Raspberries and Joy at Erwin's Orchards

There are few greater pleasures than watching the delight on your child’s face as he eats sun-warmed raspberries straight off the bush and hearing the squeals of joy as he runs through the rows with friends . A good friend and her boys went with me and my boys out to Erwin’s Orchards in South Lyon last Friday.  All four boylets climbed through the hay maze, rode tricycles on the trike trail, fed the goats in the tiny petting zoo, and (of course) picked raspberries.

If you’ve never been out to Erwin’s, it’s high time you go.  Their donuts and cider are amazing, their grounds are kid-friendly with lots of activities, and they offer U-Pick raspberries, apples, pumpkins, and cherries.  They’ll even take you on wagon rides out to the proper locations, though the raspberries are right in the main area.  Those were my choice for Friday’s visit, since I wanted to serve fresh raspberries at my Girls Only Dinner on Saturday.  I drove away with two-and-a-half pounds of raspberries for the price of $8.40!  I dare you to find that at any grocery store.

It’s just a good thing I didn’t have to weigh the boys before and after the trip through the bushes, or I would have been paying a good bit more.

Erwin’s also offers tons of activities starting now through fall.  Whether during the week or on the weekend, as a family or as a school group, there’s plenty to do.  Go on hay rides, pick fruit, buy fresh honey, go on a group tour.  There’s even a Spooky Barn (for young children) and a Barn of Horrors (for older visitors) during Halloween!  So head down I-96 to the Kent Lake exit, head west to Silver Lake Road, and have yourself a grand old time!

TeacherMommy is a 31-year-old mother of two and a high school English teacher somewhere in a northwest suburb of Detroit. She spends her time at work quelling teenagers with her patented glare and threatening to deposit them in a pottery jar labelled “Ashes of Obnoxious Teenagers,” and occasionally she manages to teach them something about literature and writing. At home, she alternates cuddling two small boys and tearing her hair out over their latest antics. TeacherMommy also occupies way too much time online reading blogs, Twittering, and practicing her writing skills on her own blog, Diapers and Dragons.

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Courtney is the traveling mom! She has 3 girls and is the founder of Detroit Mommies and currently lives in Florida. You can follow her on Twitter @courtneyRVL.