One of the things I love about writing this blog is that over the years I’ve grown increasingly aware of the subtle rhythms of New England agricultural life. I know that pick-your-own season officially opens with strawberries in June, that fresh berries and stone fruits start to top pancakes in local eateries in early July, and that corn mazes spring up anew each September. You can always catch a hayride (preferably to a pumpkin patch!) in October and the holiday season brings with it a chance to harvest a Christmas tree the old fashioned way.
But one of my favorite discoveries has been the brief (blink and you’ll miss it!) season of Maple Sugaring that generally happens late February into March. So I thought we’d put together a list of fun ways to enjoy this all-too-short season. Here are TEN ways to learn more about a time-honored CT tradition, support local CT business and communities, and indulge your sweet tooth (of course!).
It’s going to be a tasty month!
Auerfarms Annual Pancake Breakfast
Saturday, March 15th & Sunday March 16th, 2025; seatings at 8:30am, 10:00am & 11:30am on March 15th; seatings at 9:00am & 11:00am on March 16th. Auerfarms in Bloomfield, CT invites you to bring your family, friends, and neighbors out on March 15th & 16th! Become a sugarmaker and learn the process from sap to syrup. Enjoy the freshly made maple syrup with a farm-style homemade breakfast! Afterward, stay a while, visit their animals, stroll their trails, and enjoy time in nature with the family. Tickets are $20/adults, $10/kids. Register here.
OAAM Venue Preview; Website; Facebook Page
Roaring Brook Nature Center Maple Sugaring Demo
Sunday, March 9th, 2025 from 2:00-3:00pm (Snow Date): Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton, CT offers their annual Maple Sugaring in Your Own Backyard demonstration teaching you how to make maple syrup the easy way. They’ll cover the entire process from identifying the tree to the best part – tasting the final product. Cost: $11 each / $36 family of four. Please dress for cool weather while attending this family-friendly program. Online registration closes at 5:00pm the day before the event. Register online here. Call 860.693.0263 or email RBNC at RBNC@thechildrensmuseumct.org to sign up after the 5:00pm deadline.
OAAM Venue Preview; Website; Facebook Page
Northwest Park Annual Pancake Breakfast
Saturday, March 22, 2025 8:00 am – 11:00 am. This full breakfast has become a rite of spring and a fitting conclusion to the busy activities at the sugar house. After breakfast, visitors can enjoy a visit to the sugar house to see how syrup is made, visit the nature center, tobacco museum, and animal barn or take a leisurely walk on some of the park’s trails. Tickets are $6.00 for adults, $4.00 for children under 12 and children 3 and under are free. The proceeds go toward projects at the park. There are no advance ticket sales. Tickets can be purchased on site during the event. THIS IS A CASH ONLY EVENT. There are no reservations being taken.
OAAM Venue Preview; Website; Facebook Page
ELCC’s Annual Pancake Breakfast and Maple Sugaring Demonstration
Saturday, March 8th, 2025 from 8:00am-12:00pm: The Environmental Learning Centers of Connecticut’s annual pancake breakfast and maple sugaring demonstration at Indian Rock Nature Preserve @ 501 Wolcott Road in Bristol, CT. Join them for a pancake breakfast featuring pancakes (plain, apple, and chocolate chip) served with ELCCT’s own pure maple syrup, bacon/ sausage, and choice of coffee, milk, or orange juice. When you come for breakfast be sure to visit their animals indoors and their outdoor maple sugaring demonstrations. Learn how to identify a Sugar Maple and try your hand at tapping a tree. See the different methods that Native Americans and colonists used to collect and boil sap to make maple syrup and sugar. Learn how you can make maple syrup in your own backyard on a small scale and visit their mobile sugarhouse to learn how they make their maple syrup. If pure maple syrup is one of your favorite things, ELCCT’s own maple syrup and maple candy will be available for sale. Pre-registration preferred – Walk-ins Welcome. $10/Adults; $7/Children (12 months-10 years); Children under 12 months are free. Pre-registration preferred – Walk-ins Welcome. Register here.
