Stories > Maple Sugaring in the Litchfield Hills
Maple Sugaring in the Litchfield Hills Last Updated: March 2023
Nothing else has the distinctive flavor and sweetness of maple syrup, cultivated by Native Americans in Connecticut as far back as the 1600s as the New World’s first natural sweetener. Maple lovers eagerly await this annual rite of spring, when the still-freezing nights and warmer, sunny days at winter’s end create the ideal conditions for robust maple syrup yields. So, if you want to enjoy the fruits of this year’s labors of sugary love and bring home some authentic, Connecticut-made syrup, candy, cookies or fudge (and are looking for some great family fun), visit a maple syrup producer in the Litchfield Hills and learn firsthand how everybody’s favorite pancake topping is made!
March 18 & 19 is Maple Weekend in Connecticut!
Visit local sugarhouses and taste the sweetness of locally made products during the annual two-day celebration of all things maple. Many sugarhouses across the state will be open for tours and demonstrations in addition to selling their wonderful products. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the age old process of collecting maple sap and turning it into delicious syrup, candy, fudge, confections and more!
Indian Rock Nature Preserve, Bristol
Don’t miss the Annual Pancake Breakfast and Maple Sugaring Demonstration at Indian Rock Nature Preserve in Bristol on Saturday, March 18 from 8am-noon (pre-registration is required). Be sure to visit the animals indoors and see outdoor maple sugaring demonstrations. Learn how to identify a Sugar Maple and try your hand at tapping a tree. See the different methods that Native Americans and colonists used to collect and boil sap to make maple syrup and sugar – even learn how you can make maple syrup in your own backyard! Bottles of homemade maple syrup and maple sugar candies will be available for sale during the Maple Sugaring Demonstration.
Sweet Wind Farm, East Hartland
“Let the Good Times Boil” at Sweet Wind Farm in East Hartland, as they tap trees and collect sap in time to celebrate the gift of maple during the 17th Annual Maple Festival on Saturday, March 11 from 10-4 and Connecticut Maple Weekend on March 18-19, from 12-4. Pancakes & maple syrup, sausage, maple baked beans, coffee and more will be served. Jack will be back with his guitar, singing classic tunes everybody loves, plus educational programming and demonstrations.
Brookside Farm II, Litchfield
Brookside Farm II in Litchfield is a relatively small but very high-quality maple syrup operation, owned by Mark Harran and Kay Carroll since 1999. Each year, they produce about 250 gallons of maple syrup, with a production process that yields 100% pure and basically 100% organic maple syrup. Visitors are welcome (just call ahead). Mark and Kay enjoy teaching folks of all ages how maple syrup is made and the differences in the four grades of syrup. A tour includes a tasting and recipe suggestions.
Flanders Nature Center, Woodbury
Nestled in the woods, just 100 yards from the entrance to the Fleming Preserve at the Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust in Woodbury stands The Old Sap House, where the Flanders maple syrup tradition began, today drawing about 1,000 visitors each spring. As the demands on the Sap House grew and the aging equipment sagged under the weight of time and use, a new Sugar House was built on the Van Vleck Farm and Nature Sanctuary and this is where all current maple syrup making takes place. Flanders welcomes small groups to reserve a time to visit the Sugar House as staff and volunteers demonstrate turning sap into syrup with an entertaining mix of science, stories and humor. The entire family will be fascinated by the maple sugar-making process. Saturdays, March 4 & 11 and Sundays, March 5 & 12 from 1-4pm. Pancake breakfast Sunday, March 5 from 8am-noon. Registration is complimentary but required.
Woodbury Sugar Shed, Woodbury
“Making the world a sweeter place, one drip at a time,” the Woodbury Sugar Shed started up in 1982 as a backyard maple syrup-making hobby. Since then, they have grown to produce hundreds of gallons of fine quality maple syrup every year, in addition to many other NON-GMO agricultural products cultivated using old fashioned values and cutting edge technology, providing a new farm experience like no other. Let their young farming family provide your family with the very same products they grow and serve in their own homes. Open weekends only through March 11-12 from 1-4:30pm.
Great Brook Sugar House at Sullivan Farm, New Milford
Forty-one years ago, the Great Brook Sugar House at Sullivan Farm in New Milford tapped ten trees on the front lawn of the East Street School. That first year, the mammoth (not really) amount of sap collected was boiled on a Coleman stove. Today, 1,600 trees are tapped on properties donated by residents in Kent. Their maple sugaring operation is one of the largest in the area, still utilizing many of the old fashion methods for collecting and producing maple syrup. If you get a chance, drop by in March to see the operation in full swing. Just look for the steam floating up from the Sugar House. This year’s syrup and maple products can be purchased at the Sullivan Farm stand.
Lamothe's Sugar House, Burlington
Family-owned Lamothe’s Sugar House in Burlington is Connecticut’s largest maple sugar house, with an incredible 6,000 taps and 26 miles of tubing to collect the sap. Learn how maple syrup is made and then pick some up from their country store that also sells maple sugar, jams, honey and more. And don't forget to visit with the rabbits!
Sharon Audubon Center, Sharon
Come to MapleFest at the Sharon Audubon Center on Sunday, March 12 for a fun-filled day of Maple-ishiousness! Enjoy guided, 45-minute tours of the center’s sugaring operation, including a working sugarhouse and a re-creation of Native American and early colonial sugaring methods. Watch as pure sugar maple sap is collected from the trees and turned into delicious maple syrup. Wear warm clothes and boots, as much of the tour is outdoors. Sharon Audubon Center's maple syrup will be available for purchase after the tour, while supplies last. Preregistration is required for up to 8 individuals plus one guide.
Plymouth Historical Society, Plymouth
The Maple Festival at the Plymouth Historical Society on March 18 from 10am-12:30pm gives visitors the chance to watch maple syrup boiling on an outdoor fire and learn how to do their own backyard sugaring. “Sugar on Snow,” a New England tradition, will be available for tasting around 11am. Maple baked beans, maple hot dogs, maple sugar, and maple syrup can be purchased in the Plymouth Congregational Church while listening to fiddle music played by Down Home Frolic. As a special treat, the dogs of the Connecticut Valley Siberian Husky Club will be on display.