Anderson & Girls Orchards in Stanton
Anderson & Girls Orchards
(989) 831-4228
Anderson & Girls Orchards, about 40 miles northeast of Grand Rapids, is a working farm with a seriously big petting zoo (over 140 animals!) and it’s free to visit.
Add in scoops of house-made ice cream, a sweet shop, a produce market, and a few camels, and you’ve got a place that’s part farm, part field trip, and part memory-maker.
What Makes them Special
Anderson & Girls Orchards started as a humble apple farm in 1978. Since then, it’s morphed into something bigger. Quirkier. Loud in all the best ways.
The petting zoo is free and packed with over 140 animals. Goats clamber up fences for snacks, peacocks wander like staff, and somewhere in the mix is a kangaroo. It feels like a mini-zoo that forgot it wasn’t one.
The free playground areas are also pretty awesome.
The sweet shop scoops Hudsonville ice cream and slings burgers, soft pretzels, and whatever seasonal treat fits the mood. There’s a farm market with fresh produce, a gift shop with way too many animal toys, and outdoor seating scattered wherever the view is best.
Depending on when you visit, there might be hayrides, pumpkins, or a surprise event you only find out about from a hand-painted sign near the parking lot. It’s a little off the beaten path but manages to be exactly where you want to spend the afternoon.
