It’s sugaring season and Pennsylvania has the sweetest events and festivals to add to your calendar! Come celebrate at one of the many maple festivals taking place throughout Pennsylvania. Most feature a pancake breakfast complete with oh-so-sweet, PA-made maple syrup!
1. Montour Preserve Maple Sugaring Open House
Learn all about maple sugaring at Montour Preserve’s Maple Sugaring Open House. Start (or end) your visit at the Environmental Education Center for a showing of the movie, “A Visit to a Maple Sugar Farm”; then take the Goose Woods Trail to the preserve’s Sugar Shack where you’ll be surrounded by the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of maple sugaring! Before you leave, be sure to pick up some delicious, Roloson Brothers maple products to enjoy at home.
When: Feb. 24
Where: Danville
Cost: Free (donations welcome)
2. Maple Sugaring at the Peter Wentz Farmstead
Watch farmers from the Peter Wentz Farmstead follow the time-honored tradition of Maple Sugaring as they tap maple trees and collect the sap to create tasty maple sugar and syrup from the farmstead’s maple trees. Afterwards, it will be hard to resist the Philly Waffle Cabin‘s food truck and their delicious Belgian waffles onsite each day starting at 10 a.m.!
When: Feb. 24, Mar. 2
Where: Lansdale
Cost: Free
3. Strawberry Hill Maple Madness
Tap into the history, science, and culture of maple sugaring at Strawberry Hill’s Maple Fest. Treat yourself and your friends and family to an all-you-can-eat, fireside pancake breakfast at Camp Eder. Then, enjoy several all-new hands-on activities the whole family will enjoy including storytelling, a tree-tapping competition, and demonstrations of maple sugaring techniques from the past to the present.
When: Mar. 2-3
Where: Fairfield
Cost: $20 for adults; $15 for children
4. Maple Sugaring Days
Make your late winter days a sweet one by joining York County Parks for some family-friendly fun at Nixon Park’s Maple Sugaring Days. Watch the art of maple sugaring come to life with a self-guided tour and learn about the process through special, interactive exhibits and displays. Enjoy tasting syrup samples, shopping unique maple products, and looking on as little ones participate in activities throughout the day.
When: Feb. 24-25, Mar. 2-3
Where: York
Cost: $3; Free for park members and children under age four
5. Maple Sugar Magic
Green Lane Park is the place to be for some Maple Sugar Magic. Enjoy demonstrations of tree-tapping and sap gathering and boiling to make syrup. You can also learn about the discovery of maple sugar dating back to the 1500s. Be sure to pick up some Pure Pennsylvania maple syrup, candy and ice cream that will be available for sale.
When: Mar. 2
Where: Green Lane
Cost: Free (Pre-registration required)
6. Maple Sugar Day at Peace Valley Nature Center
Syrup lovers, bring your family and friends to Maple Sugar Day at Peace Valley Nature Center. Experience the way maple sugar was collected and made during the pioneer days. Travel to the sugar bush to sample some maple sap and learn the history behind this delightful gift of Mother Nature. Be sure to purchase some fresh Bucks County maple syrup to enjoy at home.
When: Mar. 2
Where: Doylestown
Cost: Free
7. A Sweet Stroll Through Maple History
Take A Sweet Stroll Through Maple History at the Jennings Environmental Education Center and learn how sap taken from a maple tree is transformed into syrup. You’ll first learn about the key role sap plays in a tree’s overall functioning, then enjoy a guided walk through the history of maple sugaring. Your final stop is at a working evaporator offering a taste of spring itself, real maple syrup! Be sure to stop by The Nature Shop at Jennings where a variety of delicious, local maple products will be for sale!
When: Mar. 3
Where: Slippery Rock
Cost: Free (Pre-registration required)
8. Maple Weekend Taste and Tour
Enjoy a weekend filled with all things maple at Somerset County’s signature Maple Weekend Taste and Tour. The free, self-guided tour is hosted by the Somerset County Maple Producers Association. Explore area farms to learn about maple syrup production and sample a variety of delicious maple products from those who know maple best!
When: Mar. 2-3, Mar. 9-10
Where: Somerset County
Cost: Free
9. Maple Tour 2024
Enjoy a scenic tour of central Pennsylvania during the River Valley Maple Producers Association’s Maple Tour 2024 weekend. Five of the area’s maple producers along with the Snyder County Conservation District are offering a weekend filled with fun activities including wagon rides, interesting fun facts and demonstrations of the maple producing process, and, of course, lots of maple deliciousness!
When: Mar. 2-3
Where: Fulton, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Snyder, and Union Counties
Cost: Free
10. Maple Sugar Festival
Fort Hunter Park is the setting for an afternoon filled with fun and sweet delights during the Maple Sugar Festival. You can try your hand at tapping a tree; watch as maple syrup and candy is made; and learn about the different types of maple syrup. The event features plenty of children’s activities and also delicious PA maple products for sale.
When: Mar. 3
Where: Harrisburg
Cost: Free
11. Maple Madness
Learn how people have used maple through the ages during Maple Madness sessions at the Buffalo Creek Nature Park, Beechwood Farms Nature Preserve, and Succop Nature Park properties of the Audubon Society of Western PA. Tour their maple sugar demonstration trail and discover the history and science of maple syrup — and how to collect and make your own. Be sure to stop by their Nature Stores to purchase some delicious maple syrup and maple candy to enjoy at home.
