There is nothing more iconic (or exciting!) than syrup season in Ontario. Those first days of spring when the snow is just starting to melt and the sun starts to stay out later. The best way to celebrate the start of this special season is to visit a sugar shack, or bring the experience home with some sweet treats from local producers.
A sugar shack has many names – sap house, sugar house, sugar shanty or sugar cabin – but only one goal: to provide a hands-on, sticky sweet experience with maple. Each one is (usually) hyper-seasonal and only open when the sap is flowing.
Every year in March and April, when the temperatures plummet below zero at night and rise above zero in the day, maple trees in Ontario are tapped for their sap. This sap is boiled, usually over open flames, and reduced down into syrup.
A visit to a sugar shack usually involves standing my the fire, pouring hot syrup on snow, munching on maple taffy and – if you’re lucky – digging into a piping hot pancake breakfast made with fresh from the pot syrup.
Here’s our list of the very best sugar shack experiences in Ontario.
Lanark County is the maple capital of Ontario.
Known as the Maple Capital of Ontario, Lanark County in Ontario’s Highlands is packed with maple activities like museums, sugar bush trails, and farms for the full maple experience!
Be sure to check out Wheeler’s Maple Heritage Museum. It was named one of the Top 10 maple experiences in Canada by Canadian Geographic and was awarded the Guiness World Record for the largest collection of maple artifacts. This year, breakfast is available by reservation only. Be sure to check their website for updates.
We know you want to visit some sugar bush trails and taste that delicious maple so head to Fulton’s for maple taffy and horse-drawn sleigh rides, as well as take-home kits and maple treats. There are also Nordic Trails to explore!
Want to learn how maple syrup is made? Ennis Maple Products makes it the old fashion way using wood fire, and they even have maple products on-site as well!
OTHER GREAT MAPLE EXPERIENCES
Proulx Maple & Berry Farm – Maple Festival
1865 Chemin O’Toole, Cumberland, ON
Near Ottawa, ON
Maple taffy on snow, s’mores, trails, and a pancake breakfast – the Proulx Farm Maple Festival has it all. Tickets need to be purchased in advance to maintain safety precautions.
Kinsmen Fanshawe Sugar Bush
21201, Lakeside Dr, Thorndale, ON
Near London, ON
Learn how Maple Syrup is made on their historic tours, enjoy a horse-drawn wagon ride, or just indulge in their maple products!
Weekend Maple Syrup Festival at Elliott Tree Farms
9467 Erin East Garafraxa Townline, Erin, ON
Near Orangeville, ON
Experience the sugar bush first hand with educational presentations, maple sugar candy tasting, all you can eat pancakes and more!
Wintergreen Maple Syrup and Pancake Barn
3325 Gelert Rd, Minden, ON
in Haliburton Highlands
About 2.5 hours northeast of Toronto near Minden, you’ll find an iconic red-roofed barn with steam billowing out the top, beckoning you to stop in and celebrate the start of spring and maple syrup season. Wintergreen is open weekends in March and April from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and while they aren’t offering a sit-in breakfast right now, you can still pick up a full pancake breakfast of frozen waffles, pancakes, French toast and sausages to take home!
Maple Town
2259 Milburough Line, Campbellville, ON
Near Milton, ON
Explore the sugar bush or join a guided tour, then enjoy a pancake breakfast and some maple treats.
Willowgrove Farm Maple Tours
Willowgrove Farm and Outdoor Education Centre, 11737 McCowan Road, Stouffville, ON
Near Markham, ON
Learn about the history of syrup production. Try your hand at tapping a Maple tree. Enjoy an educational puppet show all about sap and springtime. Sample Willowgrove’s maple syrup in the sugar shack. Private family tours are available.
Maple Weekend
Northeastern Ontario
April 2-3, 2022
Head to Northeastern Ontario on the first weekend in April for Maple Weekend! Participating sugar shacks and maple syrup operations are encouraged to open their doors to the public! Check back for details.
Wheelers Maple
1001 Highland Line, McDonalds Corners, ON
near Ottawa
This maple destination is a destination for everything maple. Budget some extra time to wander the grounds, meet the farm animals, and visit the maple heritage museum, the Guinness World Record holder for the largest collection of maple syrup artifacts.
Find out more about Ontario’s Highlands, home of Ontario’s Maple Capital, here:
