About Uncle John's Cider Mill
Uncle John's Cider Mill grew out of a wholesale fruit and vegetable farm that John and Carolyn Beck bought from John's parents in the early 1970s. When wholesale prices made that hard, they turned an old cattle barn into a cider mill and started selling fresh cider and donuts. In the early 2000s their son Mike began fermenting the farm's apple juice into hard cider, and the family still runs the place on US-127 just north of St. Johns.
Late summer and fall are the busy months. Cut-your-own sunflowers start in mid-August, the pumpkin patch of more than 30 acres opened September 19 in 2026, and orchard wagon rides run on weekends from mid-September. The 9-acre corn maze takes most groups 30 to 45 minutes, and a mowed farm trail loops the property.
The Pie Barn bakes pies, apple bread, monster cookies and caramel apples, and sells cider slushies along with jams, honey, syrup and local cheese. The Taproom pours hard cider flights and wine by the glass Thursday through Sunday. Kids head for the jumping pillow, pedal tractor park, pumpkin train and gemstone mining. The 2026 calendar also included a Dog Days 5K in August, an art and craft show August 22–23, and a fall festival weekend October 17–18 with live music and food trucks.
Sixteen Sprigs Lavender Farm in Ithaca is about 20 miles north on US-127, roughly a half-hour drive, so a summer visit can pair lavender picking in bloom with sunflowers, cider and pie on the way back south.
What to do
- Cut your own sunflowers starting in mid-August
- Pick pumpkins from a patch of more than 30 acres (opened September 19 in 2026, 60 cents a pound)
- Walk the 9-acre corn maze, about 30 to 45 minutes
- Ride the orchard wagon on weekends from mid-September
- Try a hard cider flight in the Taproom, Thursday through Sunday
- Pick up a pie, apple bread or caramel apples at the Pie Barn
- Let kids try the jumping pillow, pedal tractors and gemstone mining
Season, hours and prices
- Season
- Sunflowers from mid-August; pumpkins, wagon rides and festival weekends mid-September through October; Pie Barn open daily
- Hours
- Fall 2026: Pie Barn daily 9–6; gift shop and Taproom Thursday–Sunday 9–6; cider mill weekends 9–6 (staffed Friday–Sunday); shops open to 7 on festival days
- Admission
- No general admission listed; fall 2026 prices include corn maze $5 per person, Kids' Farm Park $5, gemstone mining $7, pumpkins 60 cents a pound
Tips for your visit
- Cider pressing days vary, so call ahead if you want to watch the press
- Shoes come off on the jumping pillow, and flips are not allowed
- Children 2 and under walk the corn maze free; young kids need an adult with them
- Sunflower picking dates are announced on their social pages and calendar
Pair it with a lavender farm
Sixteen Sprigs Lavender Farm · about 30 minutes away
Sixteen Sprigs in Ithaca sits about 20 miles north on US-127, so pair summer lavender picking there with sunflowers and pie here.
Getting there
Questions
How much is the corn maze?
The 2026 event listings show $5 per person; children 2 and under are free.
Do they make hard cider?
Yes. The Taproom pours hard cider flights and wine Thursday through Sunday, using cider the family has made since the early 2000s.
When does the pumpkin patch open?
It opened September 19 in 2026, with pumpkins sold by the pound.
🗺️ Part of the guide Things to Do Near the Lavender Farm of Gratiot County & Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
Checked in October 2026 against the business’s own website and local tourism pages. Hours and seasons change, so check with them before you go. How we check listings · Is this your business? Claim it free
