Sweetest 17 Michigan Maple Syrup Festivals & Events 2024, Learn How Maple Syrup is Made This Spring! Shepherd, Vermontville, Midland, Detroit, Ann Arbor
Article: 2024 Michigan Maple Syrup Festivals and Events, Learn How Maple Syrup is Made This Spring at Maple Weekends! Shepherd, Vermontville, Midland, Detroit, Ann Arbor
Are you a huge maple syrup lover like me? Learn how to tap trees and see first-hand how Michigan maple syrup is made! Make it a great learning weekend getaway for your kids and family in southwest, southeast or mid Michigan this spring!
Are you wondering where the best Michigan Maple Syrup festivals and events are located across the state? Michigan maple weekends occur throughout the early springtime months of March and April so check our HUGE list below. You are sure to find Michigan maple syrup festivals near you!
Well...we have THE HUGE LIST of syrup festivals for March and April!
Is Michigan Known for Maple Syrup? HECK YEAH!
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DID YOU KNOW...Michigan ranks 5th for maple syrup production? Per the USDA, Michigan produced approximately 190,000 gallons for the 2022 season!
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Pretty cool, huh!
Vermont is the leader in the US for producing maple syrup and creates about half of the U.S. supply of maple syrup every year.
However, here in Michigan, we are holding our own. The state is in the top 10 U.S. producers, averaging around 7th place. Hence why we have so many Michigan Maple Syrup festivals!
2024 Michigan Maple Syrup Festivals and Event Map
There are so many maple syrup events in Michigan 2024!
Self-Guided Maple Sugaring Hikes at Michigan's Scenic Metroparks
Self-Guided Maple Sugaring Hikes! Look for the sign that marks the beginning of the Maple Sugaring Hiking trail and then hike until you find each trail stop! Be sure to take a moment to scan the QR codes to discover more about maple syrup along the way! You can find the self-guided hike the entire month of March at:
- Wolcott Mill Metropark Historic Center
- Stony Creek Metropark Nature Center
- Kensington Metropark Farm Center
- Hudson Mills Metropark Activity Center
- Oakwoods Metropark Nature Center
1. 2024 Shepherd Michigan Maple Syrup Festival
When: Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival, April 25-28, 2024
Where: From the carwashes on Wright (Main) Avenue, go north on Third Street 4 blocks. The Sugar Bush building is on the corner of Boulevard and Third.
The Shepherd Michigan Maple Syrup Festival, held annually during the last full weekend of April, has grown from a pancake supper to a 3-day festival.
- My Mom always says this is one of her favorite Michigan Maple Syrup Festivals as she grew up in Mt. Pleasant.
It’s a great family weekend with parades, a classic car display, tractor and horse pulls, bingo, arts and crafts, and pancake meals.
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How many gallons of maple syrup are produced each year? - Average maple syrup production in Michigan is about 90,000 gallons per year (per Michigan Grown)!
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2. Milford Maple Syrup Events "Maple's Sweet Story" (Kensington Metropark)
Milford Maple Syrup Events
Location: Kensington Metropark located at 4570 Huron River Parkway, Milford, MI
Michigan Maple Syrup Festivals - Kensington MetroparkWe love this March Michigan event as you take a guided walk through the farm’s Sugar Bush, learn how to pick trees, see how maple trees are tapped and how to gather sap. Plan to walk approximately a ¼ mile over uneven ground.
Michigan Maple Syrup Festivals - Kensington MetroparkYou can visit the Sugar Shack to see and smell the sap being boiled down into maple sugar.
You will then visit the French and Native camps to hear fascinating stories. This gentleman's wife hand created and beaded his beautiful intricate attire.
He told us stories from his childhood as a Native American and discussed how maple syrup was made in times past.
Taste a sample of maple syrup at the end of the tour. Tours begin every ½ hour, last approximately one hour and are entirely outdoors.
HOT TIP: We highly recommend pre-registration a couple weeks or earlier as they sold out last year.
