It’s that time of year when we start to feel a sense of hope that spring is, in fact, around the corner. And with spring comes so many sweet weekend getaway opportunities!
Every March, maple farms across New York State invite visitors to their sugar houses to see for themselves how local, pure maple syrup is made for annual ‘Maple Weekends‘. Weekend activities include tours, pancake breakfasts, shopping and, of course, tasting. These weeks are absolute treats for the whole family! So mark your calendars for March 23-24 and March 30-31 and make your escape up to one (or several) of these sweet destinations.
Pop over to Sullivan County in the Catskills for maple weekend at The Catskill Mountain Sugar House. Just a 2.5 hour drive from the city, there is so much to eat, do and explore in the area, you’ll want to indulge in way more than the pure, golden syrup.
Venture up to Central New York for some maple weekend hopping! The dozens of maple farms across Otsego County, Chenango County, Oneida County, Madison County, Scoharie County and more will have you sugar-buzzed for days. Go for a pancake breakfast at Ben & Judy’s Sugar House, watch (and taste) the process of making maple cotton candy at Shaw’s Maple Products, or enjoy woodlands and mountain range scenery as you take a free tractor-drawn wagon ride to the sap bush at Maple Hill Farms. The sweet exploration is endless, so stick around for the weekend and explore all of the delicious and exciting spring activities CNY has to offer!
Head out to Westchester County for a pancake breakfast at Hilltop Hanover Farm & Environmental Center. Breakfast includes maple syrup, sausage, and bacon from nearby Westchester farms. After breakfast, you’ll make your way to White Oak Farm, just one mile down the road, for a tour of their beautiful sugar house and a celebration of all things maple! Just a quick Metro-North train ride outside the city.
Head up to Ithaca, NY in Tompkins County and enjoy a Maple Weekend Festival on Saturday, March 23rd at Wellspring Forest Farm. This farm & homestead focuses on regenerating the landscape to be healthy, diverse and resilient. During Maple Weekend, visitors can check out sugarbush tours, tastings of sap and syrup, live music, food, and a local farmers market. This event is free and open to all!
And while we’re on the subject of sweet, spring is the perfect season for New York cider. With endless orchards and cideries sprinkled all across New York State, swing by for a taste while you’re upstate enjoying Maple Weekends! Check out a few local favorites below, all of which produce their sweet ciders from New York state apples and hard ciders using New York state apples or sweet cider to start…
- Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard (North Salem, NY; Westchester County)
- Wilkens Fruit Farm (Yorktown Heights, NY; Westchester County)
- Black Diamond Farm (Trumansburg, NY; Tompkins County)
- South Hill Cider (Ithaca, NY; Tompkins County)
- Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard (Fly Creek, NY; Otsego County)
- Harvest Moon Cidery at Critz Farms (Cazenovia, NY; Madison County)
Locate additional cider makers near you at Apples from New York!
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