. read more

Not a good experience here this weekend. The Lyon location website said they were closed for u-pick but the Blake's U-pick website said they were open. I called this location and asked specifically about u-pick. They told me it was open and we drove 45 minutes out from Bloomfield Hills to pick apples. We actually had visitors in town from NH for three days this weekend and wasted half a day on this endeavor. We got there and there were ample signs everywhere pointing us to the u-pick check-in. Yet no one staffing anything. Finally came back to the main building and a woman there, at a window next to a giant u-pick check-in sign, said they closed for u-pick last weekend and didn't know who told me it was open. To her credit she was extremely sweet and offered us a half dozen cider donuts. Very tasty. Yet, just the first disappointment. So then we go into the shops and are told that the hard cider trailer outside is opening at 4 pm. I check the website for this location and confirm, 4-8:30. We go out and check out the trailer and see several new options that we haven't gotten to try yet. Wait around 30 minutes for 4 and it does not open. Find another staff member and they tell us that the cider taps are also closed for the season. Despite numerous signs still up, pointing to the tap trailer, saying taps open. So we drove 45 minutes each way to experience nothing open and staff members that had zero idea what was even going on at their place of work. For a huge Blake's fan, one dying to try their new blue razz and cider donut ciders, this was a colossal miss for us. I have zero idea why they can't even correct some chalk signs and keep their website up to date. Really no excuse for a business that has gotten this large. The staff were very nice, but only one woman working seemed to have any idea what was open or not. read more

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All the donuts (I've not had plain) and ciders are delicious, although it was slightly confusing ordering because I got a variety which included the more costly specialty flavors but the nice lady behind counter was very helpful figuring it out. I love the apple cider slush. read more

Blake's Lyon Township - Cideries Near Me - South Lyon, Michigan

Nice place. I wish the two times I'd been there that they had donuts and cider at an outside stand because it was just me and my dog. I didn't do any picking on my own. It looks like a wagon will take you out to the orchards. Lots of free stuff that kids can do. All of the Blake's Hard Cider in cans and on tap for those hard cider lovers. I didn't really interact with staff, but I'm sure they were nice. read more

I miss Erwin's. These donuts were barely warm. Lots of mosquitoes in the apple orchard which I don't remember ever being an issue in the past 20+ years I've been picking there. No bees though, so that was a positive. Only 2 cashiers open to get cider & donuts on a Saturday morning so there was a long wait despite getting there early. Apples were very good looking and plentiful. Longer tractor ride than it used to be. Prices have gone up substantially too for U-pick. I mean, we're doing all the work! read more

Blake's Lyon Township - Cideries Near Me - South Lyon, Michigan

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The cider mill is open! You can purchase various goods inside like jams, pies, wine, etc. The cider is in the fridge. I didn't see it being made on-site. The doughnuts were warm. I asked if it's the Erwin or Blake's recipe and was told Blake's. They have a slight crunch to them and slightly dense, not as airy and light as Erwin's. There are several porta John's and sink stations. Some random and not too many play areas for kids. Several tents and picnic tables. Parking lot is gravel. There's apple picking but I didn't do this so not sure if there is a hay ride. read more

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Donuts were not as fresh as we would've hoped and the bees where out like crazy because tables were not cleaned after prior use. Service was good but had to leave due to swarming bees. read more

Went with some friends on a Saturday morning. It's pretty early in the season, so there were very few lines to wait in. The donuts and cider are always a hit, one of the main reasons I go. I've been coming here for years, and I'm glad blake purchased the orchard before the family that owned Edwin's retired. The orchard is beautiful and really captured the fall atmosphere, and it's always so fun to pick our own apples forboughtthe pie that was purchased was delicious as well. Very happy with my expiriance. read more

Blake's Lyon Township - Apple orchard - Cideries Near Me - South Lyon, Michigan

I was absolutely thrilled to hear that Blake's took over Erwin's instead of it being transformed into a housing development. I grew up going to Erwin's and the next generation of my family had started growing up there too. Blakes has managed to maintain the feel of Erwins with some much welcomed upgrades including the addition of their amazing hard cider, covered seating areas, and more items to try in addition to just apples and cider. Having been to Blake's in Armada, I'm very excited to see the South Lyon location grow into something even greater than what it always was. It is evident that they're investing in the property and will make it greater than Erwin's ever was. That being said, I have a few things I'm disappointed in. 1. There was something about the unpasturized cider at Erwin's that made it taste better. I'm going to miss it. 2. Although I like the donuts, some people who came with me felt Erwin's were better. 3. There wasn't a single reference to the history of the site as Erwin's. I hope that in time, as they have more time to make improvements, they have some sort of tribute to the Erwin family and what they built in South Lyon. There should be some sort of display on one of the walls in the cider mill about the orchard's history. read more

