Maple Sugaring is one of the sweetest (get it?) things to do during Winter time in New Jersey. There are plenty of maple sugar demonstrations, festivals, and tapping events for all ages to enjoy! Below is a list of events that are not only fun, but educational and delicious!

15 Maple Sugaring Events to Experience in New Jersey in 2019:

Maple Sugar Demonstrations at Great Swamp OEC

February 2, 3, 10, 16, 17, 23, & 24, 1-2PM, 2:30-3:30PM

The trees are tapped, and the firewood is chopped – it’s maple sugaring season at the Great Swamp OEC! Experience the fascinating process of maple sugaring from tree to pancake topping. Watch as staff identifies and taps maple trees and collects sap, and make syrup over a wood-fired evaporator. Taste-test different, delicious syrups, including syrup made at the Great Swamp OEC. Rain or shine.

Great Swamp OEC, 247 Southern Blvd, Chatham Township., NJ

Cost: $3

Maple Sugaring at Tenafly Nature Center

February 3, 10, 17, 24 & March 3, 10, 17, 24

Learn how to identify a maple tree. Discover the history of syrup making and how technology has changed the way we gather sap over the centuries. The group will check Tenafly Nature Center’s tapped tree and boil down sap to make fresh, warm maple syrup, a sweet treat for all to taste.

Tenafly Nature Center, 313 Hudson Ave. Tenafly, NJ

Cost: $5 – $15 for members, $10 – $30 for non-members

Sugar Maple Celebration

February 9, 10AM – 3PM

Celebrate the Sugar Maple and the magic it brings to your table. Learn about the entire maple sugaring process with Duke Farms Executive Director Michael Catania. Participate in activities and nature hikes focused on wildlife, tree identification, best forestry practices, and climate change as it relates to the Sugar Maple and our native forests. Experience the flavor of New Jersey maple syrup, visit live demonstrations, and have fun!

Duke Farms, 1112 Dukes Pkwy W, Hillsborough, NJ

Cost: Free

Maple Sugaring at Happy Day Farms

February 9, 10, 16 & 17

Freezing nights and thawing days mark the beginning of maple sugaring season, and at Happy Day Farm the work of tapping trees and boiling sap is underway. The Sugar Shack demonstration will take place in February 2019. This is a great outdoor winter experience where attendees will take a tractor ride of our 130-acre farm. Visitors will see their ‘sugar bush’, find out what equipment is needed to collect sap, learn first hand how to identify maple trees, and lend Farmer Tim a hand in the tapping process. In Olivia’s Sugar Shack, visitors can see how sap is finally produced into our delicious maple syrup. The sap is boiled and evaporated in our wood-fired evaporator. They have over 600 maple trees and it takes 35 to 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup.

Happy Day Farm, 106 Iron Ore Rd, Manalapan, NJ

Cost: $3

Maple Sugaring at the Hermitage

February 16, 1PM – 4PM, Rain date February 17

The Hermitage Master Gardeners will be tapping about 15 trees on the grounds of the National Historic Landmark. Families and friends are invited to learn how to tap maple trees and the importance of maple sugaring to the Lenape and early Dutch and English settlers in Northern New Jersey. Children 12 and older and adults will also be able to tap the trees with the Master Gardeners. Guests will be sent home with the equipment to tap the trees in their own yards and instructions on boiling the sap into syrup. During the event a small concession stand featuring hot beverages and maple sugary snacks will be also be open.

The Hermitage, 335 N Franklin Tpke, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ

Cost: Tickets are $25 per family and $15 per individual.

Maple Sugaring Weekends at the EEC

February 16, 17, 23, 24 & March 2, 3, 9, 10, 10AM – 2PM

Maple sugaring is a tradition in the Northeast that began centuries ago with the Native Americans and colonists. People of all ages are invited to see this tradition brought to life at the Environmental Education Center (EEC). You will see how trees are tapped, view sap-collecting methods past and present, and see the boiling process that produces delicious New Jersey maple syrup. This 90-minute program is conducted at our Sugar Shack, a ½-mile hike from the EEC. Please arrive at the EEC 20-30 minutes before the program start time and dress appropriately for the weather conditions. Boots are recommended as the trails can be wet, muddy, and/or covered by snow.

Environmental Education Center, 190 Lord Stirling Road, Basking Ridge, NJ

Cost: Free

Connect with Nature: Maple Sugaring

February 17, 1:30PM – 3PM

What a tasty way to spend a winter afternoon! Bring the whole family and enjoy a program about maple sugaring, the oldest continuous industry in North America. Learn about the sugar maple tree and the history of maple sugaring, observe a tapping demonstration, and enjoy a maple syrup tasting. To ward off the chills, there will be an old-fashioned campfire burning.

