Maple Sugaring in New Jersey

Discover The Best 2020 Places
To Experience The Process

Maple sugaring has a history in New Jersey that began centuries ago with the Native Americans Indians and colonists.

This is an excellent winter family or kids group activity. In New Jersey, the maple sugaring season runs early February until mid-Mar

New Jersey is at the southern most region for the maple sugaring and as a result, today there are no commercial maple sugaring farms in NJ. While commercial farms are not available, New Jersey has a number of parks that conduct maple sugaring programs for education and demonstration purposes.

While the maple sugaring process was started by native American Indians, it later evolved in the mid nineteenth century by farmers who began to use metal spiles, metal buckets, and metal tanks for sap collection and storage.

There are still many places in New Jersey that are open to the public where visitors can get to experience and become involved with the nineteenth century process of tapping trees by hand and making maple syrup. The process begins with the tapping of Maple trees, collecting the sap, and then producing the syrup by boiling over an open fire and evaporating it down to the final product of Maple syrup. It takes 35 to 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup.

Note: This information is provided by event sponsors as a free service to our viewers. Sometimes conditions require cancellations or changes of dates, times and location which are not reflected in the original schedule. Before planning a trip to visit one of the listed events, it is suggested that you call the event sponsor to confirm the event schedule or for additional information on the event.

Maple Sugaring in Northern Jersey

Maple Sugaring Demo & Festival
Saturdays & Sundays, January 18, 19, 25, 26, February 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, March 1, 7 & 8, 2020
Seatings: 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center .
247 Southern Boulevard
Chatham, NJ
Cost: $4 per person age 3 & up.
973.635.6629. No registration is required, but seating is first come, first served. All ages welcome.
Website
Learn how to identify and tap maple trees, collect sap, and make syrup over a wood-fired evaporator. Taste-test different syrups at the end.

Maple Sugaring: Tap That Tree!
Saturday, January 25, 2020; 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Reeves-Reed Arboretum
165 Hobart Avenue
Summit, New Jersey
(908) 273-8787
Website
Cost: Members $5.00 | Non-Members $15.00
February marks the beginning of maple sugaring season. Join Director of Children's Education Jackie Kondel as she taps the Arboretum's maple trees in preparation for this season's sap flow. Not only will families learn the hows and whys behind tapping trees, but will also get first-hand experience actually helping us do it! Registration is required. for children ages 5 and up with an adult.

Maple Sugaring
Sundays, February 2, 9, 16, 23, March 1, 8, 15, 24, 2020: Programs start at 2pm & 3:30pm
Visitor Center
Tenafly Nature Center
313 Hudson Ave.
Tenafly, NJ
Website
Cost: Free, Registration suggested
This is a great, family outdoor winter experience. Learn how to identify a maple tree and the history of syrup making and how technology has changed the way we gather sap over the centuries. The group will check Tenafly Nature Center's tapped tree and boil down sap to make fresh, warm maple syrup, a sweet treat for all to taste. All ages are welcome.

Maple Sugaring at the Hermitage
Saturday, February 15th, 2020: 1:00 pm – 4:00pm (TThe rain or heavy-snow date for this event Sunday, February 16th.)
Hermitage Museum
335 North Franklin Turnpike
Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ
Website/Tickets Family tickets are $25 and individual tickets are $15. 
This event is exiting hands The Hermitage Master Gardeners will be tapping about 15 trees on the grounds of the National Historic Landmark. Families and friends are invited to learn how to tap maple trees and the importance of maple sugaring to the Lenape and early Dutch and English settlers in Northern New Jersey. Children 12 and older and adults will also be able to tap the trees with the Master Gardeners. Guests will be sent home with the equipment to tap the trees in their own yards and instructions on boiling the sap into syrup. During the event a small concession stand featuring hot beverages and maple sugary snacks will be also be open. Tap times will be available at 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm.
All proceeds benefit the The Hermitage Museum.

