Wiard's Orchards

What Wiard's Orchards does

Wiard's Orchards is a privately held, family-owned agritourism and agricultural operation headquartered at 5565 Merritt Road in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, founded in 1837 by George Wiard and recognized as the oldest continually owned family business in Michigan. The company operates across nearly 100 acres, including over 5,000 apple trees, a cider mill producing fresh-pressed pasteurized cider using a recipe maintained since 1837, a bakery and Country Store selling cider mill donuts (made since 1964), pies, caramel apples, jams, and gift items, and a ticketed Country Fair featuring more than 20 family-friendly attractions including corn maze, wagon rides, petting farm, U-pick apples and pumpkins, playgrounds, and weekend-only premium attractions. A separate evening business, Night Terrors, operates Michigan's largest haunted thrill park with five attractions (Haunted Barn, The Asylum, The Mindshaft, Hayride of the Lost, and Alien Caged Clowns). Seven generations of the Wiard family have operated the business, with three generations actively working and the eighth and ninth generations also on the farm.

The business generates revenue through five primary streams: (1) Country Fair admission tickets sold online exclusively via the third-party Hytix platform at $18 weekday and $26 weekend per person, with $46 season passes; (2) Country Store and Bakery retail sales (pies, donuts, cider, caramel apples, jams, gift items) on a transactional basis without admission fee; (3) Cider Mill retail sales of fresh-pressed cider by the gallon during September-October; (4) Group bookings and private events including school field trips, corporate picnics (via Picnics.biz), and birthday party packages with reserved seating; and (5) separate Night Terrors admission revenue. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the wiards.com website, organic social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), and the Night Terrors external partner site (hauntedhousemichigan.com). The customer base spans families with children (primary), corporate groups, school/educational groups, and private event hosts, all served within Southeast Michigan. Core staffing is 1-10 with over 300 part-time seasonal employees hired during the July-October peak.

There are no external investors, parent companies, or subsidiaries; ownership remains entirely within the Wiard family. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, the entity has no public listing or SEC filings, and there are no patents, trademarks, or AI/ML capabilities evidenced in the operating stack. Recent strategic activity has focused on incremental Country Fair attraction additions (2016-2019), digital ticketing infrastructure via Hytix, and operational adaptation through the COVID-19 period, with the most recent material corporate move being the 2006 partial divestiture of property to Washtenaw County Parks followed by a 2007 Country Fair rebuild.

Name

Wiard's Orchards

Legal name

Wiard's Orchards & Country Fair

Website

https://wiards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1837

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wiard's Orchards is a 189-year-old, family-owned agritourism destination in Ypsilanti, Michigan operating a ~100-acre site with an apple orchard, cider mill, bakery, country fair, U-pick produce, and Night Terrors haunted attractions, serving families, schools, and corporate clients in Southeast Michigan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agritourism and Orchard Operations

NAICS

Apple Orchards (111331), Amusement and Theme Parks (713110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm-to-Table & Agritourism Dining Experiences (Farm Visits, Harvest Meals) (THAJAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cideries & Meadery Tasting Rooms (THAFALAI), Farmstead & Local Artisan Food Markets (Retail Shops) (CRAHAGAO), Food Festivals & Culinary Events (Ticketed Tastings, Pop-ups) (THAJAGAL)

Keywords

• Orchard agritourism
• Apple cider mill
• U-pick apples
• Haunted attraction park
• Fall family entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Ypsilanti

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Country Fair Admission Tickets: Ticketed entry to the Country Fair agri-entertainment complex offering attractions, U-pick apples and pumpkins, and special events. Tickets sold online only through third-party Hytix platform. Weekend tickets priced higher than weekday tickets.
2. Country Store & Bakery Sales: Sales of fresh-baked goods including pies, donuts, apple fritters, hand-dipped caramel apples, jams, jellies, salsas, cider, cider slushies, and specialty items like hot sauces and gift items.
3. Cider Mill Sales: Fresh-pressed apple cider sold by the gallon. Cider season available September and October. No ticket required to visit cider mill.
4. Group Bookings & Private Events: School field trips, corporate picnics, and birthday party reservations with group discounts. Includes reserved covered seating and special amenities like free admission for birthday child.
5. Night Terrors Haunted Attractions: Evening haunted thrill park featuring Haunted Barn, The Asylum, The Mindshaft, Hayride of the Lost, and Alien Caged Clowns. Night Terrors is Michigan's largest haunted thrill park. Separate admission from Country Fair.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Wiard's Orchards operates a seasonal agritourism destination centered on a ticketed Country Fair with family attractions, a free-admission Country Store & Bakery selling baked goods and gifts, a Cider Mill producing fresh-pressed pasteurized apple cider, U-pick apple and pumpkin orchards, the separate Night Terrors haunted thrill park, and group event hosting (school field trips, birthday parties, corporate picnics). The business spans nearly 100 acres and is operated by the founding Wiard family across multiple generations.