Rancocas Nature Center, 794 Rancocas Rd, Westampton, NJ 08060

Cost: Preregister by calling RNC at 609-261-2495. Cost: RNC members, $7/person, $15/family (limit 5); nonmembers, $9/person, $21/family (limit 5)

From Sap to Maple Syrup

February 23, 10AM – 12PM & February 24, 1PM – 3PM

Winter is winding down and the sap is running in the trees which means its time to make maple syrup! Bring the whole family for some old-fashioned fun as we learn the history, technique and some of the science behind this delicious treat. Highlights include a syrup taste test,tree tapping demonstration and instruction, and winter tree identification. Dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes or boots.

Huber Woods Park, 25 Brown’s Dock Road, Locust (Middletown Twp.), NJ

Cost:

*This program fills up fast. Please call for registration or wait list @ (732) 842–4000, ext 1

Maple Sugaring Fest at Reeves-Reed Arboretum

February 24, 1PM – 4PM, Snow date is Sunday, March 3

Learn how early settlers tapped maple trees and turned the sap into delicious maple syrup! Take part in our family scavenger hunt and see whether you can successfully complete the “Maple Syrup Challenge”. Round out the day with a sampling of maple syrup made here at the Arboretum!

Reeves-Reed Arboretum, 165 Hobart Avenue, Summit, NJ

Cost: Maple Sugaring Fest is FREE for RRA Members and children under 3. The cost for Non-Members is $5 per person, $25 maximum per family.

Maple Sugar Festival

March 2, 12PM – 4PM

Join this annual festival celebrating the peak of maple sugaring season. Enjoy tree tapping demonstrations, delicious syrup taste tests, maple snow cones, and fun games. ‘Hike through Maple Sugaring History’ to discover how sugaring has changed over time, learn to identify differences in quality, and so much more. This event is rain or shine.

Great Swamp OEC, 247 Southern Blvd, Chatham Township., NJ

Cost: $4

Maple Sugaring at Van Vleck House and Gardens

March 2

Looking for a super sweet activity the whole family will love? Don’t miss Van Vleck House & Gardens’ annual Maple Sugaring event! Families are invited to learn how to identify a sugar maple tree and discover the steps for turning sap into syrup, focusing on a tapped sugar maple tree in Mother’s Garden. Registration required.

Van Vleck House & Gardens, 21 Van Vleck Street, Montclair, NJ

Cost: $5 – $10

Maple Sugar Brunch at Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association

March 3, 9:30AM – 1PM (2 Sessions)

Join in on the fun for this sweet and popular annual event. Discover the history, folklore and science of maple sugaring. Take part in a taste test and head out to the trees to learn how they are tapped. The highlight of the morning is a delicious pancake brunch, served with real maple syrup.

Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, 31 Titus Mill Rd., Pennington, NJ

Cost: $22 each for adults and children over 13; $15 each for children 3-13; children under 3 free. Must register in advance!

Maple Sugaring Living History Programs

March 9, 9AM – 2PM, Rain date: March 10

Experience first-hand the North American tradition of maple sugaring at Hunterdon County’s Maple Sugaring Program. You’ll take a trip through time to experience the art of the sugaring process. Along the way you will see an early American Frontiersman taping his trees, visit a sugar “farmer” at his evaporator, and enjoy a Native American story about the discovery of maple sap. At the end of your walk everyone will get a free taste of real maple syrup on a silver dollar pancake.

42 Lilac Drive, Flemington, NJ

Cost: $1 per person suggested donation

Maple Sugaring Open House at Lusscroft Farm

March 24 & 24, 10AM – 3PM

Bring the family and learn how sap is converted to delicious maple syrup. Live demonstrations of how to tap the trees, collect the sap, and operate the evaporator. Fresh maple syrup will be available for purchase! Presented by the Heritage & Agriculture Assoc., the NJ Tree Farm Program, the NJ Society of American Foresters, and the NJ DEP/Division of Parks & Forestry.

50 Neilson Rd, Sussex, NJ

Cost: Free

Maple Sugar Sunday

March 31, 2PM – 4PM

All about maple sugaring making! This event will take place as part of Miller-Cory House Museum’s monthly events which also include museum tours and open hearth cooking.

Miller-Cory House Museum, 614 Mountain Ave, Westfield, NJ

Cost: $4 age 13 & older; $3 ages 3-12; free under age of 3

More Ideas of Things You Can Do this Winter:

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