The maple season in New England is a festive time in late winter when maple trees are tapped to collect their sap, which is then boiled down into syrup. It’s a very popular time to visit the north eastern where celebrations of this local tradition are in full swing.

Swipe through to learn how to enjoy New England’s maple season.

Visit a Sugarhouse

Usually found in quaint, wooded settings, a sugarhouse or sugarshack is a building where maple sap is boiled in an evaporator to produce maple syrup. During the season, these facilities are often open to tourists for tours and demonstrations and of course, offer plenty of product samples.

Photography: Pinterest/Two Sisters Abroad

Visit The Rocks

Located in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, The Rocks is a 1,300-acre estate that hosts various events throughout the year, including a celebration of maple syrup during maple season. Enjoy family-friendly activities such as wagon tours and visits to a maple museum. You may even get to tap a tree to draw your own sap!

Enjoy Sugar on Snow

You and your family will love sugar on snow —a traditional and delicious New England treat. Hot maple syrup is drizzled onto snow or ice and hardens into a taffy-like candy.

Photography: Pinterest/The Kitchn

Dress Warmly

To fully enjoy maple season, pack plenty of cold-weather clothes. It’s still quite chilly in the Northeast when the trees are sapping, so bring plenty of sweaters, coats, scarves, gloves, waterproof footwear and maybe even snow shoes!

More Places to Visit

In addition to Vermont and New Hampshire, other New England states celebrate maple season as well. And if you’d like to head further north, our friends in Canada go all in for maple season. Quebec alone produces 80% of the world’s maple syrup.

Photography: Pinterest/Deborah Smith

Maple Weekends

In Vermont, make plants to attend the statewide Maple Open House Weekend, held in March. Or (and?) visit the New Hampshire Maple Weekend, held on a different weekend in March. Experience the traditional process of turning sap into syrup, take tours and buy maple products to take home.

Photography: Pinterest/Dances With Knives

Plan Ahead

Maple season is a very popular time to visit both New England and Quebec, so you’ll want to plan your visit ahead of time. Make transportation and hotel reservations well in advance, and book tours ahead, too, you’re not disappointed when you arrive.