There are so many things to love about West Michigan, from its beautiful landscapes to its beautiful beaches, there is something for everyone. My favorite thing since moving to Grand Rapids has to be the fall season, it’s amazing to watch all the beautiful colors as the trees change!

As an international student from Ghana, I had never experienced the whole apple cider and donuts fall tradition, so I was very excited when the Hello West Michigan team decided to go to Robinette’s here in Grand Rapids. Robinette’s Apple Haus was established in 1911 and has been a West Michigan staple for over 100 years.

One of the great things about Robinette’s is that it is a destination for the entire family. During our time there, I noticed that most of the people there were families with young kids and grandparents. I enjoyed watching the little kids run around the play area as their parents stood around and had conversations, there were also younger adults taking pictures and enjoying cider and donuts. So, no matter your age Robinette’s has something for you.

I would say the experience certainly lived up to my expectations, the donuts were simply amazing, and I got an apple cider slushie which was really good, but they also serve warm and cold cider. I also got to see how apple cider is made which was really awesome. Next time you go, make sure to visit the shop in the cider house and check to see if they are pressing apples to make cider, it is a very satisfying feeling to watch them fill up containers with cider. They also have a gift shop with many unique Michigan items such as, T-shirts, coasters, keychains and much more. This was like paradise to me because I love to collect and buy souvenirs whenever I visit a new place, so I definitely bought Unfortunately, we did not make it into the orchards for apple picking, but you can find 35 apples varieties at Robinette’s. They grow Honeycrisp, which is one of the most popular ones, Macintosh, Ida Red, Pink Lady and many more options to pick from.

The highlight of this whole experience for me were those warm donuts. If you have not been to Robinette’s yet you should add it to your list of places to visit this fall!

Check out other reasons you will fall for WM in our previous blog post.

Do you miss being in West Michigan for the fall season? Check out our upcoming ReThink West Michigan event to explore relocating back to the area and speak directly with hiring employers?