Product overview

Wiard's Orchards is a diversified agritourism and agricultural operation consisting of a unified Country Fair attraction experience combined with multiple specialized offerings. The core product is the Country Fair (ticketed admission), which provides access to u-pick apple and pumpkin orchards, over 20 family-friendly attractions, playgrounds, and activities. Supporting the Country Fair are the complementary Country Store & Bakery (no-admission retail) and Cider Mill (no-admission cider sales), which sell donuts, pies, caramel apples, jams, and hot sauces. The company also operates Night Terrors (separate haunted attraction) and offers group services including school field trips, birthday parties, corporate picnics, and seasonal special events. Season passes and group ticket packages provide tiered access to the Country Fair. Founded in 1837, the operation spans nearly 100 acres with over 5,000 apple trees and employs seasonal staff exceeding 300 people.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Night Terrors: Michigan's Premier Haunted Thrill Park featuring Haunted Barn, The Asylum, The Mindshaft, Hayride of the Lost and Alien Caged Clowns. Named Top 10 Scream Parks in US by Hauntworld magazine.
• Country Store & Bakery

Products and services

• Country Fair Ticketed admission family entertainment attraction with over 20 activities including corn maze, wagon rides, petting farm, playgrounds, and seasonal weekend-only attractions such as the Giant Slide and Fire Engine Rides. Targeted at families with children during the September-October fall season.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Washtenaw County ParksminorOthers · 1 January 2006Wiard's sold part of their property to Washtenaw County Parks in 2006 to allow the county to expand Rolling Hills Water Park. This led to a complete redesign and rebuild of the Country Fair on the north side of Merritt Road in 2007.
• HytixcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party online ticketing platform partner handling all ticket sales for Wiard's Country Fair. Customers purchase daily tickets, season passes, and group tickets through Hytix website links (wiardsorchards2025.hytix.com, wiardsorchards2026.hytix.com).
• Picnics.bizminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExternal corporate picnic booking platform linked from Wiard's website. Handles corporate event reservations and picnic packages.
• Haunted House MichiganminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExternal website (hauntedhousemichigan.com) promoting Night Terrors haunted attractions after dark. Linked from Wiard's main site as the haunted thrills and chills partner.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Parlee Farms: Family-owned Massachusetts farm offering U-Pick apples, strawberries and pumpkins, a farm store with baked goods and cider, and fall festival attractions. Comparable to Wiard's as a diversified New England/Midwest-style family agritourism operation.
• Dexter Cider Mill: Historic Michigan cider mill producing fresh-pressed apple cider with an adjacent family-run retail and bakery operation. Highly comparable to the cider mill and farm market component of Wiard's, with a similar seasonal operating model and regional customer base.
• Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill: Michigan-based family orchard and cidery offering U-Pick apples and pumpkins, a farm market, hard cider production, seasonal events, and haunted attractions. Operates a similar multi-revenue, family-owned agritourism model and is the closest geographic competitor to Wiard's in Southeast Michigan.
• Erwin Orchards & Cider Mill: Family-owned Michigan orchard with U-Pick apples and pumpkins, cider mill, bakery, school field trips, and a fall festival. Closely comparable to Wiard's in scale, product mix, and family-farm positioning within the same regional market.
• Apple Holler: Wisconsin family-owned orchard offering U-Pick apples and pumpkins, farm-to-table restaurant, bakery, school field trips, and seasonal events. Mirrors Wiard's diversified family-farm agritourism model in a different Midwest geography.
• Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards: Fifth-generation New York apple orchard with on-site farm market, hard cidery and distillery, U-Pick, and year-round tasting room and event programming. Comparable to Wiard's as a multi-generational orchard that has successfully scaled cider, retail, and event-based revenue.
• Sky Top Orchard: Family-run North Carolina apple orchard featuring U-Pick, a farm store with bakery (donuts, cider, pies), hayrides, and seasonal events. Comparable to Wiard's in its combined U-Pick, bakery, and family-entertainment positioning.
• King Orchards: Family-run Northern Michigan orchard with U-Pick cherries and apples, farm market featuring bakery and cider, and seasonal agritourism activities. Comparable to Wiard's as a multi-generational Michigan orchard focused on U-Pick and farm-to-consumer retail.
• Robinette's Apple Haus & Winery: Michigan family orchard with farm market, bakery, hard cider and wine tasting room, U-Pick apples and pumpkins, and corporate events. Directly comparable to Wiard's as a Michigan-based family orchard combining retail, cider, and group event programming.
• Terhune Orchards: Family-owned New Jersey farm with U-Pick, farm store, winery, school field trips, and seasonal events. Highly comparable to Wiard's in its family ownership, school group business, and farm store with baked goods and cider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WiardsOrchard
• Facebookfacebook.com/wiardsorchards
• Instagraminstagram.com/wiardsorchards/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wiard's Orchards