It's my favorite time of the year which means it's also time to squeeze in a visit to as many orchards and family farms that I can!! One of my favorites is
Anderson & Girls Orchards.
Okay, I did live in the nearby area for a good chunk of my life and I went to high school with the "Girls" of the orchard. But, it really has become much more than it was when my best friend in 8th grade lived across the street (we'd go over to the orchard to play). At that time it was a simple orchard (still large but not as much for the average individual to take advantage of). They had a small stand that you could visit to purchase apples, pies, jams, and a few other things that the family offered.
Now, they offer a large variety of activities, the little stand has grown into a large store and bakery, and they also offer a small restaurant/ice cream shop!
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| The main floor is where you can buy vegetables, fruits, baked goods, .... |
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| Items for sale in the top of the barn store. |
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| Items for sale in the top of the barn store. |
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| Items for sale in the top of the barn store. |
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| Ice cream shop & restaurant |
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| Lots of great food at a good price! |
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| Of course we had to try one of these!!! |
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| Yummy!!! |
Many schools do field trips to this orchard and people travel from all over the state to visit.
One thing I love about this orchard, more than many others, is the feeling that they haven't outgrown the area they are located in. Let me explain.... They have a lot of commercial things to offer but at a reasonable price and they still offer a large variety to those who really can't afford to pay for EVERYTHING! They have many animals of all kinds that anyone can go see for FREE! You do not have to pay a fee to witness any of this:
Free
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| Picture opportunity! |
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| Look for these signs before getting friendly with any animals. |
Free
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| Don't get too close! My kiddos have seen many funny videos of these when they are upset! |
Free
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| This baby was real playful and offering lots of laughable opportunities! |
Free
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| Play time! |
Free
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| Stop to see a show! |
Free
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| What's playing? Yep - it's pig races!!! |
Free
Free - $.25 for food but you don't really even need it.
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Okay - feeding them cost us a quarter (see the machine above her).
But, they were loving our attention for free before we bought the food!
Pay it forward opportunity - share some food with other little kiddos that you notice may not have any. |
Free
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Yes - even santa's reindeer are there!!
Check them out at Christmas for some awesome picture opportunities! |
Free
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| Watch out - they spit!!! |
Free
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| That big white tub is a tunnel slide! My kids love it!!! |
Free
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| Bottom of the slide |
Free
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| Higher view of some FREE stuff you can check out!!! |
Free
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| Yep - even kangaroos!!! |
Free
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I love this thing! There are faces that flip down for each animal so you can pick which
animal you would like to be. And it will accommodate a group of up to 5 faces! |
I want to point out something in the animal sign picture above. To the right there is a small red barn that looks like a bird feeder and it has a sign below it. MANY of the activities at this orchard are free but we all know that caring for these animals, and the property, can cost a lot. This "red barn" is one of many donation boxes they have. If you have a little extra cash please consider donating! As a child, I would have loved to visit a place like this and for many - "free" is the only way it's possible. I hope that this orchard can continue providing all that it does at such a great value!! Now to continue my blog post :-)
For only $1 a stick (covered with bird seed) you can feed parakeets! Another pay it forward opportunity if you see a little one that can't afford a stick. I have never seen such friendly birds at one of these!
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| My daughter LOVED it! |
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| My son freaked out and threw his stick on the floor ;-) |
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| Yep - they will even try to eat a shoe lace! |
There is a fee for camel rides but I have visited many places and I am pretty impressed with the price they are charging!
There is another section of play area that you can take advantage of for a fee. I took a picture of this sign to give you an idea of what they offer:
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We did not have time to do this but there are a few rare things
(for us) in this section that my son would have loved!! |
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They even have a penny smash machine for $.51. My family and I collect these
from every place we go so it was a great addition to our book! |
If you have had a chance to visit this place, let me know what you liked!
I just visited this place "twice" with my granddaughter during our 1 week in Michigan. I love, love, love it!! as did she. I will definitely go every time I visit family in Michigan.
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