Millstone makes hard cider and mead out of a refurbished 1840 gristmill in Monkton, 30 miles north of Baltimore. Tours and tastings are offered on Saturdays and Sundays for $5, with draft and bottle sales on Fridays. Millstone produces about a dozen types of cider, including Rhuberry, a strawberry and rhubarb blen, and Cherrykriek, which blends Maryland sour cherries.

Over in small Middletown, Maryland, Willow Oaks is churning out an interesting lineup of small-batch ciders using product from its 35-acre farm. There’s an Asian pear and ginger blend, one with blueberries, and even one made from the Black Twig apple — said to be a favorite of former President Andrew Jackson.

Distillery Lane’s tasting room is open Saturdays and Sundays year-round; there's also self-guided tours and cider-making classes. Check the website for information on the 2018 offerings.

Located about eight miles outside of downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, Great Shoals Winery has a solid selection of hard ciders. It makes them from more than just apples, too, with recipes that employ peaches, pears, plums and berries. The tasting room is open Thursday through Saturday. Great Shoals is opening a second tasting room during summer 2018 in Takoma Park.

Located in downtown Middleburg, Virginia, Mt. Defiance is open to the public with paid tours and tastings Tuesdays through Sundays. Its rotation of ciders come in options like ginger, Farmhouse-style, and bourbon-barrel aged flavors. It also has a varietal that is aged in an oak bourbon barrel. Try the spirits too, which include a selection of rums.

This homegrown producer is big on local fruit and barrel-aging. Supreme Core features nearly a dozen ciders on tap, including seasonal offerings as well as its flagship dry-style cider, Micawber. While focused on putting its own stamp on locally produced cider, Supreme Core also collaborates with others on specialty beverages, including D.C. beer maker Right Proper Brewing Company, and Charm City Meadworks in Baltimore.

Located in the Shenandoah Valley, Old Hill Cider is open Monday through Saturday. Varieties include the wine-like Heritage, the strawberry-forward Betwixt, and Yesteryear, featuring hints of ripe pear and apple.

Another cider maker near Charlottesville, Castle Hill’s ciders come with ethereal names like “Celestial,” “Levity” and “Gravity.” The tasting room is open year-round every day, except for major holidays.

Blue Toad makes cider at facilities in Virginia and Rochester, New York, using apples from both areas. Among the flavors are the Blue Ridge Blonde and Black Cherry, which share the menu with a rotation of seasonal creations like Harvest Festy. Blue Toad is just a short drive from Bold Rock Cider, making it an easy one-two punch.

About 20 minutes from downtown Charlottesville, Virginia, family-owned Albemarle has been making cider since 2009. Its orchards are home to not just apples, but also pears, peaches, plums, apricots, and cherries. The tasting room is open Wednesday through Sunday and sells local cheeses, breads and candy.

This cider maker is located on a 50-acre farm in central Virginia, with free daily tours and cider tastings in its new barrel barn. Visitors can bring a picnic or grab food from one of the food trucks on the weekends.