Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill — Attraction in Armada Township

Took a friend visiting from out of town to a Spring Blooms Festival. Train ride, tulip picking etc. That part of the experience was really lovely. Even our train conductor Tony was friendly and very helpful. But the experience overall went downhill from there.

We decided to grab lunch in the tasting room. Our bartender was wholly inattentive. Had to flag him down to get menus, he made no suggestions and offered no real insight about anything. We got there at the tail end of weekend brunch but, there was only about 15 minutes left and the food didn't look very fresh or appetizing anymore so we opted to order from the menu. We ordered a French dip and upgraded to truffle fries. After 20 minutes we asked our bartender if our food was going to be much longer. He said it usually didn't take that long and went and checked on it but, never came back to give us an update. About 10 minutes later the food finally arrived. The sandwich tasted good although the bread was just bread it wasn't on a toasted bun or anything at all. The truffle fries were disappointing. Basic food service pre-cut fried covered in some kind of aioli but no hint of truffle on any of it. It was all fine just nothing that was worth waiting 30 minutes for. Our original bartender never came back to check once again but another one did. All together we just kind of felt ignored.

After lunch we decided to swing into The Cider Mill and look at all that cute stuff and buy some donuts to take home. When I went up to the counter I got a half a dozen donuts to go and then I asked the girl helping us if the apple fritter was good. She said "well I don't really eat carbs so I don't know". Ok ... We asked another young lady behind the counter if she had had it and if it was any good and her response was "I don't really eat anything here so I don't know". Okay so not only am I clearly just looking for somebody to justify me buying this pastry that will increase your sale and subsequently increase your tip but, now I also feel super judged because I DO eat carbs and I DO eat donuts and now I'm rethinking my decisions. I worked at a restaurant that served liver and onions and I never once tasted it but, when somebody asked, you better believe I sold the hell out of it! That's really all I was looking for here.

At the end of the day I will undoubtedly go back to Blake's just because it's where my son and I have been going for nearly 30 years in the fall so it's nostalgic but, time has changed it and I don't necessarily think for the bettee except for the profit earners. There are other friendlier, quainter cider mills to visit that won't make you feel like a number.

**By the way I bought the fritter and it was freaking...

Blake’s used to be the place to go to for all things cider mill. The childhood wonder of the harvest, the cider and doughnuts, and the farm animals made fall complete every year. After a long hiatus due to school and Covid, I was so excited to experience all the new festivals and bring that childhood whimsy to every season. Oh, how disappointed I was.

Each festival I went to, the main selling point was gone within the first few hours of the event, or never sold in the first place. The crowds were insane, to the point we were waiting an hour in line to order fast food only to be told it would be another hour wait to receive it. We cut our losses and ordered the $17 little paper boat of loaded tater tots, which came out completely cold. We were just grateful to have something to eat at that point. I can deal with crowds and lines, but to run out of stock of the items you’re having a festival for in the first few hours is ludicrous, and wait for hours to have the ability to eat cold, overpriced food is as well. This is not just for the most recent pickle festival either, most previous festivals have had the same exact problems with no improvements.

Blake’s seems to have put all their eggs into the wholesale basket, commercializing their brand to the point of losing the heart of being a farm. The point is no longer to make memories and celebrate the harvest, it’s to make as much money as humanly possible by creating overhyped, “instagram-able” events that can’t seem to function properly even after years of running them. This is not to say the workers were bad by any means, every single worker I encountered was extremely pleasant and tried their hardest to make everyone as happy as possible despite the circumstances, and my heart goes out to them for being involved in such flops of events.

I feel frustrated that I have given Blake’s as many chances as I have with little to no return in value. I wish it was as amazing as it is was advertised to be, but I have been fleeced for the last time. I will continue to go to cider mills and festivals, but it will be at other local businesses, and...

The Good: Nice place to visit... for a day trip if you're a city or suburb dweller. If you've never seen apple cider made you can witness it here. They host craft fairs during the warm months. They have a huge selection of canned foods, from jams to pickled green beans and in-season vegetables and fruits you can pick fresh from the vines/trees... a nice family experience. There's also a large selection of hard ciders and wines along with a decent lunch/dinner menu in the Tasting Room and they are always packed whenever we come here. They have an outdoor seating area now, although there is no table service out there. The service in the main cider mill building was swift and they also have added additional checkout registers this year.

The Bad: Over commercialized! Prices on everything is outrageous. I suppose they have to pay for their expansion somehow. To enter the kids play area (Funland) they charge $8 per person. I would say that's over the top, especially for the parents who are only there to watch their children. Stopped in the Orchard Cafe for a bite... Paid $7 for a hotdog, corn on the cob and a small drink and $4.25 for an order of fries. The fries were sitting in the hot holding space for not sure how long? By the time we got to a table they were barely warm, and it wasn't near as many as they used to serve. I remember getting a decent plate full of fries that I always looked forward to chowing on! The corn wasn't very sweet or tender, but I guess that is probably hit and miss. The hotdog was... well, it's just a hotdog. Wished we could have tried the food in the Tasting Room but had plans for an early dinner. They have a lot of branded (Blake's) souvenirs such as hat, tee's, sweatshirts, glassware and Blake's canned foods, hard cider, and wines... All priced high as you would expect to find at a tourist trap, which I guess is what they have become. I remember years ago it was a nice place to visit several times a season with reasonable prices for a bite to eat and pick up fresh fruit and vegetables......