When: Mar. 9 (Buffalo Creek Nature Park), 16 (Beechwood), 23 (Succop)
Where: Sarver, Pittsburgh, Butler
Cost: $6.00 for members; $12 for non-members; pre-registration required
12. Maple Open House
Bring the whole family to Hills Creek State Park to learn how pure maple syrup goes from tree to table during their Maple Open House. You’ll find out how to identify maple trees even in winter; how to tap trees and collect sap; the history of maple syrup making; and how the finished product is made, complete with a taste. For more maple-themed fun, this event is being held in conjunction with the Potter/Tioga Maple Producers 20th Annual Maple Weekend.
When: Mar. 16
Where: Wellsboro
Cost: Free
13. Loch's Maple Open House
The Loch family invites you to Loch's Maple Open House. Watch as gallons of sap are boiled down into a gallon of the delicious syrup. Prepare to be amazed by all the marvelous maple-based products this long-time producer has on its shelves including maple mustard and other maple seasonings, maple coffee and tea, maple vinegar, maple jelly, and, of course, maple syrup!
When: Mar. 16
Where: Springville
Cost: Free
14. Annual Maple Weekend
The Northeast (PA) Maple Syrup Producers Association invite you to enjoy some tasty treats at their Annual Maple Weekend. Download the brochure and look for the open house signs at the 12 participating sugar houses along the way to learn how the sap from a maple tree is transformed into maple syrup and lots of maple-y treats. Enjoy a delicious (and filling!) pancake breakfast to fuel your adventures along the way!
When: Mar. 16-17
Where: Lackawanna, Pike, Susquehanna, and Wayne Counties
Cost: Free
15. 20th Annual Maple Weekend
Maple farms throughout Potter and Tioga counties welcome you to the 20th Annual Maple Weekend for a true behind-the-scenes peek at the maple syrup making process. This year’s 22 participating maple farms offer tours and demonstrations of the various sap collection methods — from the classic hanging bucket to modern tubing and vacuum pump techniques — and the various stages of maple syrup production. Each farm has its own special maple-y treats including classic syrups and candies, maple salad dressing, and not-to-miss maple milkshakes! Be sure to download their 2024 brochure with a map and all the places serving up a delicious pancake breakfast!
When: Mar. 16-17
Where: Potter and Tioga Counties
Cost: Free
16. Annual Maple Taste & Tours Weekend
The Northwest Pennsylvania Maple Syrup Producers Association welcomes you to their Annual Maple Taste & Tours Weekend featuring 16 participating maple farms and sugarhouses throughout the five counties. Each farm and sugarhouse has its own unique approach to maple sugaring and is guaranteed to be fun and informative (with lots of maple candy and snacks, of course). You'll find maple products that go beyond the classic sugar candy and syrup, including maple mustard, beer, butter, peanut butter, maple sap dogs, and even a rum-barrel-aged maple syrup!
When: Mar. 16-17
Where: Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, and Venango Counties
Cost: Free
17. Maple Harvest Festival and Pancake Breakfast
Step back in time as costumed interpreters demonstrate old-world maple farming techniques from Native American and Colonial times to today's modern harvesting techniques at the Maple Harvest Festival and Pancake Breakfast at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center. Explore the Sugar Shack to learn how maple sap is transformed into syrup and dance to live music at this two-day festival of all-natural sweetness.
When: Mar. 23-24
Where: Petersburg
Cost: Price varies (timed entry ticket required)
18. 77th Annual Pennsylvania Maple Festival
Join thousands of maple lovers for the 77th Annual Pennsylvania Maple Festival. The festival includes a grand parade with marching bands, floats, and the newly crowned Maple Queen. There are also special activities for the kids, antique street rod shows, an old-fashioned horse-pulling contest, artists and crafters galore, a quilt show, antique tractor and farm show, and a dinner theater featuring the Maple City Players. Ramp up your sugaring skills by learning how to tap a tree, boil sap into syrup, make sugar cakes, and twirl spotza.
When: Apr. 20-21, 24-28
Where: Meyersdale
Cost: Price varies
19. Beaver County Maple Syrup & Music Festival
Now in its 44th year, the Beaver County Maple Syrup & Music Festival promises a fun and “maplelicious” good time! There will be live music performances along with children’s activities, antique tractors, Revolutionary and Civil War demonstrations, a Fun Run, crafters of all types, and loads of maple-y treats including cotton candy, lollipops, and maple-coated cashews rounding out the fun. The festival is sponsoring a food drive to help out community members in need.
When: Apr. 20-21
Where: Beaver Falls
Cost: TBD
20. 42nd Annual Endless Mountains Maple Festival
Saddle up for a wild celebration of this year's maple harvest at the 42nd Annual Endless Mountains Maple Festival. Attendees can enjoy maple demonstrations, a monster truck show and demolition derby, amusement rides, games, and live entertainment. Cooks can compete in the Macaroni & Cheese Cook-Off, while others participate in the pancake eating contest. Non-competitive pancake lovers can enjoy the all-day pancake breakfast. Stop by the maple product and maple wine contests to see which are judged best of show for 2024!
When: Apr. 27-28
Where: Troy
Cost: Price varies
21. Tapped: A Maple Trail
Statewide
Experience maple mania year-round on visitpa’s curated road trip Tapped: A Maple Trail. The trail has two sections, one in the Laurel Highlands and one in the Pennsylvania Wilds, that take you through wooded areas flush with all types of maple product producers, including coffee shops, distilleries, candy makers, restaurants, farm tours and historic sites.
To see a full list of the events and festivals happening this winter, check out the VISIT PA website. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram to stay up-to-date on even more great trip ideas and places to visit around the state.