Anderson & Girls Orchards

About Anderson & Girls Orchards

Anderson & Girls Orchards is a family-run orchard and farm market at 2985 N. Sheridan Road in Stanton, Michigan. Its animal attraction is a petting zoo that the farm's website says holds over 140 animals and is free to enter. The property also has a farm market, a bakery, a gift shop and an ice cream shop and cafe called the Sweet Shoppe. The farm says it currently farms 150 acres of apples, 25 acres of strawberries and 20 acres of peaches, plus other small crops.

The website lists a phone number of 989-831-4228 and the email address andergirls@hotmail.com, and describes the farm as open daily.

History

According to the farm's About page, Terry and Gwen Anderson bought the farm in 1978 from Orville and Dorothy Trebian. At the time it was a small market open from August through October, selling peaches and apples. The Andersons added onto the market in 1996, and in 2000 they added the petting zoo, which the farm says started with a few goats, a donkey and two Jersey calves. The petting zoo began with donations in place of an entry fee and, the farm says, is still run on donations.

A Fox 17 report from August 15, 2019 described Terry Anderson running the orchard with his grandsons Austin and Eli, and highlighted fresh peaches and the petting zoo.

Exhibits and habitats

The petting zoo page lists a selection of its animals: penguins, alpacas, a miniature zebu, a prehensile-tailed porcupine, black-and-white ruffed lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs, Bennett's wallabies, a dromedary camel, a parrot, goats, a mini Sicilian donkey, a bobcat, a fennec fox and Hoffmann's two-toed sloths. The farm's booking page also offers photo sessions with what it calls its fluffy Highland cows.

Visitors can buy grain to feed the goats. For the 2026 season the petting zoo page lists weekend activities: feeding the parakeets with seed sticks on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m., camel rides on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m., and a free Walk with the Wallabies through the main door of the parakeet barn on weekends. The petting zoo area also has a playground with a slide.

Conservation and programs

The farm's parties and groups page lists bookable experiences, including birthday party packages, full-day and half-day rental of a pavilion located inside the petting zoo, penguin and sloth encounters, a 15-minute penguin encounter that includes feeding the penguins, a sloth experience, a two-hour staff-led private tour of the petting zoo, and 15-minute Highland cow photo mini sessions. Online bookings must be made 48 hours in advance, and the farm asks schools to call about field trip availability.

Donation boxes are placed around the petting zoo, and donations can also be made online.

Planning your visit

As listed on the farm's website, the bakery, gift shop and petting zoo are open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from late March through April and in November and December, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from May through October. The Sweet Shoppe is listed from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. from late March through April and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from May through October, serving sandwiches, hot dogs, sides and ice cream, with indoor seating and outdoor picnic tables.

The farm market sells its own seasonal produce: the season starts with strawberries in June, peaches in August, and apples and pears in September, and the cider mill runs from Labor Day weekend through December 1. The farm says it does not offer apple picking because of food safety audits; apples are sold in the market. The bakery in the main building sells homemade donuts, pies, specialty breads, brownies and cookies, along with jams, cheeses, local honey and maple syrup.

Petting zoo rules listed on the website: no outside food unless renting the pavilion, children must be supervised by an adult, no pets in the petting zoo area, no alcohol, shoes and shirts required, and no hands in the pens because animals may bite. The farm also has an online store.