One star less because I miss Erwin's and while I love Blake's, I don't know if it's because this is their first season and they haven't fully fleshed out their entire supply chain/infrastructure yet or not, but these donuts are not made fresh on-site the way Erwin's was - that's for sure! Blake's at this point offers so many products, that it seems like they all come bottled up from their manufacturing sites and are just distributed in batches to its different locations or something. They also turned the cider mill grounds into just one giant hay playground for kids, rather than it being broken up into different attractions for all ages to see, but I'm mainly here for the cider and donut snacks and the apple picking, so I'm not too broken up about the other miscellaneous attractions. Blake's....give the people what they want already - HOT, FRESH, QUALITY DONUTS! Given that Erwin's did make their stuff fresh on-site, I know the capabilities are there! Other than that though, everything else about the apple orchard is wonderful! Tractors come through often to pick people up so you're never waiting too long (for context: we went on a beautiful weather weekend day, although perhaps on the earlier side of apple-picking season). The apples were plentiful, they have quality STRONG bags, better than what Erwin's used to offer, so you weren't concerned about them breaking as you loaded up your bags. Everything was positively lovely about the apple picking experience. I will say the pumpkin picking experience is lame because it's all these already cut up pumpkins just scattered out in a field for you LMAO. read more

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Blake's did a really good job taking over for Erwin's. I enjoyed the donuts. The cinnamon spice and ones with nuts were great. They had street corn which was really good and plans to open a hot dog stand. They have u pick apples was really nice. We had a medical emergency situation with one of our grandparents and they helped to address it on the wagon of the u pick apples. Very kind family. Nice tented area to sit and enjoy the cider/donuts. Love that they kept the goats and nice bee hives. They had tons of pies such as strawberry rhubarb which we were excited for. Overall will definitely be back and I love their cider and donut flavors. read more

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All the workers in the store were super friendly and helpful. Had a short but great conversation with a gentleman and his wife that are retired but put in so much work making donuts etc You can tell how dedicated and passionate they are about their work. Stopped in as Blake's is my wife's favorite cider and it was a surprise I put together for her , I and my sister who we were visiting along with going to a concert later that night. Love all the unique things in the shop they sale: jerky, salsa, pie, and so much more. The only negative was my draft pour was $8 (!) which was more expensive than at nearby bars I feel. But we did completely make out like bandits with picking up a bunch of $5 6 packs they had on special. Place looks nice and fun- I do hope they don't charge parents to go into attractions to watch their kids as I read and actually what my sister said happened when they went last year. Otherwise a beautiful scenic area and some great fresh and farm grown vegetables and fruits. Would recommend more to check it out. read more

The Erwin family finally decided to retire the business and luckily Blake's purchased it and took over the land. We decided to visit opening weekend to get ahead of the crowds and support the agrtitainment and orchards in the area. I already love Blake's and visit several times a year, so I am already a fan. While old Erwin's does look similar, it appears that Blake's is moving to update and modernize the space. We already miss the multiple flavors of donuts, but Blake's was baking four flavors for this season so far. They had plain, cinnamon sugar, caramel apple, and caramel apple with peanuts. All really delicious. We also tried their cider slushies which were a hit! In their store they already have the donuts and cider, but also some pies, turnovers, hand pies, bread, candy, candy apples, baking mixes, and fruit juices. We purchased some hand pies and turnovers this time but look forward to getting more goodies as the season progresses. They still have the You-Pick bags and a tractor to take you out. They also kept the goats, put fresh hay bales out for the kids, have the tricycles, and Bee 3D house which I believe they plan on monetizing like their traditional fun land in Armada. They took down the pain ball, which did make me sad. It states that they will have a corn maze (I think) and more to come on any spooky events. They had a farm stand outside the store with fresh produce and I hear a hard cider tent is coming soon, which I am definitely a fan! They will have an event next weekend for customers to open in the season which is why I came early to avoid the crowds. This is set to be an amazing turn over with a new business. I am so happy they are keeping the land to grow apples. There are so many old elements left to keep Erwin's customers like myself happy and more to come to preserve the land and bring Blake's fans to the area. I am excited to come back and see how it develops. read more

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We were not expecting much based on the reviews but this place is amazing!! We had caramel frosted and sugar donuts and they were soo good. The cider was amazing!! I am not a cider fan, as they all seem cloudy and taste like moldy apples to me. But this cider was the best I have ever had. It was light and refreshing and had such a fresh apple taste. But the star of the show was the half off $10 blueberry pie we snagged. It was half off because it was about to expire. Not a problem for us. It was absolutely delicious! The crust was amazing and the blueberry filling was perfect!! We devoured it!! Can't wait to go back. read more

