Tom Walker’s Grist Mill – Historic Parshallville Cider Mill

First off, I love this place, I go here almost every autumn. It has become a family tradition of sorts.
Maybe I’m biased, but they have the best donuts and cider and it’s cute and picturesque. The people behind the counter are always warm and friendly, with a quick smile. True, there isn’t a whole lot of exciting, entertaining things to do here– no pony rides, hay rides, etc, but it’s cute and a bit of a throwback to a bygone era.
You can buy fresh apples, pie, cider, and cocoa on the premises. The cider is unpasteurized, the way it should be, although that might not be everyone’s cup of tea. The cider and donuts are out of this world, fresh and filled with flavor. There are plenty of places to sit outside and enjoy your donuts and cider, as well as a walking trail, foot bride and small waterfall nearby. It’s truly breathtaking when the leaves are turning color, yet still warm enough to enjoy the great outdoors.
The location is smack dab in the middle of a lovely little town dotted by pretty churches, historic architecture and the remnants of a very old cemetery dating back a few centuries. It’s a great place to take a walk and snap some pictures while you’re at it. Who cares if it’s small, out of the way and the gristmill wheel doesn’t work?
The mill usually closes for the season after the first weekend in November every year and sometimes the hours vary, despite what is posted on their website.

If you’re in the mood for warm donuts, hot cider, apple pie, caramel apples or freshly picked delicious pecks of apples, this is your place! It is set in a historical town with a cute little river and trail in the back.

Skip this one. We visited on a Wednesday. It was a ghost town with very little promise for anything better on the weekend. There was one building open for sales. They had two kinds of apples available for sale along with some half gallons of cider. I didn’t see any doughnuts. We also didn’t buy anything. It didn’t look very sanitary. It was an old, dark building. They people were nice but kept saying «this is it» when I asked about what there was to see. «But isn’t there a water wheel?» «yes, but it’s not on because there’s rocks blocking it». We walked over to it. It’s tiny! (I added a picture). That truly was basically it. It wasn’t a wasted drive. There’s another, 100 times better orchard less than 10 minutes away.

One of the most enjoyable cider mills we visit, and worth the long trip (for us) to the Fenton area. The mill features the usual cider, donuts, pies and slushies… and several varieties of heirloom apples along with contemporary favorites like Honeycrisp. I was thrilled to find Fameuse, ie, «snow» apples there this past year. The mill is a pleasant country drive away from the freeway.

We went to the Parshallville Cider Mill last Sunday (9÷30÷12) in the late afternoon, and the crowds were not too bad. We did have to wait in line for cider and donuts, but we waited only about 5 – 10 minutes.
This cider mill is very rustic and quaint. There are no bounce houses or pony rides like at those larger apple orchards/​cider mills (such as Spicer or Wiard’s), so if you’re looking for that kind of stuff, you won’t find it here. It is situated on a river, so you also get to hear the moving water. We even saw some fish. I personally prefer the more rustic atmosphere.
The cider was delicious and very fresh tasting (it isn’t pasteurized). The donuts were also really fresh. Ours were still warm when bit into them. Because Michigan’s apple crop was so horrible this year, the cider is really expensive. We got ½ gallon for $ 4-​something. It was worth it though.
There are picnic tables out back to sit and enjoy your donuts and cider, but be careful of all the bees. They were swarming. They didn’t seem aggressive though, so I wasn’t worried about getting stung. I think they just wanted the cider. The second you put your cider down, bees were all over it. We eventually had to get up and walk around to get away from them.
I noticed most of the apple butters and fruit spreads were made with corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup (yuck). That and the bees are the reason I’m giving this place 4 stars as opposed to 5.
There is an unpaved trail that we took a short hike on, but we didn’t follow it to the end, so I’m not sure where it ended up or how far it went.
This is probably my favorite cider mill so far in Michigan.

Our favorite fall cider and donut trip destination. A real mill pond and the sound of the river make this quaint place the «best atmosphere» cider mill in the area. Great cider, fresh non-​greasy donuts! No offense to Spicer’s, or Diehl’s, or Longs Family Farm, but a historic setting alongside a babbling river with great donuts and cider wins our hearts every year! We have been for 6 years in a row and have always had a nice visit. Go early in the day (9 am) to beat the crowds, even on weekends, and get the freshest of products.

Great cider. This is what cider should taste like.
Unpasteurized. Fresh from the fryer greasy donuts. Fall in Michigan.

We visited on Saturday, October 24^th, and were very disappointed. The cider was acidic, the donuts were stale, and it was quite expensive. $ 4.25 for a HALF dozen donuts is ridiculous. For *stale* donuts, it’s an outrage! And the folks immediately ahead of us in line received fresh donuts straight from the fryer. I suppose we didn’t grease someone’s palm, but at that price, why should I have to do that?
To add insult to injury, we all had intestinal distress after drinking the cider. To be fair, they have a warning label on the jug stating that it is unpasteurized, but still, I now have a $ 6.75 gallon of cider with most of it left that I am trying to figure out how to use in cooking, because it is undrinkable.
There does seem to be a cute little area behind the mill for walking along a river and it has some picnic tables. If we liked the cider and donuts, that would be a nice relaxing area to enjoy them.
Although this mill is only about 3 – 4 miles from our home, we will continue driving 65 miles back to our favorite place, Hy’s, when we want cider and donuts. Which frankly, is quite frequently. Our three-​year-​old son has declared that all autumnal Saturdays be renamed «Ciderday.»