March 1 to April 7!

Tap into Maple hits the sweet spot!

It’s that sweet time of year again, as the days and nights get warmer, and sap starts flowing through maple trees, the sweetest trail you’ll find in Central Ontario is the one that will lead you to all things maple in Orillia & Lake Country. Running March 1 to April 7, Tap into Maple is an opportunity to visit the region’s maple syrup producers, enjoy special maple-themed experiences, and indulge in local maple-inspired cuisine.

This year’s program truly showcases the deep roots of maple in our region with 18 participating locations including 8 maple producers offering an array of sugar bush experiences. Take a self-guided tour through lesser-traveled routes to working sugar shacks that offer a firsthand view of the maple syrup process, from harvesting and boiling to enjoying. Additionally, experience the many ways maple is celebrated by shopping for maple products, enjoying a maple infused craft brew or dining out on maple featured menus.

Plan your route using the map below and check out what each location has to offer!

Indigenous Perspective: The Importance of Sweetwater, Read More

Meet the Producers

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Maple Producers

At Elsie’s Creek Farm, Quality and Flavor are the number one concerns. Carl and his wife Rebecca started producing maple syrup in 1999 and have since expanded their operation to over 1200 taps on their farm. Enjoy self-guided tours of the sugar bush, watch the evaporator in action (weather permitting) and take home delicious maple products.

Hours of Operation:
Advanced bookings preferred call or text 705-737-6339

Just outside of Brechin in Ramara Township, you can find The FarmGate. At The FarmGate you can see the steam rise as Bert boils the sap for all to see. Check out their maple products!

Hours of Operation:
12pm-5pm

Hewitt’s Farm Market & Bakery has maple goodies for visitors to their store in Warminster. Enjoy Hewitt’s Pure Maple Syrup, maple pecan muffins, lollipops, suckers, toffee and maple sugar, as well as maple barbecue sauces, bacon, sausages, butter, fudge and loaves.

Hours of Operation:
Monday-Saturday 9am – 6pm
Sunday 10am – 5pm

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Experience maple syrup being produced from tree to bottle. Enjoy self-guided walking trails, tours of the sugar shack and maple syrup and other maple sugar products available for purchase.

Hours of Operation:
Daily 9am-5pm
Call ahead to see if the sugar shack is boiling! Contact them via phone, e-mail, Facebook, or Instagram.

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Welcome to Maple Grove Syrup, a family owed and operated sugar bush on a property that has been producing Maple Syrup for generations. We are offering self guided walking tours, sugar camp tours, taffy on the snow and demonstrations on the art of producing Maple Syrup. Bring your family and see how syrup is produced the old fashioned way with our 1500 tap operation.

Hours of Operation:
Saturdays, 10am-2pm
Sundays 2pm-4pm
By appointment during the week contacting them via Maple Grove’s website, Facebook, call or e-mail.

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Shaws is a multi-generational family business that has been making maple syrup for 120 years. A local hotspot, Shaws offers self-guided sugar bush tours and an opportunity to see how syrup making in Ontario has changed over the decades. Families can enjoy the taste of maple in Shaws Pancake House where they serve a variety of treats including pancakes, baked goods and more.

Hours of Operation:

Open daily from 8 am to 4 pm until April 14th.

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Making syrup since 1980, Sugar Sweet Farms invites you to see the maple process, from sap to syrup, on their farm in Oro-Medonte. Open seven days a week, look for the big maple syrup sign off of Old Barrie Road! Selling maple syrup and Ontario honey – Free maple samples available!

Hours of Operation:
Open daily for front porch pick up

Traditions are made with family and friends. Windlee Farms Maple Syrup is a family owned and operated business for over a quarter of a century. All of our maple syrup is hand crafted the traditional way on a wood fired evaporator, using modern food grade high efficient equipment. Our operation is ever evolving, from buckets to a modern tubing system with over 500 taps.

Hours of Operation:
Contact to book a time
During Maple Weekend, April 6 & 7, Open 10am-4pm

Dining with Maple

Eat and dine at Casino Rama Resort’s restaurants with maple inspired specials infused throughout each menu. Grab and go at the Cedar Express with a maple inspired beverage and pastry.

Hours of Operation:
Sunday-Thursday 8am-12am, Friday/Saturday 8am-1am

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Eat and dine at Casino Rama Resort’s restaurants with maple inspired specials infused throughout each menu. The Simcoe Yard House welcomes you and your friends for a night out or afternoon get together. The indoor patio stretches out over the gaming floor featuring maple specials and two maple inspired cocktails. Guests must be 19+ to dine at this restaurant.