There are tons of cute animals to see at Kensington Metropark too! You can see geese, pigs, horses, cows and much more!
A Metroparks vehicle entry permit is required when you enter the park, which is around $10 per car.
This is one of our favorite Michigan Maple Syrup Festivals!
Time: 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $3 per child, $5 per adult, children under 2 Free! Pre-registration is required by 4 p.m. three days before the program.
Interesting Spiles Through History
Here is the text corresponding with the numbers 1-5 above. It explains the use of the spiles on this sample board from Chippewa Nature Center.
1. Early sap collection was started by slashing the tree bark to get the sap to flow. Spiles like the two on the left were used. This method was used as late as 1860. (Imagine the damage this created to the lovely trees!!)
2. In the 1800's a chisel was used to make a box-shaped hole in the tree and a long wood spile was inserted.
3. In the Mid-1800's, a drilled hole replaced the boxed hole and the short wood spiles were used. All wood spile were gone by 1900.
4. In 1880, cast metal spiles came into use. The lower stamped metal spiles are used today.
5. In the 1960s, plastic spiles were introduced. Used with plastic tubing, several trees are connected to one collection pail.
3. 2024 Journey to the Sugar Bush (Hudson Mills Metropark): Michigan Maple Weekends!
When: February 24 and 25, 2024 and also March 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17, 2024.
Where: Hudson Mills Metropark, Activity Center, 8801 N Territorial Rd, Dexter, MI 48130. Fun for all ages!
**Pre-registration is required by 4 p.m. the day before the program. The Huron-Clinton Metroparks event calendar has booking info.
Experience how maple syrup has been made over the years, learn how to tap a tree, and visit the evaporator to see the sap being boiled into syrup. This Michigan spring activity starts indoors and ends outside. The program is about 40 minutes and includes a slow walk with frequent stops. The walk is about a 1/4 mile.
- When you register, add some pancakes to go! This ready-to-eat meal comes with flatware and napkins to take home or inside the Activity Center. Pancake meals are available through pre-order only, between 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., on March 2, 3, 16, and 17, 2024
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Cost: $3 per child, $5 per adult; children under 2 Free!
4. 2024 Maple Sweetness Events at Wolcott Mill Metropark | Such Fun Michigan Maple Syrup Festivals!
When: March 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 and 24, 2024.
Where: Maple Sweetness is held at the Wolcott Mill Metropark, Historic Center, 63841 Wolcott Rd, Romeo, MI 48065
It’s maple syrup season! Enjoy a tractor drawn wagon ride out to the sugar shack to see a wood-fired evaporator and learn how sap is turned into delicious syrup! Learn how to identify and tap maple trees too. Throughout the 1 hour program plan to walk on dirt and gravel surfaces.
Cost: $3 per child, $5 per adult, children under 2 Free!
Pre-registration is required by 4 p.m. the day before the program.
Our MetroParks have a full Calendar of Events!
Michigan Maple Syrup Festivals - Kensington5. Maple Row Sugarhouse - Michigan's Premier Maple Syrup Festival! 2024
Michigan's Premier Maple Syrup Festival at Maple Row Sugarhouse -
When: March 16, 17, 23, 24, 2024
- Saturdays 9-4
- Sundays 10-4
Where: Maple Row Sugarhouse,12646 Born St., Jones, MI.
Celebrating everything maple syrup! There will be a petting farm, photo booth, kids activities, sugarhouse tours and FUN!
- Super fun Maple Syrup festival in Michigan!
6. Maple Sugaring Through the Ages | Oakwoods Metropark, Nature Center
Where: Oakwoods Metropark, Nature Center, 32911 Willow Road, New Boston, MI 48164
When: March 2 and 9, 2024
Times: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. & 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Cost: $4 per child, $6 per adult, children under 2 Free!
Come on out to Oakwoods Metropark to learn how to collect maple sap and the different ways early Americans used maple syrup. To begin the tour, you will discover the history of maple sugaring in the warmth of the indoors and then take a walk outdoor to three sugaring camps. During your time at these camps, see how maple sugaring has changed or remained the same from the past to the present.
