SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, June 13 & Sunday, June 14, 2026
10:00 am – 3:40 pm (last Museum departure is 3:40, last island departure is 5:00 pm)
Orchard Lake Museum
About Apple Island Tours
Apple Island Tours is an annual event during the second weekend in June by Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society (GWBHS), in partnership with West Bloomfield School District, City of Orchard Lake Village, and West Bloomfield Parks. Tours begin at Orchard Lake Museum and include outdoor exhibits, volunteer island docents, presenter Mi-kwan-dahn (Mike) Jewell, bus and boat transportation, and a self-paced island tour.
Apple Island, officially known as Marjorie Ward Strong Woodland Sanctuary, is a 37-acre island in the center of Orchard Lake. It is currently uninhabited by people and is kept as a nature preserve with several archaeological sites by West Bloomfield School District. The public can visit the island during the annual Apple Island Tours.
About the Trip: The tour begins at Orchard Lake Museum, followed by a quick bus ride to the DNR boat launch, in partnership with West Bloomfield Parks, and a pontoon boat ride to Apple Island. The tour of the island is self-paced. Allow 3 hours for the round trip.
The Orchard Lake Museum and gift shop will be open during the event, with many fun outdoor activities, including: historical costume photo op, Revolutionary and historical demonstrations, archaeology dig box, and old-fashioned games and crafts.
Tickets: $40 adult, $15 child (ages 5-12), none under 5 years old. For the first time, all tickets will be available for purchase online before the tours! Ticket sales open early for GWBHS members on May 1, and for the general public on May 15.
Volunteers & docents are needed! See what it’s all about in training sessions at the Orchard Lake Museum! RSVP by the day prior at contact@gwbhs.org or (248) 757-2451.
- Second-grade Student Tours (island and museum docents) on Wednesday, May 6, 7 pm
- Apple Island Tours (volunteers and docents) on Wednesday, June 10, 7 pm
Thank you to West Bloomfield High School student Sofie Delidow for designing all Float the Boat artwork!
Will You Help Float the Boat? Donate to our 2026 Apple Island Tours Fundraiser!
May 15, 2026 update: TODAY is the last day to donate to our Apple Island Tours fundraiser! A very big thank you to everyone who has chipped in so far. We have hit 40% of our fundraising goal – can you make a donation and float our boat to the top?
Since 1982 we have partnered with West Bloomfield School District to provide affordable opportunities for the public to visit Orchard Lake’s Apple Island, our community’s incredible natural and historic resource. If you love the island as much as we do, please help us “Float the Boat.” Rising transportation costs are challenging our ability to continue offering public tours at family-friendly prices. This year’s tours are dead in the water unless we raise $5,000 by May 15.
If you love Apple Island, please give. If you have been meaning to visit Apple Island, please give. If you just love a good pontoon ride, please give. All hands on deck are needed to keep this exceptional program ship-shape.
All Float the Boat donors will be recognized in print. Donors of $150 and up will receive complimentary tickets to Apple Island Tours. Thank you for your support!
Donor Levels:
- $150 ROWBOAT (includes 1 complimentary tour ticket)
- $250 KAYAK (includes 2 complimentary tour tickets)
- $400 DAYSAILER (includes 4 complimentary tour tickets)
- $1,000 RUNABOUT (See GWBHS for ticket needs)
- $5,000 PONTOON (See GWBHS for ticket needs)
Ways to Give:
- Donate to the “Float the Boat” Fundraiser on the GWBHS Facebook page by clicking here
- Donate via cash or check in-person at the Orchard Lake Museum or by mailing your contribution to: 3951 Orchard Lake Road, Orchard Lake, MI 48323 (please indicate your donation is for our “Float the Boat” fundraiser)
- Donate via our online donation form by clicking here (in the Tribute/Memorial Donations box, please indicate your donation is for our “Float the Boat” fundraiser)
Thank you to our 2025 Apple Island Tours sponsors!
Silver sponsors:
Family of Suzanne Bentley Hadley
Apple Island Champions:
Natures Beauty Inc.
Mind the Gap! Fundraiser Donors:
Anonymous, Benjamin Blumenstein, Hannah Dagg, Carol Fink, Margaret Gregory, Rob
Gregory, Carol Hack, Charles Packer, Michael Patton, Pat Steele
Community Partners
2019 Apple Island Tours poster
2019 Apple Island National Register of Historic Places Celebration Program
The Michigan Society of Professional Surveyors explained the history of surveying during the 2017 Apple Island Tours on Civic Center TV.
2015 Apple Island Tours presenters
2014 Civic Center TV coverage of Apple Island Tours
2024 Apple Island Tours event images