Maple Syruping with Kids in the Twin Cities


March is maple syrup month in Minnesota, and with an abundance of nature centers around the Twin Cities, we have ample opportunities to learn about and participate in the maple syruping process. We’ll keep adding events as they trickle in – usually by late February. Look for one or more of the following activities: tapping the maple trees, collecting the sap, boiling it into syrup, and the best part — according to my kids, anyway — a sample of the finished product.

MAPLE SYRUP IN THE TWIN CITIES CENTRAL METRO

Base Camp

  • 3/25/19: Base Camp Pre-K Days: Searching for Spring | 9am-noon | $8/child ages 2-5 | Sessions include free play, circle time, games, story and a craft project – this month, tap a maple tree. Pre-registration required.

Fort Snelling State Park

  • 3/9/19-3/10/19: Maple Syruping in Your Backyard | Sat/Sun 1-3pm, drop-in | FREE with $7 state park vehicle permit. Program is also held 3/23/19-3/24/19.
  • 3/16/19: Syruping in the City | 1-3pm | FREE with $7 state park vehicle permit.Registration required. Call 612-725-2724 to register.

MAPLE SYRUP IN THE NORTH METRO

Eastman Nature Center | Dayton

  • 3/10/19-3/24/19: Sap to Syrup | March Sundays, 1-4pm | FREE | All ages drop in program. Discover maple syruping history and techniques. Taste the final product. Activity #2ENC0050.
  • 3/16/19: Maple Syrup Festival | Eastman Nature Center, Dayton | 1-4pm | $5/pp | Visit the sugar bush, tap a maple tree and collect fresh sap. All ages drop in program. 
  • 3/17/19: Walk When the Moon is Full: Maple Moon | 7-8:30pm | $5/pp | Walk the sugar bush under the moonlight and discover how sap transforms into maple syrup and sweet treats. Enjoy maple syrup on ice cream. Registration required. Activity #2ENC0050.

French Regional Park | Plymouth

  • 3/10/19 Maple Syrup Festival | 1pm-4pm | $6/pp |Tap a tree, collect sap, and watch it boil down. Sample the park’s natural sweetness with pancakes. Drop in anytime. The festival also takes place 3/23/19.

Harriet Alexander Nature Center | Roseville

Tamarack Nature Center | White Bear Lake

  • 3/16/19: Sap into Syrup | 1-3:30pm | $7/child |  Sign up for one of three sessions. Learn all about tapping trees, collecting sap and making syrup. Program also held 3/23/19.

Wargo Nature Center | Lino Lakes

  • 3/17/19: Maple Syrup Festival | 2-4pm | $5/pp+ vehicle fee | Learn about the tradition of gathering maple sap and cooking it down to make maple syrup and sugar. Make maple crafts and go on a scavenger hunt. Pre-Registration required. (Keyword: Maple)
  • 3/30/19: Maple Syruping Family Program | Wargo Nature Center, Lino Lakes | 1-3pm | $5/pp+ vehicle fee | Get an in-depth look at tree ecology and maple syrup production. Hike through the woods to identify maple trees, learn different ways of collecting sap and how to refine sap into maple syrup. Taste some fresh maple syrup too. Pre-Registration required. (Keyword: Maple).

Warner Nature Center | Marine on St Croix

  • 3/2/19: Maple Syruping Day | 12-4pm | $5/pp | Enjoy on-going family-friendly activities, such as demo tree tapping, sap boiling, maple syrup sampling, crafts, refreshments, and more. Pay at the gate with cash.

MAPLE SYRUP IN THE EAST METRO

Carpenter Nature Center | Hastings

  • 3/10/19: Making Maple Syrup Public Program | 1-3pm | $6/pp | Listen to a story about maple syruping, go outside to tap a maple trees, and sample some maple syrup. Ages 2-5 with adult. Pre-register/Limited space, call 651-437-4359. Also held 3/17/19.
  • 3/15/19: Preschool Story Time: Syrup Season | 10-11am | $5/child | Hike to the “sugar-bush” to tap maple trees, watch the process of turning sap into syrup and then sample. Program starts indoors, but be ready to hike in the spring snow and mud. Pre-register, limited space.