Maple Sugaring at the Van Fleck House
February 22, 2020: Tour times: 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30 pm
Van Vleck House & Gardens
21 Van Vleck Street
Montclair, NJ
(973) 744-4752
Website/Tickets Registration required
Cost: $10 – $40
Looking for a super sweet activity the whole family will love? Don't miss Van Vleck House & Gardens' annual Maple Sugaring event! Families are invited learn how to identify a sugar maple tree and discover the steps for turning sap into syrup, focusing on a tapped sugar maple tree in Mother's Garden. Program includes a tour and demonstration, and wouldn't be complete without a maple syrup tasting! The tour is inside and outside so please dress for the weather. Tour lasts approximately 1 hour.

Maple Sugaring at the Environmental Education Center
February 22, 23, 29 March 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 2020 Saturdays - 10:00am, Noon, and 2:00pm Sundays - Noon and 2:00pm
The Environmental Education Center
190 Lord Stirling Road
Basking Ridge
Visit Site
908 722-1200, ext. 5332
Suggested donation: $1 per person
Visitors will get see how trees are tapped, view sap-collecting methods past and present, and see the boiling process that produces delicious New Jersey maple syrup. This 90-minute program is conducted at our Sugar Shack, a ½-mile hike from the EEC.
Please arrive at the EEC 20-30 minutes before the program start time and dress appropriately for the weather conditions.
Boots are recommended as the trails can be wet, muddy, and/or covered by snow.

Maple Sugaring Open House
Sunday, March 1, 2020; 1pm - 4 pm (rain or shine)
Schiff Nature Center
339 Pleasant Valley Road
Mendham, 07945
Website
973-543-6004
Cost: Free to Schiff members. Non-member fee is $4 per person or $15 for a family of 4.
Please register in advance. Seating is first come, first served.
This 1 1/2 hour program features a hands-on demonstration of maple sugar production.
The educational presentation will explain the history of maple sugaring, the seasonal life cycle of the sugar maple tree, and how 100% real maple syrup is made from finding and tapping the tree. Following the educational program, enthusiasts can view the wood-fired evaporator at work and then move on to sampling the final product. Of course the best part is tasting fresh syrup and tasty treats made fromtheir own Schiff maple syrup. An optional two mile field walk to the working maple grove will be offered to see the tapping and collection operation.

Maple Sugaring Demonstration & Educational Program
Saturday, March 21 & Sunday, March 22, 2020; 10 am - 3pm
Lusscraft Farm
50 Neilson Road
Wantage, NJ
973-875-4800
Website
Come see how maple sugar is made from Sap! Lusscroft Farm is a part of High Point State Park. It is a symbol of our vanishing rural heritage, holding a unique place in the Garden State's agricultural history. It embraces some of our most inspiring scenic vistas, intriguing geology and interesting topography.

Maple Sugar Sunday
March 22, 2020: 2pm - 4pm
Miller-Cory House Museum
614 Mountain Avenue
Westfield, NJ
Website
Email: millercorymuseum@gmail.com
Telephone: 908-232-1776
No reservations are required
Admission (unless otherwise noted): $5.00 age 13 & older; $3.00 ages 3-12; free under age 3.
This event is a lecture about the technique of maple sugaring, explaining how the maple sap rises and flows, how it is collected using wooden buckets and handmade spiles, and how sugar and syrup are made from the sap.
(Note: No trees will actually be tapped)

Maple Sugaring in Central Jersey

Maple Sugaring at Echo Hill
42 Lilac Drive
Flemington, NJ
Visit Site
Two programs:
Maple Tree Tapping
Saturday, January 25, 2020; Time: 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Ages: 5 through adult Cost: $3
We will meet at the playground and walk to the sugar bush (about five to ten minutes). Then, Recreation Leader Patrick Eckard will demonstrate how to tap a maple tree and participants will collectively tap about 30 trees.
Maple Sap Collection
Saturday, February 8, 2020 Time: 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Ages: 5 through adult Cost: $3
We will meet at the playground and walk to the sugar bush (about five to ten minutes).
Collecting the sap is a crucial step of the maple sugaring process! Many methods are used on commercial farms, but the basic idea is the same—moving the sap from the maple trees to the stove.

