We love pouring maple syrup on pancakes and waffles — but have you ever seen how it’s actually made? Late winter is maple sugaring season in Michigan, when warmer days and chilly nights get the sap flowing and local nature centers and farms open their sugar bushes to families. From tree tapping and wagon rides to syrup tastings and hands-on demonstrations, March is the perfect time to experience this sweet Michigan tradition and stock up on fresh, locally made maple syrup.
Maple Magic @ Red Oaks Nature Center (Madison Heights)
Saturday, February 28th
Be in the right place on Earth at the right time of year to experience the magic of maple with all your senses. See and hear the sap drip, smell the fresh, hot syrup and hold the tools of the maple trade. Start indoors, proceed to the sap collection and return to taste the rite of spring, maple sugar! Suitable for all ages. Cost: $10 per person
Maple’s Sweet Story @ Kensington Metropark (Milford)
Saturdays and Sundays from February 28th – March 22nd
Take a self-paced walk around the Farm’s s greenspace. During this passive program learn how to pick the right maple tree, and how maple trees are tapped, and sap is collected. Listen to a Anishinaabe storyteller to learn Native American legends and techniques of maple sugaring. Then stop by the evaporator to see and smell the sap being boiled down into maple syrup. Guided demonstrations will be going on regularly covering all aspects of the process. Real maple sugar products will be available for purchase at the Farm Center sales trailer and pancake breakfasts are available on-site at the Farm Grille. This ready-to-eat meal comes with flatware and napkins so you can enjoy a winter picnic in the park or inside the Farm Grille. Pancake meals are not included in your Maple’s Sweet Story program registration. Cost: FREE
Journey to the Sugarbash @ Hudson Mills Metropark (Dexter)
Saturdays and Sundays from February 28th – March 15th
You can enjoy local maple syrup any time of the year, but you can only see how this tasty pure Michigan treat is made for these few late winter weekends. So, bundle up and join us for a Journey to the Sugarbush. Learn how to recognize maples without their leaves, find out how to pick just the right tree, see the simple tools and techniques required, and if conditions are just right, watch the sap flow from a tap. A treat for the senses, you will taste, smell, and even hear how maple sugaring is special. Locally made maple syrup products are available for walk-up purchase at the Activity Center.Cost: $3 per child 3 and older; $5 per adult
Maple Sweetness @ Wolcott Mill Metropark (Ray)
Saturdays and Sundays from February 28th – March 21st
It’s that time of year again, maple syrup season! Come join us to learn about the crop rich in history and flavor! Take a short hike to our sugar shack where you will see our wood-fired evaporator in action and discover how to turn sap into the sweet treat we all know and love, syrup! Along the way discover interactive videos that weave together the sweet story of maple syrup-from its’ rich history to the process of tapping, bottling, and perfecting your favorite golden treat. Maple items will be available for purchase at the Farm Center Office. Pre-registration is not required. Cost: FREE
Maple Sugaring: Sap Happy @ Johnson Nature Center (Bloomfield Hills)
March 1st, 7th, and 14th
Join us this maple sugaring season for a tour of our Sugarbush! Discover how to identify and tap the perfect sugar maple tree and enjoy the sights, smells, and tastes of the sweet syrup-making process in our Sugar Shack and Log Cabin. Self-guided tours begin every half hour from 9:30a – 12p with numerous activities available at your own pace. Explore the log cabin, experience tree tapping, work on your tree identification skills, and much more with our staff and volunteers there to engage you in the joys of the season along the way. Cost is $12 per person ages 2 and older.
Maplefest @ MSU Tollgate Farm Children’s Garden (Novi)
March 7th & 8th
Identify and tap a maple tree, tour the sugar shack, explore fun maple-themed activities, take a wagon ride, taste maple sap, syrup, and sugar, and explore maple tools and technology. Enjoy a pancake celebration in the historic 19th-century barn. Limited space, pre-register today for $18 per person ($20 at the door).
Sap to Syrup @ Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve (Rochester Hills)
March 7th & 8th
Join us for a maple syrup boil over the campfire. We’ll walk along the trail identifying different types of maple trees, have a taste of sap straight from the trees, and discuss the process of making sap into syrup, candy, and sugar. Have a taste of some maple products. Multiple sessions offered. Cost: ($6/$4 per person or $15/$12 per family)
Making Maple Syrup Tour @ Maybury Farm (Northville)
Saturdays and Sundays in March beginning March 7th
This engaging tour begins with a wagon ride to the forested area of Maybury Farm. There you will walk into the sugar bush where you’ll learn the amazing way sugar maple trees produce sap, why sap flows, how to tap and collect sap from the tree. The wagon will then take you to the Sugar Shack where you’ll learn how the sap becomes delicious maple syrup by watching the process in action! You’ll even get to try a sample of the finished product! Cost: $10 per person when registering at least 48 hours in advance, $12 at the door. Children 2 and under are free
Maple Syrup Time @ Stage Nature Center (Troy)
March 7th, 14th, 21st
Take a guided hike through the sugar bush of the Stage Nature Center! Discover how maple trees make sugar and people through the ages have harvested it. This outdoor, interactive program highlights natural and local history of our region. Learn how people processed maple sugar in the past and see similarities in the collecting, boiling and drawing off maple syrup today. Cost: TBA
Maple Sugaring Through the Ages @ Oakwoods Metropark (New Boston)
February 28th & March 7th
Come see the methods used to collect maple sap and learn how the maple tree helped sustain early Americans. We will begin indoors learning about the history of maple sugaring before heading outside to visit three sugaring “camps.” While visiting these camps we will discover how maple sugaring has changed, and in many ways stayed the same, throughout history. Cost: $4 per child 3 and older; $6 per adult
Maple Sugaring In Your Backyard @ Heritage Park (Farmington Hills)
March 1st + 15th
Celebrate Spring! Discover the basics of making maple syrup from your own Maple tree. Learn to identify and select a maple tree. Witness the ancient process of collecting the sap, then boiling it down to syrup around a cozy campfire. We will finish with a PURE maple syrup treat! Michigan maple syrup products & sugaring supplies will be exclusively available to participants for purchase. Cost: $7 per person, children 2 and under are free
To the Sugar Shack @ Independence Oaks County Parks (Clarkston)
Saturday, March 14th
Ring in the maple season with our new mobile sugar shack! Explore the world of maple with a hands-on lesson on its history, science, and geography. See the sugaring process from tree to table and taste the result. This program is suitable for all ages. Cost is $10/person. Preregistration with payment required. Cost: $10 per person
Photo credit: Facebook
