Just a two-hour drive from Chicago in Fennville, Michigan, you’ll find a must-visit casual restaurant, winery, and orchard. Crane’s has been a fixture in southwestern Michigan for nearly 100 years, starting with the family’s apple and peach orchard in 1916. Today, generations later, they’ve expanded into a family-owned and operated restaurant and market (1972), and winery (2014).

Crane’s Pie Pantry Restaurant and Winery offers hearty comfort foods like biscuits and gravy and pot roast sandwiches, but their desserts are the standout items. If you have a sweet tooth, the best option is their pie flight—a rotating selection of their most decadent pie flavors. On my most recent visit, the pie flight included warmed blueberry, cherry, apple, and chocolate pecan pies. The chocolate pecan is a favorite, with its rich, creamy chocolate and pecan crunch, all sandwiched in a buttery crust. The flight offers just the right amount of pie, leaving room to wash it down with a wine and cider flight featuring their house-made, locally-sourced offerings.

According to Crane’s, the winery “was established with the goal of bringing only high quality wine and cider to you with small batch expertise and artistry. Our products are locally grown, locally produced, with local talent and without artificial flavoring or coloring.” You can sip and sample four libations for $15.

The atmosphere at Crane’s is pleasant, welcoming, and unassuming. The walls are adorned with vintage and antique items, including ads and menus boasting 10-cent sodas and milkshakes, providing a brief history lesson. One of the most unique decorative features is repurposed colanders doubling as light fixtures.

Visit the onsite pantry/market to stock up on fresh or frozen pies to-go, apple cider donuts, jams, and house-made savory items like chili and sloppy Joe fixings. They even have a loyalty program for pie lovers—buy ten pies and get one free.

There are plenty of picnic tables outside, offering beautiful views of the rolling hills of the family’s fruit farm.

Just down the road from the restaurant is the family’s “u-pick” orchard, where you can pick and purchase seasonal fruits, including apples, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, plums, and more, making an afternoon at Crane’s a perfect family-friendly activity.

Crane’s Pie Pantry Restaurant and Winery is located at 6054 124th Ave, Fennville, MI 49408.

By Laura P. Neary

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