So my love for Maple Syrup is something that I am kind of excited to share with our little one and all of you. Over the past year or two I have begun using maple syrup in almost all of my dishes. From overnight oatmeal to apple cider and maple syrup pork chops I use syrup for baking and cooking almost everything. So when I found out about the Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival I couldn’t wait to plan our family trip!

Most of our March Break was spent at home as we are currently working on a kitchen/ main floor renovation (stay tuned for the reveal!). While our “staycation” had moments of relaxation, I was determined to spend at least one day doing something together as a family. So we planned a trip to the festival on the Friday, one of the only sunny days we had over the whole break.

Details and Locations

 

We travelled out of the city to the  Terra Cotta Conservation Area, one of the four locations where you can visit the Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival. The festival runs on weekends from March 5 – April 3 (and all week during March Break) so if you are planning to go try and get out there soon! In case you are planning to go more than once, if you by your tickets online you get unlimited general admission to all four Ontario locations (Bruce’s Mill, Island Lake, Kortright and Terra Cotta). Yup, you guessed it, I bought a “season’s pass” and we are hoping to go again soon!

 

Fun Things to do!

There were so many fun activities to do while we were at the festival, but a few of the highlights for our little one were; feeding the animals (he had so much fun doing this and tried to mimic the noises they were making) it was absolutely hilarious!

We all ate some very fluffy, syrup-drenched pancakes in the Pancake House. An absolute must!

The wagon ride was one of the many highlights as well. You can bring a stroller on the wagon and hold your little one on the ride. The wagon took us on a scenic ride from one end of the festival to the other.

Also, there are some great Easter activities planned for this long weekend. So if you have a free day and want to head outdoors for an Easter Egg Hunt head over to Terra Cotta’s Festival.

What we Learned (Educational Aspects)

Ok, so I am a teacher as well and there were some really interesting historical facts about the harvesting process that I can’t help but share!

One of the things that I learned was that March Break was invented because of maple syrup! The harvesting process was something that had to be done at this time of year, because of the freezing temperatures at night and warmer temperatures during the day, so in order for children to help with the processing they needed to be home during this crucial time to help their parents. Just another reason why maple syrup is so great!

 

Fabulous Finds

When we first arrived at the festival we went into the gift shop to find out where all of the activities were, but also because I could see all of the delicious items inside of the shop and couldn’t help myself. Yup, I found a way to shop while at a Maple Syrup Festival, obviously. I held off until the end of the day, but I bought some pretty awesome items that I am so excited to share.

Golden Maple Sugar Bubble Bath from Upper Canada Soap

This bubble bath smells sweet, buttery and delicious. I took a bath using it on Monday and it was divine. Who knew maple syrup could be so versatile.

 

Golden Maple Sugar Hand Lotion from Upper Canada Soap

This caught my eye as soon as we walked into the gift shop and I absolutely love it. The lotion smells very mild with a hint of buttery maple and I’ve been using it after a bubble bath or just to repair my “winter hands.”

 

Overall, the Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival was a great baby friendly experience. If you love maple syrup, Canadian history and getting outside, this is the perfect family day trip! We hope to use our “season’s pass” again very soon.

Would love to hear about your Maple Syrup Festival experiences or other great baby and family friendly day trip ideas that you would like to share!