Sugar Shack Tour, Tasting & Tractor Ride
February 8, 9, 15, 16, 2020; 10:00am — 3:00pm (weather permtting)
Happy Day Farm
106 Iron Ore Rd
Manalapan, NJ
Website
(732) 977-3607
Cost: $8 (tractor ride included), Children 1 and under FREE, Cash only!
Freezing nights and thawing days mark the beginning of maple sugaring season, and at Happy Day Farm the work of tapping trees and boiling sap is underway. ​ This is a great outdoor winter experience where attendees will take a tractor ride of their 130-acre farm. Visitors will get to see their 'sugar bush', find out what equipment is needed to collect sap, learn first hand how to identify maple trees, and lend Farmer Tim a hand in the tapping process.

Sugar Maple Celebration
February 15, 2020; 10am - 3pm
Duke Farms
1112 Dukes Parkway West
Hillsborough, NJ
Website & Registration
(908) 722-3700
Free Event
Celebrate the Sugar Maple and the magic it brings to your table. Learn about the entire maple sugaring process with Duke Farms Executive Director Michael Catania. Participate in activities and nature hikes focused on wildlife, tree identification, best forestry practices, and climate change as it relates to the Sugar Maple and our native forests. Experience the flavor of New Jersey maple syrup, visit live demonstrations, and have fun!

Maple Sugaring Brunch & Hike
Saturday, February 29, 2020; 2 sessions: 9:30 – 11:30AM OR 11:00AM – 1:00PM
The Watershed Center
31 Titus Mill Road
Pennington, NJ 08534
609-737-3735
Website
tlove@thewatershed.org
Cost: $22.00 per Adult $15.00 per Child (3-13)
Join us at the Watershed Center for this popular annual event. Hike with the Teacher-Naturalists to our tapped trees, learn about the process to convert maple sap to syrup and visit the evaporation station. The highlight of the morning is a delicious pancake brunch, served with our homemade maple syrup made from trees on the Reserve! Part of this program is conducted outdoors – winter gear, including boots, is necessary. Sign up for one session – registration and prepayment are required.

Maple Sugaring at Washington Crossing State Park
Saturday March 7, 2020;1:00 - 2:30 p.m, Sunday March 8, 2020; 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Saturday March 14, 2020; 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. & Sunday March 15, 2020; 1:30 – 3:00 p.m
Washington Crossing State Park Nature Center
355 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road
Titusville, NJ
(609) 737-0623
Website
All ages.
Pre-registration required, Admission is free.
Visitors will learn and experience the history of maple sugaring by using homemade sumac spiles, crafted in the park. The program starts with an educational slide presentation on the history, folklore, mechanics, and science of maple sugaring. The group then hikes into the forest for a demonstration and some personal practice in sugar maple tree identification and tapping. There are extensive stands of sugar maple trees throughout the state park.

Maple Sugaring in Southern Jersey

Connect with Nature: Maple Sugaring
Sunday, February 23, 2020; 1:30 – 3:00pm
Rancocas Nature Center
794 Rancocas Rd.
Westampton, NJ 08060
Cost: Members: $7/person, $15/family (limit 5) Nonmembers: $9/person, $21/family (limit 5) Pay upon arrival Register at 609 261-2495 or Register Online
Website
What a tasty way to spend a winter afternoon! Bring the whole family and enjoy a program about maple sugaring, the oldest continuous industry in North America. Learn about the sugar maple tree and the history of maple sugaring, observe a tapping demonstration, and enjoy a maple syrup tasting. To ward off the chills, we'll have an old-fashioned campfire burning. Rancocas Nature Center

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