March has arrived, and we all know what that means: maple sugaring season! This year, bring your kids to the maple syrup tap and learn about the age-old tradition of transforming sap to syrup. They will love getting outside and having a chance to taste sugar on snow (also known as maple candy, but it’s natural, right?).
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Minnesota has a plethora of activities and maple syrup-themed events this March. We recommend contacting the organizers directly before the event to ensure that prices and scheduled times are up to date.
Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center
Hastings
March 7th – 12th, 2021 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Contact: (651) 437-4359
Price: Free (donations encouraged)
Come ready to tap trees in the sugarbush! You will learn to identify maple trees and how to tap them for that sweet sap. Come ready for the outdoors, and don’t forget your mask. Pre-registration is required, and groups will be staggered to ensure everyone’s safety.
Cleary Lake Regional Park
Maple Sugaring with Family and Friends
Prior Lake
March 16, 21, 23, 26 or 27, 2021
Register with activity code: 2SCT1200
Price: $20/group (max 10 people)
Bring your family for a private lesson about making maple syrup. You will have fun tapping a tree, learning about how they boil sap, and get to taste some yummy syrup too. Come dressed for the outdoors and get ready to have some late-winter fun.
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Eastman Nature Center
Dayton
March 6, 7, 13, & 14, 2021
Register with activity code: 2ENC1200
Price: $25/group (max 9 people)
Visit the sugarbush and learn all about sugaring with your own private lesson. You will learn about the tapping and collection process. Have fun listening to stories from times of yore while you watch sap be boiled in a cauldron over the fire. This program is entirely outdoors.
Maple Syrup Season Celebration
March 21st & 28th, 2021 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Register online with activity code: 2ENC1210
Free
Celebrate maple syrup season! You and your family will love exploring the sugarbush at this fun and delicious event. Learn about the sugaring process, help with sap collection, and then watch as the sap is boiled into syrup over a fire. Don’t forget your camera! There will be a photo op with Paul Bunyan. Drop by anytime.
March 22nd, 2021 from 10:00 -11:30 am or 1:30 – 3:00 pm
Register online with activity code: 6ENC1037
Price: $4/per person
For ages 5+
Your kids will enjoy discovering how to identify and tap a maple tree, collect sap and bring it to the cauldron for boiling. Your homeschoolers will learn about how temperature affects sap flow and how much sap is needed to make a gallon of syrup. This program is entirely outdoors.
French Regional Park
Plymouth
Maple Syruping with Family and Friends
March 13, 16, 18, 21, 22 or 24, 2021
Register online with activity code: 2REC1200
Price: $15/group (maximum 15 people)
This fun all-ages group is great for the whole family. Your personal educator will lead your group through the sugarbush. You’ll learn how to tap a tree, experience how sap is boiled into syrup, and then taste the final product! This program is entirely outdoors. Pre-registration required.
Geocaching for Maple Syrup with Family and Friends
March 15, 20, or 23, 2021
Register with activity code: 2REC1201
Price: $25/group (maximum six people)
Get ready for an adventure! Your family will learn geocaching basics and all about the maple sugaring process while you adventure through the park. This is a fun way to taste the sweet treats of spring. Event staff will provide all needed equipment. Reservations are required
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Gale Woods Farm
Minnetrista
March 13th, 2021 from 1:00 – 3:30 pm
Register with code: 2GAL1200
Price: $8/per person
Ages 8+
Your family will love to visit the farm and explore the sugarbush! You will get to learn the sugaring process, including tapping trees, boiling sap, and making maple syrup. If you love what you learn, you can purchase supplies to tap the trees in your own backyard and make syrup at home. Reservations are required.
Harriet Alexander Nature Center
Roseville
Saturday, March 20th from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday, March 21st from 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Price: Free
Join our team of volunteers to assist in this year’s sugaring season. Your family will enjoy collecting sap while learning about traditional sugaring methods. At this sweet event, you will get the chance to hear Native American stories about sugaring and eat maple treats.
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Jay C. Hormel Nature Center
Austin
Saturday, March 13th & Saturday, March 20th from 9:00 – 11:00 am
Price: $15 per family
Join nature center staff to get into the spirit of the sugaring season! Your family will have fun venturing out into the sugarbush and collecting sap from maple trees. From there, you will learn the tips and tricks of making maple syrup. Visit the Sugar Shack to see the sap evaporator at work.
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Lowry Nature Center
Victoria
Saturday, March 13th, 2021, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Price: $5/ea
Ages 2+
Enjoy a fun afternoon learning about making maple syrup and maple sugar. You will learn about methods from the past and the present. After you observe a tree being tapped, stop at the sugar shack to see sap boiled into syrup. Best yet, your kids will love to taste the sweet final product. Reservations required.
Saturday, March 6th, 2021, from 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Price: $5/each
Ages 5+
Our resident Naturalist Elise will bring your family on a hike through the sugarbush. You will learn about the tradition and science of this age-old craft. After finding and tapping a sugar maple tree, you will get to visit the evaporator where the team boils the sap to make syrup. Your kids will love to taste the results!
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Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Chaska
MapleFest Pancakes To Go
Saturday, March 27th, 2021, from 8:00 am – 2:00pm
Price: $20/person.
Pick up a pancake breakfast to go! Each serving includes 3 pancakes, sausage, butter, and 100% pure maple syrup. This annual fundraising event is sure to delight your family. While you’re there, take a maple-themed self-guided tour with our interactive map. The price of breakfast includes admission to the grounds. Registration is required.
