Apple Butter Tours

The sweet smoke curling through the crisp air. The crackling of the fire. The creaking of the copper kettle and the clanging of the stirring paddle. You are invited to purchase a ticket for one of the 10-person Apple Butter Tours.

Led by a Fenner tour guide, you will visit the old apple orchard and sit around our apple peeling table to learn about this farm-to-table product, how it is made and how it is tied to our Michigander heritage. Participants will also have the opportunity to take a turn at the stirring paddle as we cook the apple butter over the fire, press cider, use the crosscut saw and participate in other hands-on demonstrations of community-centered traditions. Each tour runs 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Tickets are $15 per person for Fenner Conservancy Members and $20 per person for Non-Members.

REGISTRATION OPENS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 AT 10 A.M.

Pre-registration is recommended, as walk-in tour slots are limited. For Member pricing, please call us at 517-483-4224 during our Visitor Center hours: Tuesdays through Fridays: 12 noon to 6 p.m. and Saturdays through Sundays: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

With your ticket you will receive:

• One reserved spot in your selected tour
• A sample of traditional apple butter
• An apple from local growers
• A make-your-own apple butter kit
• A branded wood slice you cut yourself with the crosscut saw 
• An Apple Butter Tour Program & Trail Map

All proceeds from the tours go to the 501(c)3 nonprofit that manages Fenner Nature Center.

COVID-19 Protocols

Between tours, each station will be sanitized in preparation for the next group. Participants will be required to wear masks for the duration of their tour, even outside, and will be required to sanitize their hands upon arrival. Additional hand sanitizer will be provided at each station. Fenner Nature Center will also record participants’ contact information for contact tracing purposes.