The donuts are average, dense and dry. Their El Chavo cider is delicious, but $8.50 is a bit much for a glass especially when they're glass sizes inconsistent. Purchased their Dutch apple pie for $20, it was delicious. Also bought 3 large pumpkins for $20, $.59 per pound. It's a fun place to check out, but be prepared to spend $$$. read more

Blake's Lyon Township - two cups of beer on a picnic table - Cideries Near Me - South Lyon, Michigan

Great cider, but the donuts weren't warm (my most important criteria for cider mill donuts). Really crowded on a Saturday, and a long line. read more

Blake's Lyon Township - Cinnamon sugar donut and apple cider - Cideries Near Me - South Lyon, Michigan

Under new ownership with an air for capitalism. I like that they tightened this concept up so I can't blame them for finding ways to monetize the attractions. If your kiddo wants to play in the bounce house you're paying for your kid and the adult accompanying them to get in; but there was two bounce houses to choose from and maybe a complimentary cup of cider and donuts that go with the entry fee. The tricycle track needs to be repaved and pretty much all the tricycles need to be serviced (either the seats or the handlebars were loose, falling off or missing entirely, or the wheels were misaligned with the handlebars making them unrideable). That said they could easily turn a profit by pitting the toddlers against one another to see who wins the one or two tricycles that were actually working (I'm just saying). Other than that, the donuts and the cider were the same as before and they opened up an additional orchard market adjacent the cider and donut building. I did appreciate the huge hay structure they erected. It seems bigger than other years but a little big for the littler one to climb onto. In all seriousness, I'm happy that this will remain such a nice piece of South Lyon's culture. Welcome Blake's. read more

Terrible customer service. They charge 12.95 Per Person - Adults included to enter the play area. I politely inquired about this our 1st time visiting and the employee proceeded very sarcastically and rude that 'they hear it all the time & thanks for being one of those people". Then she yelled at my daughter (9) who stated "what the heck?" when our total for 4 kids and 3 adults was almost $100. "WATCH YOUR MOUTH" were her exact words. When I told her to not parent my child - that I would handle that - she CONTINUED to say things to my daughter. "We don't speak that way" "it is not ok to say things like that". Another employee finally came & told her to stop speaking but it was NOT a favorable experience. I don't mind paying to enter the play area, at some ADULT PRICE, but paying the exact same as the children who are actually 'playing' on the equipment seems like a giant price gouge to me. Does Blake really need my $12.95 to WATCH my children play? It's ridiculous & totally takes away from the fun fall family festivities that we were looking for. This Blake's location bought out Erwin's & it's such a shame. They promoted upholding family values and keeping Erwin's available to the community. Not from what I'm seeing. We loved Erwins but WILL NOT be returning to Blake's. Aside from the above - their $8 beers were 2 totally different sizes and not one employee that we interacted with was friendly or nice in any form or fashion. Save your $$ on this unfortunately corporate -driven place and check out one of the LOCAL FAMILY ORIENTED orchards like Parshalville, Muellers, Chambers or Schnells Family Farms. They deserve our love and support so much more!! ** IF WE DONT GO - MAYBE THEY WILL GET A CLUE. LET'S STOP SUPPORTING GREED!!! ** read more

Donuts and cider were some of the best I've had but they weren't adequately prepared for the season. Staff didn't knew what times things opened or where things on the property were. When the food and drink booths did open they were late getting set up by 30+ minutes from online posted times. I'd recommend going but later in the season when they're more operational. read more

Do not recommend. There is almost nothing for kids to do unless you pay $13 a person for the fun zone. (weekends). For a family of 5 that is ridiculous. The experience we had was very rigid and unfriendly. We went apple picking and the price for the bags was very high and also attached to how many wagon riders you have. We wanted the smallest bag, but that only allows 4 people on the wagon. There was a sheriff in uniform enforcing small children that wanted to carry the special apple they picked, sheriff chasing these kids down and forcing them to put their apple in the purchased bag- ridiculous. The wagon driver stopped to yell at a man and child walking, while everyone sat watching. The apples were covered in brown spots, difficult to find good ones. All of my family agreed apples lacked flavor and grocery store was better. Overall, felt very big business and rigid instead of family friendly. read more

Best place for cider and doughnuts hands down!!! I've grown up going to Blake's in Armada and now that I moved to Northville it's only 9 minutes away. Love everything this cider mill offers and I have no doubt they will keep expanding like there other ones. Not to mention the hard cider is one of my favorites and them adding the cider garden to taste it on tap. Can't wait to start taking my grandkids and getting them to experience the best. read more

Old cold donuts. Play land is a joke. The charm is no longer here. I do not recommend.