Maplewood Nature Center

  • 3/16/19: Tap & Sap Family Event | 1:30-3pm | $5/child | Families with children ages 6+ can learn about how trees wake up in the spring. Get acquainted with maple tree tapping tools and equipment, and help tap a real tree. Taste maple sap and real maple syrup! Pre-registration required. Activity #16350. Program is also held 3/23/19.
  • 3/23/19: Maple Sap into Syrup With ECFE | 10-11:30am | $5/child, ages 0-preK | Parents stay with their children during the entire class. Pre-registration required.

MAPLE SYRUP IN THE SOUTH METRO

Cleary Lake Regional Park, Prior Lake

Dodge Nature Center, West St Paul

  • 3/9/19: Pancake Breakfast | 8am-10:30am | Enjoy pancakes and pure maple syrup. Explore this Minnesota tradition with a naturalist-led hike to learn about the process of maple sap collection and syrup production. This is a free event, walk-ins are welcome, and donations are appreciated.
  • 3/16/19: Maple Syruping | 1-2:30pm | $7/pp | Tree tapping demo, collect sap, visit the evaporator, and sample maple syrup. Geared for K+. Pre-registration required. Program also held Saturdays 3/23/19 & 3/30/19.
  • 3/21/19: Nature After Dinner: Maple Syrup Time | 6:30-7:30pm | $10/child ages 3-8, adults free | Learn about making sugar and syrup from maple sap, how to identify the maple trees and taste the whole process. Families welcome. Pre-registration required.

Pond-Dakota Mission Park | Bloomington

  • 3/10/19: Maple Sugaring | 2pm-4pm | FREE | Outdoors, learn about choosing trees to tap, collecting the sap, and boiling it down to make syrup. Inside the house, watch syrup transform into sugar and sample maple candy. Drop-in program for all ages.

Richardson Nature Center | Bloomington

  • 3/7/19: My Preschooler & Me Puppet Escapades: Trees & Maple Syrup | 10-11:30am or 1-2:30pm | $5/pp | Ages 2-5 with adult, pre-registration required. Activity #2RNC0110.
  • 3/9/19: Maple Syrup Time | 2-3pm | $5/pp | Learn to identify a maple tree and collect sap. Watch sap boil in an evaporator and taste test real maple syrup. Drop-ins welcome (space permitting). Reservations recommended. Activity #2RNC3050. Program also held 3/23/19.

The Landing | Shakopee

Wood Lake Nature Center | Richfield

  • 3/10/19: Sunday Special: Magical Maples | 1-2:30pm & 3-4:30pm | $3/pp | Hike into the woods to help collect and boil syrup and learn a little history. Limit 30 people. Program also takes place 3/16/19 & 3/17/19.


MAPLE SYRUP IN THE WEST METRO

Baker Near-Wilderness Settlement | Maple Plain

  • 3/10/19: Family Maple Syrup | 3-5pm | $6/pp includes tasting syrup on pancakes. Program is also held 3/17/19 & 3/31/19.

Gale Woods Farm | Minnetrista

Lowry Nature Center | Victoria

  • 3/9/19: Laura’s Adventures: Sugar on Snow | 12:30-2:30pm | $7/pp | Age 5+ | Learn about Laura’s life in the big woods from one of her books, hands-on learning, and old-fashioned crafts and treats. Visit the forest, tap a maple tree, and see how syrup is made. Taste syrup on snow or ice cream, and make a small hand-sewn nine-patch quilt. Reservations required.
  • 3/23/19: Maple Syrup Festival and Pancake Brunch | 10am-1pm | $10/pp ages 3+ | Identify a sugar maple, tap a tree, collect and taste sap, and learn about the syruping process. Catered brunch includes pancakes, sausage and fruit and is served with syrup made at Lowry Nature Center. Reservations required by March 20. 
  • 3/25/19: My Preschooler & Me: Puppet Escapades: Maple Syrup | 10-11am | $4/pp ages 2-6 | Take in a puppet show and explore activity stations before the performance. Bring a picnic lunch for after or hike on your own. Reservations required. 

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum | Chaska

  • 3/30/19: MapleFest | 8:30am-2:30pm | $15/pp ages 13+, under 13 admitted free (attend a brunch for an additional $10-$15/pp) | Hike the maple trail to learn about the syruping process, then get a taste of it in the Sugarhouse. Special brunches will take place on the weekend for an additional charge.

MAPLE SYRUP ROAD TRIP

3/16/19: Maple Open House | B&E Trees, Cashton WI | 1-5pm | FREE | Tours of the farm and sugar house, self-guided tours, outdoor games, and more. Visitors are invited to taste maple syrup hot off the evaporator, tap a tree, and come along for a day of adventure. Bring your boots, and be ready to get muddy.

Home School Maple Syruping Activities

3/11/19: Homeschool: Maple Syrup | Lowry Nature Center, Victoria | 10am-12pm | $5/pp | Ages 5-16 | Explore the process from its history to how it is done today. More sessions 3/18, 3/25 & 4/1 – attend all or one. Reservations required.

3/12/19: Homeschool: Maple Syrup Chemistry and Engineering | Eastman Nature Center, Dayton | 1pm-3:30pm | $5/pp | Ages 10-14 | Make your annual maple syrup trip into a science lesson with your homes school group. Reservations required.

3/18/19: Homeschool: Maple Syruping  | French Regional Park, Plymouth | 1:30-3pm | $6/pp | Ages 5-17 | Identify maple trees, tap them, and collect the sap. See how sap boils into syrup and taste a delicious sample. Reservations required by two days prior.

3/21/19: Homeschool: Maple Syruping  | Cleary Lake Park, Prior Lake | 1:30-3pm | $6/pp | Ages 5-17 | Identify maple trees, tap them, and collect the sap. See how sap boils into syrup and taste a delicious sample. Reservations required by two days prior.

3/21/19: Homeschool Programs | Wargo Nature Center, Lino Lakes | 2 session times; 2 age groups | $5/pp+ vehicle fee | Naturalists work with homeschoolers with hands-on activities. Pre-registration is required and these are filling fast.

Scout Maple Syrup Activities

3/3/19: Scout Day: Making Maple Syrup | Carpenter Nature Center | 1-3pm | $6/scout | Space is limited so call 651-437-4359 to pre-register and ask about how this program meets badge requirements. 

3/11/19: Scouts: Maple Syruping | Baker Near-Wilderness Settlement, Maple Plain | 12pm-2pm | $5/pp | Ages 5-17 | Identify and tap maple trees. Collect the sap and cook it to make tasty maple syrup or sugar. Reservations required.

3/18/19: Scouts: Maple Syruping  | French Regional Park, Plymouth | 4:30-6pm | $5/pp | Ages 5-17 | Identify and tap maple trees. Collect the sap and cook it to make tasty maple syrup or sugar. Reservations required by two days prior.

3/19/19: Scouts: Maple Syruping | Lowry Nature Center, Victoria | 4:30-6pm | $5/pp | Ages 5-17 | Identify and tap maple trees. Collect the sap and cook it to make tasty maple syrup or sugar. Reservations required.

3/21/19: Scouts: Maple Syruping  | Cleary Lake Park, Prior Lake | 4:30-6pm | $5/pp | Ages 5-17 | Identify and tap maple trees. Collect the sap and cook it to make tasty maple syrup or sugar. Reservations required by two days prior.

Past

NOTE: We may not have completely tapped the Three Rivers Park System’s Maple Syrup events. You can find all Three Rivers events here.


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