Apple Tours take drivers on ultimate orchard experience.

The fall color tour season is quickly approaching and apple orchards across the state will soon be in full swing showcasing the many delicious apple varieties Michigan has to offer, as well as freshly pressed cider and homemade pies, donuts and other desserts.

For those wanting to experience some of the state’s finest apple country, the web site www.MichiganAppleTours.com offers turn-by-turn directions to take you from one outstanding orchard to the next.

1. The southwest route travels 131-miles, beginning and ending at the South Haven Convention & Visitor’s Bureau. This trip takes tourists through Van Buren and Berrien counties with stops in Bangor, Coloma, Eau Claire, Niles, Baroda, Berrien Springs and St. Joseph.
2. The route through central west Michigan is about 68-miles long, starting at the Coopersville Farm Museum. It travels through a heavily populated growing region known as “The Fruit Ridge,” which includes Conklin, Casnovia, Kent City, Sparta and Grand Rapids.
3. The 92-mile northwest route starts at the Traverse City Visitor’s Center and travels north through Williamsburg, Kewadin, Atwood/Ellsworth and Bellaire before heading back to town. Side trips along the Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsulas are also spotlighted.
4. The central east tour is the longest on the site, at 280 miles and nine counties, starting and ending at Uncle John’s Cider Mill in St. Johns. Traveling as far as Flint and Saginaw to the east and Greenville to the west, the route includes 10 farms in Clinton, Ingham, Shiawassee, Genesee, Saginaw, Bay, Midland, Gratiot and Montcalm counties.
5. In the southeast region, begins and ends at Cobblestone Farms in Ann Arbor, covering 225 miles. This trip skirts the Metro Detroit area as it travels through Washtenaw, Livingston, Genesee, Oakland and Macomb counties with stops at 13 destinations.

According to the Michigan Apple Committee, apples are Michigan’s most valuable fruit crop, with a value of about $100-miilion annually to the apple grower. There are more than 7.5 million apple trees in commercial production, covering 37,000 acres on 950 family-run farms throughout Michigan’s Lower Peninsula – making apples the largest fruit crop grown in Michigan.

Resources for this project were provided by the Michigan Apple Committee, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Travel Michigan and Michigan Use Institute.