So sad. Blake's has ruined everything that was good about Erwin's. There is no hay maze, no goats, no open play... and it's all been replaced with pay-per-play inflatables and lots of fencing. Not a fun place to take your preschoolers for a farm orchard experience. read more

Blake's Lyon Township - Cideries Near Me - South Lyon, Michigan

Great Experience! Not as much variety as the original Blakes, but they took the best parts of the original location to influence this location. I'll be back! read more

They ruined Erwin's orchards . You pay for everything which is fine but they suck your experience by eating your time . Lines lines lines and everything is pay for a"x,y,x" I will never go again . Ruined a great place , such is the world these days read more

Great morning with kids, plenty of things to do. Picking fruit, playing on cool equipment and fresh donuts and cider

My husband, daughter and I stopped by Blake's for the first time for some cider and donuts. There was no hard cider tasting, but you can buy take home cans in the shop. The apple cider was sweet, but good, as we're the donuts. There are no tables/chairs to sit inside, only outdoor tables. We purchased a small apple pie to go for $10 and it looked like it was packed with apple. I think that they must have used all the apples elsewhere because the high pastry top was just an illusion, the pie was practically empty inside. For $10, I would have expected a little more fruit. Overall, some positives, nice staff, but I won't be in a hurry to go back. read more

Blake's Lyon Township - Blake's Illusion Apple Pie. - Cideries Near Me - South Lyon, Michigan

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highway robbery rates. nickels and dimes you on everything. needed to pay like $36 just for my son to play on equipment, as they required all adults to pay just to be there with their kid. spend your day another place. cider is mediocre anyways. read more

Cannot recommend enough! The staff is wonderful and friendly. The food truck Smokey Michigan is spectacular. They have activities for children and drinks for adults. This is a perfect place to spend a few hours on a fall day. read more

Blake's Lyon Township - Strawberry cider - Cideries Near Me - South Lyon, Michigan

Donuts were delicious and fresh, cider was ok. Just a warning, check your pie before you leave. We bought a pie sunday afternoon and just opened it and it was moldy. Will not be back to buy another! Will go to another cider mill. 3 stars because of the donuts only. read more

Money for nothing The cider and donuts are good but I've had better at other cider mills around Detroit. We went to this one for the apple picking for my kid. My issue is with the play area. When we were here last year there was a small play area with a lot of shaded spot that had a couple of bounce houses and some other stuff for kids that were fun and it cost, from what I remember, somewhere around ten dollars for the kid and nothing for adults. This year the play area is bigger and not necessarily better. Just 2 or 3 more basic play structures (nothing special) and some inflated trampoline like surface, all in full sun, with very few spots in the shade. Last year it had a pretty good paved track with tricycles, and this year they made a very crappy track with gravel, and out of the 6 tricycles, 4 were broken and 2 had the seat so far back that my taller than average kid could not reach the pedals, and got very frustrated since the tricycle track was what he remembered and was looking forward to this year. This whole crappy setup costs 13 dollars on the weekend per person, tnot just for the kids but for the adults too. It cost us, 2 parents and a child, 40 dollars just to get into a basic play area. You will find a better playground at your local city park. read more

This is my honest review. First, I am glad Blakes took over, however, I am not a fan of the food products. I stopped by and had coffee and donuts. Coffee was weak/awful and the donuts were nothing special. The previous owner had really good donuts. As for the "cider", I dont want any because it is pasteurized. Sorry, but I llike cider that is Not pasteurized. (huge taste difference) So on one hand I'm glad the cider mill is still going, But I have absolutely no desire to go there anymore. read more

wow what a difference from Erwin's! Apple cider slushee was not very tasty and the donuts taste like sugar no other flavor and sorry the lady that checked us out didn't seem very happy didn't greet us or smile once. we walked in purchased and walked right out to go home read more

Unfortunately, the cider mill is a shell of what it used to be. I used to love the hot donuts and cold good cider at Erwin's. This is not Erwin's. I got cold donuts and watered down cider. It was an overall mediocre experience. The cider mill itself feels very corporate. Now you pay for a wrist band to go into some bounce house area. They added some pony rides, but my son took a 3 minute ride on a pony and it was $7. Total rip off. I think you are much better suited going elsewhere. read more

Erwins was just taken over by Blakes. We drive up from nashville every year. Many of the same great crew are there. This is the best apple season ever. They are expensive but there is nothing comparable!! Carol gave us a wealth of information and suggestions. We arrived first thing on a weekday and Jim gave us a private wagon ride and helped us get through quickly! I heard a bad review about the donuts but i think they are as fabulous as ever! A new caramel apple with peanuts stole my heart!! Thank you Blakes for an amazing experience and a carload of yumminess read more

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