Mark your calendars: March 25 is Maine Maple Sunday! All across the state, over 80 sugarhouses will open their doors to the public, offering demonstrations and tours, as well as providing a delicious assortment of maple treats to sample and buy.
The event is held on the fourth Sunday in March every year, as it is peak season for collecting maple sap from trees. Sap runs best when temperatures drop into the 20’s at night and warm up into the 40’s during the day.
Each sugarhouse offers a unique and exciting experience on Maine Maple Sunday, so no matter where you visit you are sure to have fun. To provide a little guidance, below we have selected a handful of our favorite sugarhouses from all around the state. Also included are a few restaurants and inns near the recommended sugarhouses, because why not make a weekend out of your maple adventure?
Not far away in Lebanon, is Maple Moon Farm. This sugarhouse is a great place to learn about the history of maple collecting in Western Maine. You will have the opportunity to stoke a wood-fire evaporator and eat a pancake from a 1920’s wood cook stove.
Weston’s Farm in Fryeburg, offers informative demonstrations, and a gift shop packed with local goodies. They also have a farmer’s market onsite that sells a variety of meats, and produce.
After a long day of learning and sampling maple treats, the Admiral Peary Inn is the perfect place to stay. Also located in quaint Fryeburg, the inn is only a short scenic drive away from Weston’s Farm. Relax in the common area where you can play pool under large, beautiful exposed beams. If you are looking for a bit of solitude, retire to your room and warm up by your very own gas fireplace.
In Kennebec County, Bacon Farm Maple Products, located in Sydney, has been producing maple syrup for six generations. On Maine Maple Sunday, the sugarhouse offers guided tours of the facilities, as well as maple treats, including maple cotton candy and maple whoopie pies.
When you are in the area, a great place to stay is the Maple Hill Farm Inn. The inn is located in Hallowell and tucked away on 130 acres of bucolic land. Pair that with the sauna and outdoor hot tub and you are sure to have a relaxing stay.
Simmons and Daughters Sugarhouse, in Morrill, as the name implies, is a family run business. Chris and Shelley Simmons and their four daughters run the sugarhouse, located on a scenic country road in Maine’s Midcoast overlooking the Camden Hills. On Maine Maple Sunday, Simmons and Daughters offers tours of their sugarhouse, demonstrations on their wood-fire evaporator, and maple treats, including ice cream drizzled with maple syrup.
Just up the road, in coastal Belfast, the Belfast Bay Inn is the perfect place to stay on your weekend maple adventure. Situated on Main Street, the inn offers easy access to all of Belfast’s amazing restaurants and interesting shops.
Up in the County, the Maple Moose has been hosting maple lovers every Maine Maple Sunday for years. The Maple Moose offers taffy on snow and corn fritters drizzled in syrup, along with plenty of other treats. They also have a raffle with loads of amazing prizes.
After visiting the Maple Moose, head over to Fort Kent and grab a room at the Northern Door Inn. The inn wonderfully imbues the small-town friendliness and hospitality of Fort Kent. The location is also amazing, being close to the start of historic U.S. Route 1 along the St. John River, as well as the Allagash Wilderness.
Maine Maple Sunday is one of the best statewide family weekends in Maine. Visit the Maine Maple Producers Association for more information about the event.