Flanders Nature Center Maple Syrup Making & Pancake Breakfast
Maple Syrup Demonstrations:
Reserve your time to visit the Sugar House as staff and volunteers demonstrate turning sap into syrup with an entertaining mix of science, stories and humor. The entire family will be fascinated by the maple sugar-making process. There is a $5 per person donation suggested, which supports Flanders future maple sugar programming. 2025: Saturdays: Feb 22 and March 1 & 8; Sundays: Feb 23 and March 2 & 9 | 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00, 3:30 & 4:00 PM | Sugar House Register here.
Pancake Breakfast:
Bring the family and join us for our Annual Pancake Breakfast! The menu will feature all you can eat pancakes and sausage. All served with Flanders’ very own maple syrup, butter and beverage of choice (coffee, tea and/or orange juice). The cost for the breakfast is $10 for adults and $8 for children. Children under 2 are free. All proceeds from the breakfast will benefit Flanders’ education programs. Sunday, March 2, 2025 | 8 AM – 12 PM| Woodbury Emergency Services Building, 25 Quassuk Road. (Snow date: Sunday, March 9)
Maple Sugar Fest Sundays at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center
February 25th, March 2nd, 9th & 16th, 2025 from 10:00am-2:00pm: The Stamford Museum & Nature Center hosts its annual Maple Sugar Festival. Join them as they make their very own line of maple syrup from the 200+ mature maple trees found on their 118-acre campus. Each Sunday they’ll open their site at 10:00 am with added attractions, enhanced programming, and fun seasonal offerings including free giveaways and traditional favorites like modern, colonial and Native American sugaring demonstrations. Online registration recommended. Walk-ins admitted as capacity permits. Find pricing info and register here.
OAAM Venue Preview; Website; Facebook Page
Maple Sugar Madness at the Welles-Shipman-Ward House
Maple Sugar Madness at the Welles-Shipman-Ward House in Glastonbury, CT is on Sunday, March 9th, 2025 from 1:00-4:00pm. It is the time of the year to tap the maple trees and boil the sap down in the fire pit into sweet syrup. Visitors can sample pancakes straight from the colonial hearth smothered in local syrup. There will be tours of the lower floor of their beautiful 1755 colonial mansion, tours of the barns, and games for the children to enjoy. Please park at rear of the St. Augustine’s Church parking lot on Hopewell Road and then proceed down the path to the Welles-Shipman-Ward property. Admission fee $10/person for those over 10 years old.
Hebron Maple Festival
The Hebron Maple Festival is being held March 15th & 16th, 2025 from 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. Visit local sugar houses for demonstrations, browse maple syrup and maple syrup products, and enjoy live music, local vendors and many other family-friendly activities. Public parking is available at RHAM High School; 85 Wall Street; a shuttle bus will be available to transport fair-goers.
Maple Weekend
Brought to you by the Maple Syrup Producers Association of Connecticut March 15th & 16th, 2025: Visit sugarhouses and taste great maple products. During the two days, many sugarhouses across the state will be open for tours and will be selling their products. This is a great opportunity for visitors to learn how maple sap is collected and turned into delicious, sugary products.
Lamothe’s Sugar House
Lamothe’s Sugar House in Burlington, CT; Tours for 2025 will run from mid-February until the end of March on Saturdays and Sundays at 1PM, 2PM, and 3PM. Tours last about 30 minutes, and participants will learn a little history about maple syrup, learn how syrup is made, and get to watch while they are actually making maple syrup. Be sure to save time to browse their store for everything you need to get your maple fix!
OAAM Blog Post; Website; Facebook Page
Looking for even more maple fun? Check out the Maple Syrup Producers of Connecticut’s website for a list of CT sugar houses where you can buy pure CT maple syrup and even a map of all the sugar houses located in CT!
Originally posted on 3/7/25; please be sure to check each venue’s website for any event updates or schedule changes.
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