A mid-Michigan orchard dating to 1852 with an on-site cider bar and wood-fired pizza, growing 24+ apple varieties by its own account — but none are named, and no exact hours or prices were published.
Phillips Orchards & Cider Mill sits at 1995 E Gratiot County Line Rd in Saint Johns, Clinton County, in mid-Michigan. The phone number on file is 989-292-5252 and the website is phillipsorchards.com. According to the research notes, the orchard dates back to 1852 — one of the older operations covered anywhere in this file, and a genuinely interesting piece of history if you’re the type to ask questions at the register.
What makes Phillips distinctive is what’s layered onto the u-pick experience: the record confirms an on-site cider bar and wood-fired pizza, turning what could be a quick picking stop into more of a destination visit. That’s a fairly unusual combination among the orchards in this file — most pair apples with a bakery or a corn maze rather than a full food-and-drink setup built around cider and pizza specifically.
The orchard’s own u-pick page describes growing over 24 apple varieties, along with more than 20 peach varieties, plus plums, pumpkins, and other crops. That’s an ambitious claimed range — among the largest variety counts referenced anywhere in this file, if accurate. But neither page checked during research actually named a single specific apple variety by name. There’s a real difference between an orchard advertising “24+ varieties” as a general statement of scale and confirming which of those varieties are actually available to pick on a given visit, and this record can only speak to the former. If a specific apple type matters to your trip, that’s a direct question for 989-292-5252 rather than something this record can answer.
The only season-related detail found is that the orchard operates seven days a week during September and October. There’s no narrower start date, no end date, and nothing tying that statement explicitly to the 2026 season rather than being a general description that could apply to any year. No specific hours were found either — just the “seven days a week” claim, without opening or closing times. That’s a wider set of unknowns than several other entries in this file, where exact hours are at least published even if season dates aren’t.
The research notes add a useful practical detail: the Phillips family also runs a separate Gatehouse Market on US-127, open from Memorial Day through New Year’s Eve — a much longer operating window than the u-pick orchard itself, which is confined to the September-October stretch. That Gatehouse Market is a different stop from the u-pick orchard and cider mill covered in this record, so if you’re looking specifically for pick-your-own apples, the Gratiot County Line Road address above is the one that matters, not the Gatehouse storefront.
Phillips Orchards & Cider Mill offers a genuinely distinctive on-site food experience — a cider bar and wood-fired pizza alongside u-pick apples — backed by real history dating to 1852. But the specifics that would help plan an exact visit, including named varieties, precise hours, and pricing, simply weren’t found in this record. A call to 989-292-5252 is the way to fill in those gaps before making the drive to Saint Johns.
The site's only timing detail is that it's 'open seven days a week during September and October,' too generic to convert into specific picking dates.
you need exact hours, specific apple varieties, or published pricing — none of these were found in the record.
The farm's own page describes growing over 24 apple varieties, 20 peach varieties, plums, pumpkins, and more — but no specific apple variety names were found anywhere in the record.
Yes — the record confirms a cider bar and wood-fired pizza, layering a dining stop onto the u-pick orchard.
Not stated precisely — the record only confirms the orchard operates seven days a week during September and October, without exact opening or closing times.
The research notes date the orchard to 1852, making it one of the older operations covered in this file.
Yes, per the research notes: the family also runs a separate Gatehouse Market on US-127, open Memorial Day through New Year's Eve, apart from the u-pick orchard covered in this record.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. In past seasons it has run: Seven days a week in September and October. Check with the orchard before driving out.
Pricing was not published when we last checked.
Yes — it's a pick-your-own orchard, with pre-picked apples at the farm stand too.
1995 E Gratiot County Line Rd, Saint Johns, MI 48879, in Clinton County. It is one of 5 orchards we track in Mid-Michigan.
We track 5 orchards in Mid-Michigan, 3 of which let you pick your own apples. The orchard has not published a starting price, so it cannot be compared on cost — call before you budget.
What sets it apart locally: it has fresh cider, which most Mid-Michigan orchards on our list do not.
One caveat worth repeating: this orchard had not published its 2026 dates when we last checked, while 0 of the 5 orchards we track in Mid-Michigan had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the orchard confirms it.
There are 2 other orchards we track in Clinton County. All Mid-Michigan orchards →
phillipsorchards.com
Checked September 2026.