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. 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 17-18 and March 24-25 and make your escape up to one (or several) of these sweet destinations. Need a ride? Download the ReachNow app, grab a car share, and enjoy a road trip from the city in some fresh MINI or BMW wheels.
Drive up to the Catskills for breathtaking views, delicious fresh air, and maple houses galore! GrowNYC farmer Roxbury Mountain Maple in the lush Delaware County is nestled in the midst of some of the most idyllic scenery in the state. Tour their brand new sugar house and recent expansion to 24,000 taps and 200 miles of pipeline. Visitors can watch demos of syrup, candy, maple cream and granulated maple sugar making. Bring the kids and hang out the with farm animals while sampling delicious maple goodies! Want to hop around to a few? Check out the other Delaware County Maple Weekend celebrations here.
Pop over to Sullivan County in the Catskills for maple weekend at The Catskill Mountain Sugar House or Justus Asthalter Maple Syrup Inc. 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.
A bit closer to the city, you’ll find dozens of maple farms and sugar houses in the bucolic Hudson Valley. Check out Dutchess County‘s Soukup Farms. This family farm offers guided tours where you can see firsthand how maple syrup is made. Stick around for the night or the whole weekend and enjoy the endless farms, food, and craft beverages dotting the gorgeous landscape! Hit Westchester County on your way home for a pancake breakfast at Hilltop Hanover Farm & Environmental Center. Partnering with White Oak Farm, the closest sugar house to NYC, they’re offering tours, tastes and a celebration of all things maple!
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 up to Ithaca, NY in Tompkins County and enjoy a Maple Weekend Festival on Saturday, March 17th 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! A perfect destination for a weekend getaway, your ReachNow will get you there in about 4 hours. Check into a local B&B, and take part in some wine tasting in the beautiful Finger Lakes (aka the wine region of the east) on the Cayuga Wine Trail, America’s longest running wine trail. Save yourself some planning trouble and book a Finger Lakes Farm & Wine Escape Package here.
For more info on all of the maple farms and sugar houses participating in Maple Weekends near you, check out the complete list from the NYS Maple Producers Association. Download the ReachNow app and start planning your sweet escape!
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