During this maple syrup event you'll spend about 45 minutes seated and then spend 75 minutes slowly walking to the camps. The program will end at the Oakwoods Nature Center. Plan on walking on both dirt and gravel pathways.
Pre-registration is required by 4 p.m. the day before the program.
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40
gallons of sap yields one gallon of syrup!
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7. 2024 Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival
Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival
When: April 26, 27 and 28, 2024
Where: 10445 Nashville Hwy, Vermontville, MI
- Did you know Vermontville is the original maple syrup festival in Michigan? It started in 1940 when local syrup producers met in a barber shop to figure out how to sell their products. Cool, huh!
Come on out to celebrate everything maple syrup! Several local syrup producers will be selling syrup, candies, crème, and treats like maple syrup cotton candy. YUMMY! Vermontville is one of the most popular Michigan Maple Syrup Festivals!
What is there to do?
- Carnival rides
- Talent show
- Arts and crafts
- Flea market
- Two parades
- Petting zoo
- Princess pageant
- Games/entertainment
- Pancake derby
- Arm wrestling
- Pancake breakfast
A word from Eliza Trowbridge, the 2023 Vermontville Maple Syrup Queen-Congratulations Eliza!
"This year, on April 28, 2023, the 82nd Annual Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival will once again transform the Village of Vermontville. There will be carnival rides, fireworks, two parades, unique vendors, a petting zoo, and even more in our own little village.
My name is Eliza Trowbridge, and I am the 2023 Vermontville Maple Syrup Queen. Some of my favorite things to do include: spending time outdoors, going to church with my family and friends, playing soccer, spending time with my horse, Lullaby, and of course, going to the Maple Syrup Festival! I have been attending the festival since I was three years old, and becoming the Queen is something I have always dreamed about. The Maple Syrup Festival is truly one of my favorite times of the year. I love how the festival brings together so many people of all ages and backgrounds, and transports us back to a time of wholesome, old-fashioned fun.
As Queen, I would like to share with you some of my favorite parts of the Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival. My festival weekend always starts at the Official Opening on Friday at 6 pm. During the opening, both the Grand Marshals and Queen and Court are introduced. Following that, there is an entertaining talent show with competitors ranging in age from toddler to adult. I have always enjoyed participating, and this year I will be playing the piano. Friday evening ends with an amazing firework show at 9 pm.
On Saturday at 11 am, another of my favorite events will take place – the Children’s Parade. This is a mini-parade in which all of the floats have been built by kids! It is a competition, and the winners are invited to participate in the 3 pm Grand Parade. If you would like to enter the Children’s Parade, the Vermontville Syrup Corporation Facebook Page has additional information. After the Children’s Parade, my friends and I head over to the Fire Barn to enjoy a brunch of pancakes, sausage, and maple syrup. We spend the day shopping at the Arts and Crafts Show and Flea Market, listening to music at the Main Stage, eating popcorn at the Maple Manor, visiting the Petting Zoo, and enjoying maple root beer, maple cotton candy, maple sugar candy, and much, much more! The festival hosts nine different maple syrup producers who all sell their own unique maple products. And at 3 pm on Saturday is an event that you do not want to miss – the Grand Parade!
My Sunday begins with church downtown at the Main Stage. The service starts at 11 am, and includes great music and an awesome message by Pastor Joe Benedict. After that, my friends and I enjoy a delicious chicken dinner sold by the Vermontville Lion’s Club. At 1 pm, the arm wrestling, egg toss, kid’s tractor- pull, and pancake derby competitions begin. These events are truly a favorite part of the festival for me. One of my best friends and I actually became friends at the Maple Syrup Festival years ago, and we have been participating in the egg toss together ever since. Although we usually get out on the second toss, last year we totally surprised ourselves and won!
Attending the Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival is something I absolutely love, and I know you will too. It is free to attend, and with such a wide variety of events, there is something for everyone to enjoy. I look forward to meeting you all. See you there!"