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Ney Nature Center
Henderson
Sunday, March 21st, 2021, from 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Price: $3/member or $5/non-member; $9/member family of 3+ or $15/non-member family of 3+
Delight your family with a trip to the nature center! Enjoy time in the forest as you learn how to tap trees, collect sap, and sample maple syrup for a sweet treat. Your family can explore the wildlife preserve at this beautiful park while learning about this age-old tradition. Registration required.
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Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center
Sandstone
Saturday, March 20th & Sunday, March 21st from 10:00 am – 2:00pm
Pancake Meal & Tour/$15, Pancake Meal Only/$10, Tour Only/$5
Kids under 5 are free.
Learn all about maple trees on this informative and fun tour. Maple trees? Red Maples? Bigleaf Maples? Which are the right ones to tap? You will learn it all and get to try some tasty syrup made right at the learning center. Order ahead for a pancake breakfast-to-go!
Pond-Dakota Mission Park
Bloomington
Maple Sugaring
March 14th, 2021 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Price: Free
All ages, no registration required
Bring your family to this lovely park to enjoy an afternoon learning all about sugaring. You will know which trees to tap, take a turn collecting sap, and then watch it boil down to make syrup. Activities include making a paper makuk, or Indigenous Dakota basket, to take home with you.
Tamarack Nature Center
White Bear Lake
Saturday, March 13th & Saturday, March 27, 2021, 1-3:30pm
Price:$7/person
Visit the nature center and enjoy an afternoon of making maple syrup. Your kids will love learning about tapping a maple tree, collecting sap, and visiting the evaporator. Once the sap has transformed into syrup, everyone gets a taste! Registration is required for this all-ages event.
The Landing at Minnesota River Heritage Park
Shakopee
My Preschooler & Me: Maple Sugar
March 2nd or 9th from 10:00 – 11:00 am
Register with activity code:2LAN1000
Price: $5/person
Ages: 2-6 (plus adult)
A class just for the littles! This outdoor program provides activities and learning with themed stories, crafts, and plenty of fun. The day’s program is centered around everything maple. This program is entirely outdoors, so come prepared with extra mittens! Reservations are required.
March 10-14, 2021 & March 18-21, 2021
Register with activity code: 2LAN1201
Price: $20/family
Discover the craft of making this delicious syrup with your family. You will explore the sugarbush, tap a tree together, and gather the sap straight from the tree. Your kids will love to watch as it’s boiled down to make their favorite pancake topping. Reservations are required.
Sunday, March 14th, 2021, 10:00 am – 3:30pm
Register with activity code: 2LAN1200
Come make sugar on snow, also known as maple candy! Your family will learn how maple syrup was historically converted into sugar at this fun event. You will love making your own maple candy to enjoy while you explore the park. There are 5 different sessions throughout the day. Reservations required.
March 20th, 2021, from 2:30 – 4:30 pm
Register with activity code: 2LAN1202
Price: $8/per person
Ages 13-19 yrs
In this teens-only event, your kids will head into the sugarbush to get hands-on experience making maple syrup. They will learn about tree identification, how to tap a maple tree and collect the sap. The fun continues over the fire as they will boil the sap to become tasty maple syrup. Reservations are required.
Wargo Nature Center
Lino Lakes
Thursday, March 4th, 2021, from 10:00 – 11:15 am
Price: $6 Adult/Child
Ages: 2-5-year-olds
Search keyword: Maple
A maple syrup adventure for the littles! When March arrives, you know the trees are starting to wake up. That means it’s sugaring season! Your kiddos will learn about the maple tree’s magical sap and even try a sample of syrup. Pre-registration required.
Saturday, March 20th, 2021, from 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Search keyword: Maple
This event is fun for all ages! As we celebrate all things maple, you will learn about this age-old tradition. Your family will love watching the syrup-making process and doing maple-themed arts and crafts. There is also a fun spring scavenger hunt! Pre-registration is required.
Westwood Hills Nature Center
St. Louis Park
Sunday, March 21st, 2021, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Price: $8/per person
Bring your family to the Nature Center Tap for some early spring fun. Your kids will learn all about this traditional method of producing maple syrup. You will discover how to identify maple trees, collect the sap, and take it to the cooker. Enjoy a fun afternoon and have a sample of this yummy syrup.
YMCA Camp Ihduhapi
Loretto
Saturday, March 6th, 2021, at 9:00 am
One Day Workshop: $50
Month-long intensive: $250
These two programs take maple syrup education to the next level. One is a full day of history and hands-on support as you tap a tree and collect 3 buckets of sap. The second is a month-long program where you learn sugaring from start to finish, ending with bottling your very own maple syrup.
Online Programming
March in the Maples: Sweet Journey from Sap to Syrup (Free Online)
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
ALL AGES
Available online March 1 – 31, 2021
Learn all about maple trees from the comfort of home. This interactive website is educational and fun. Activities, videos, and quizzes on the famous sugarbush will engage your youngsters and inspire them to look for maples in their own backyard.
Online Resources to Learn More
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
This site has videos and downloadable guides to learn about the history and process of making everyone’s favorite maple syrup.
Three Rivers Park District Nature Education: Maple Syruping
The user-friendly Nature Education site has interesting videos and educational resources for exploring the history and method of making maple syrup. Your kids can learn more about the traditional methods for collecting sap developed by Minnesota’s Indigenous people.
Maple Syrup Kits
Get your kids involved with this kit for tapping maple trees in your backyard. You will be able to make your own syrup and learn about tree identification along the way.
Maple Syrup Tap in Minnesota
Minnesotans take their syrup seriously! There are plenty of maple trees in the land of a thousand lakes to create hundreds of gallons of syrup each year. When the sap is flowing during this time of year, there is plenty of fun to be had for you and your family.
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