See the Menu

Hours of Operation:
Simcoe Yard House: 7 days a week 5pm-12am

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Eat and dine at Casino Rama Resort’s restaurants with maple inspired specials infused throughout each menu. Weirs Breakfast Restaurant features a special pancake breakfast.

See the Menu

Hours of Operation:
7 days a week 7am-12pm

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Dine in at G&O Bistro at Best Western Plus Mariposa Inn for a special Tap into Maple 3-course menu highlighting the sweet flavours of maple.

See the Tap into Maple Menu

Hours of Operation:
Wednesdays-Saturdays 5pm-9pm

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Enjoy a relaxing dinner at Pier One Resort’s lakeside restaurant featuring a Maple Salmon menu special made with The Farmgate’s Harrington Maple Syrup.

See the Menu

Hours of Operation: 

Wednesday – Thursday 12pm-8pm
Friday 12pm-10pm
Saturday 9am-10pm
Sunday 9am-8pm

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Licensed Newest Pizza + Eats destination located at Lake Simcoe Regional Airport, just off Highway 11. Visit us for a two specialty menu items featuring local maple syrup.

Hours of Operation:
Tuesday 11am-2pm
Wednesday & Thursday 11am-7pm
Friday 11am-7:30pm
Saturday 12pm-7:30pm

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Visit Quayle’s Brewery and don’t miss Tap Into Maple’s featured craft maple beer on tap. To compliment this, we have a delicious lunch and dinner menu with local ingredients plus a maple crème brule for dessert.

Hours of Operation:
Thursdays-Saturdays 12pm-8pm
Sundays 12pm-5pm

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Support Local, Shop Local

Visit Susie Q Fudge and Gifts for a delightful selection of maple treats! Featuring store-made maple and maple walnut fudge as well as locally produced maple syrup, maple butter and maple candy. Find us downstairs through Mariposa Market.

Hours of Operation:
Monday – Saturday 9:30am-6pm
Sunday 10am-5pm

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Enjoy many sweet treats at Chelsea Chocolates! Indulge with our Maple Madness Bar or our Bourbon Maple Gourmet Bar, both made with locally sourced flavours. Come by for in-store shopping, or visit us online at www.chelseachocolates.com during Tap Into Maple

Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday 10am-5pm
Saturday 10am-4pm

Visit the store featuring maple roasted almonds, peanuts, pecans, cashews. Roasted maple treats use Backwoods Maple Syrup, which is also available for pick up at the Coldwater store!

Hours of Operation:
Tuesday to Saturday 10am-5pm.

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Come down to the Orillia Farmers Market, Saturdays at the Orillia Public Library to pick up locally produced maple products. Featuring birch and maple syrup for sale from Pyrvalley Maple Syrup.

Hours of Operation:
Saturdays 9am-1pm

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A delectable, delightful adventure in chocolate in Downtown Orillia! During Tap into Maple, enjoy an Old Fashioned Dark Chocolate Bar, or Milk Chocolate Maple Almonds featuring Hutchinson’s Maple Syrup.

Hours of Operation:
Wednesday – Saturday 11am-5pm

At Rama Cannabis, we are all about service and the customer experience. Our budmasters are highly-trained professionals, in all things cannabis, to serve both the experienced user and those who are just starting out. Check out our maple infused products during Tap into Maple.

Hours of Operation:
Open Daily 10am-8pm

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Ages 19+

Join the Friends of Wye Marsh and Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons to celebrate a sweet Canadian Tradition. Walk the trails, visit a Sugar Shack, connect with local artisans, meet Animal Ambassadors, learn about our heritage and purchase award-winning maple syrup from Windlee Farms, Buy tickets online March 1-18 and save $5 per person!

Sweetwater Harvest Festival Hours of Operation:
March 23 & 24
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Health & Safety Message

Due to health and safety concerns surrounding Covid-19 we strongly encourage everyone to follow healthy and safety guidelines. Information contained on this page is accurate at the time of publication and could be subject to change with the evolving Covid-19 health emergency. Please check with the operators for health and safety procedures. If you are showing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in contact with a COVID-19 positive case, please stay home. For more information about  health and safety guidelines in the region please visit: simcoemuskokahealth.org/Topics/COVID-19

Please note that all participating businesses will have health and safety protocols in place as directed by the Ontario government and local health unit.

 
 

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