13 Maple Sugaring Events to Experience in New Jersey in 2022
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!
Maple Sugar Demonstrations at Great Swamp OEC
January 29, 30, February 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 & 27 March 5 & 6, 1PM – 2PM
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: $5
Maple Sugaring at Tenafly Nature Center
See website for upcoming dates
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
Maple Sugaring at Happy Day Farms
Select Dates in February & March
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. This is a great outdoor winter experience where attendees will take a tractor ride of their 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: TBD
Howell Living History Farm
February 5, 19, & 26, 10AM – 4PM
The time of freezing nights and thawing days has come…and the smell of maple syrup is in the air! Help farmers collect sap in the woods, make syrup in the sap house, and taste whole wheat pancakes after a quick visit to the farmhouse kitchen. Lunch will also be available for purchase.
70 Woodens Lane, Hopewell Twp, NJ
Cost: Free, spaces are limited
Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Reserve in Pennington
February 12 and 19
Join Pat Heaney, Assistant Director of Education, and discover the history, folklore, and science of maple sugaring. Visit our maple trees, find out how we tap them using drills and spiles, and try a sample of sweet maple sugar. Learn about the evaporation process and how sticky sap transforms into sweet maple syrup. The operation of our outdoor evaporator is dependent on the amount of sap the trees produce and the weather. It may not be running during all program sessions. Dress for both indoors and outdoors and wear your boots!
31 Titus Mill Rd, Pennington, NJ
Cost: $10
Maple Sugaring at the Hermitage
February 19, 1PM – 4PM
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 19, 20, 26 , 27, & March 5, 6, 12, 13, 10AM – 3PM
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:$7
Connect with Nature: Maple Sugaring
February 20, 1:30PM – 3:30PM
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: Pay upon arrival. Cost: Rancocas Nature Center members, $8/person, $25/family (limit 5); nonmembers, $10/person, $35/family (limit 5)
Maple Sugaring Fest at Reeves-Reed Arboretum
March 6, 1PM – 4PM
Enjoy a brisk winter afternoon learning the steps involved in turning tree sap into delicious maple syrup. The whole family will enjoy spending the day outdoors, hiking on trails, and partaking in a Maple Sugaring Challenge! Also enjoy some hot chocolate, maple vendors, and more. It’s going to be a sweet day. This event will be held rain or shine; no refunds.
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 Sugaring Open House
March 6, 2 Sessions
Come to Schiff to experience this hands-on demonstration of maple sugar production with members of Schiff’s educational staff and Board. The tradition of maple sugaring began centuries ago with the Native Americans and early settlers and continues today as homeowners learn to identify, tap, and process the sap of Maple trees. The educational presentation will explain the history of maple sugaring, the seasonal life cycle of the sugar maple tree, and how 100% real maple syrup is made from finding and tapping the tree. Following the educational program, enthusiasts can view the wood-fired evaporator at work and then move on to sample the final product. Of course, the best part is tasting fresh syrup and tasty treats made from our own Schiff maple syrup. An optional two-mile field walk to the working maple grove will be offered to see the tapping and collection operation.
339 Pleasant Valley Rd, Menham, NJ
Cost: Free to Schiff members. Non-member fee is $5 per person
Maple Sugaring Living History Programs
March 19, 10AM – 4PM
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.
42 Lilac Drive, Flemington, NJ
Cost: Free, preregistration required
Maple Sugaring Open House at Lusscroft Farm
March 19 – 20, 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, appointments required
Maple Sugar Sunday
March 27, 2PM – 4PM
One of the seasonal tasks of farm life in colonial days was sugar making in the maple woods. Learn about the colonial techniques of maple sugaring, how the maple sap rises and flows, how it is collected using wooden buckets and handmade spiles, and how sugar and syrup are made from the sap. (Please note that no tree will actually be tapped.) Program includes a maple sugar storytime and craft for the children. Cooks will be showcasing open-hearth cooking using period recipes and techniques. The grounds will be open for viewing and docents will be offering “quick look” tours of the fully furnished c1740 farmhouse.
Miller-Cory House Museum, 614 Mountain Ave, Westfield, NJ
Cost: $5 age 13 & older; $3 ages 3-12; free under age of 3
