Tap Into Maple hits the sweet spot in Orillia & Lake Country
It’s that sweet time of year again, as Orillia & Lake Country presents the ever-popular Tap into Maple experience. Running March 4 to April 3, the program is an opportunity to visit the region’s maple syrup producers, enjoy special maple-themed experiences, and indulge in local maple-inspired cuisine.
Take a self-guided tour through lesser-traveled routes to working sugar shacks that offer a firsthand view of the maple syrup process, from harvesting and boiling to enjoying.
The Farmgate, just outside of Brechin, will be offering socially distanced demonstrations, sharing knowledge about the work that goes into creating this uniquely Canadian product. In the rolling hills of Oro-Medonte, McCutcheon’s Maple Syrup will have roadside pick available for online orders of their award winning maple products and their sugar house will be open the weekends of March 26th and April 2nd.
Backwoods Maple Syrup, Elsie’s Creek Farm, Hutchinson Maple Syrup, and Maple Grove Syrup each invite visitors to take part on self-guided tours through their sugar shacks and sugarbush trails while picking up some tasty treats. Check each farm for details about hours of operation and booking ahead.
Shaw’s Maple Syrup will be serving up their famous pancake meals daily, 8am to 4pm, until April 18th. This maple syrup hotspot offers self-guided tours, indoor and outdoor seating for pancake meals, maple syrup and more.
Indulge in maple treats while shopping around the region. In Craighurst, Chelsea Chocolates will be offering a special maple truffle and buttercream along with their decadent hand-crafted chocolates.
Over in downtown Orillia, Apple Annie’s Café & Shop is offering sweet treats from store-made maple fudge to maple drinks to enjoy.
Hewitt’s Farm Market & Bakery will have maple goodies for visitors to their store in Warminster including syrup, maple pecan muffins, maple barbeque sauces and more. On Saturdays through March, bring the family out to the Orillia Fairgrounds Farmers Market with vendors featuring maple products from syrup to baked goods. There will also be games and activities for kids!
The Wye Marsh Sweetwater Harvest Festival returns for three weekends starting March 19th with lots of outdoor fun. Sugar shack demonstrations, Maple Kids’ Zone, vendors, interpretive hikes and more make it a perfect family outing to celebrate spring.
Orillia & Lake Country Tourism , 22 Peter St. S., Box 2525, Orillia, ON L3V 7A3 Office: 705-325-9321 Fax: 705-325-6817
Email: [email protected] www.OrilliaLakeCountry.ca
Rounding out the program is Maple Weekend, presented by the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association, which runs April 2nd and 3rd. It may be a grand finale for Tap Into Maple, but Maple Weekend is a kick-off for the spring sales of maple products in our area.
Visit TapIntoMaple.com for more information on all of the participating producers, businesses and activities. Please follow all COVID protocols at each business and location.
For more events in Ontario check out the ToDoOntario events calendar.