Here Are Some Maple Syrup Recipes From the Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival!
Vermontville Maple Sweet Potatoes
• 4-5 sweet potatoes, boiled in skins
• 4-5 medium apples
• 1/4 c butter
• 1 c maple syrup
• Pinch of salt
• Buttered crumbs
Add pared, sliced apples to Maple Syrup. Add butter and salt. Cook slowly until apples are tender. Pare boiled sweet potatoes and slice half into well-buttered pan. Spoon half of syrup mixture over potatoes. Repeat. Top generously with buttered crumbs. Bake at 400°F until reheated and crumbs browned.
8. 2024 Kalamazoo Nature Center Maple Sugar Festival
Kalamazoo Nature Center Maple Sugar Festival is good sweet fun for the whole family!
When: KNC's Maple Sugar Festival is Saturday, March 9, 2024
Location: Kalamazoo Nature Center, 7000 N. Westnedge Ave. Kalamazoo, MI 49009
Did you know the Nature Center has held events centered around Maple Sugar season since 1966?
You don't want to miss their pancake breakfast, guided tours of the syrup-making process, live animal programs, games and "sweet" vendors.
9. Making Maple Syrup Tours at Maybury Farm in Northville Michigan
Making Maple Syrup Tours are so much fun at Maybury Farm in Northville!
When: Saturdays & Sundays, March 2-30 2024.
- Tours depart at 12, 12:30, 1, 1:30, 2, 2:30, 3, 3:30, & 4pm
- Farm opens at noon and closes at 5pm.
Where: Maybury Farm, Northville, Michigan. 50165 8 Mile Rd., Northville, MI 48167
There are several tours per day, beginning with a wagon ride out to the sugarbush to learn all about maple sap and sugaring. You will learn how sap becomes maple syrup at the “sugar shack."
Plus, you can warm up Maybury Farm General Store with hot drinks and snacks, free recipes and Michigan Maple Syrup to purchase for yourself and gifts!
Michigan made syrup makes excellent stocking stuffers and gifts, just sayin'!
Reservations are not required - tickets will be sold at the door.
10. Maple Syrup Season at Chippewa Nature Center 2024! Maple Syrup Day and An Afternoon At the Sugarhouse!
NOTE: There are 2 different events happening during maple sugaring time. There are Afternoons at the Sugarhouse and the one day festival which is Maple Syrup Day. All my photos below are from our experiences at the Maple Syrup Day. Keep reading to learn about both!
A. An Afternoon At the Sugarhouse
An Afternoon At the Sugarhouse
When: An Afternoon At the Sugarhouse is Saturdays and Sundays, March 2, 3, 9, 10, 23, 24, 30, 2024 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in March 2024.
Where: Chippewa Nature Center, 400 S. Badour Rd. Midland, MI 48640, US
Come on out to Chippewa Nature Center in Midland Michigan to peek into buckets on tapped trees, watch the steam rise in the sugarhouse and learn how to change maple sap into sweet maple syrup. FREE!
B. 2024 Maple Syrup Day
- 2024 Maple Syrup Day is March 16, 2024, 10 am - 4pm.
- Pancake Meal is 9 am-2 pm.
Festival admission is free for children and CNC members; nonmember adults are just $5. Pancake meal timed-tickets are sold separately. Lots of activities and demonstrations. See the process of making maple syrup! I LOVE this event and I go every year. Bundle up as it's usually SUPER cold.
After parking, buying your ticket and getting your hand stamped, take a fun short wagon ride to the Sugarhouse to see where they boil sap into pure maple syrup.
Enjoy an ongoing presentation at the Sugarhouse! See sap being reduced to syrup! This is a warm spot to ask questions and learn everything you wanted to know about the syrup making process!
- We learned that maple syrup doesn't flow during cold days, but when the temperatures rise to the 40's and 50's, it's go time!
Seeing how they made sap in the 1890s! I really love this cauldron, I want one! Makes me feel like I need to add eye of newt or frogs toes!
Watch a 1870's sap boiling demonstration and take a guided tour of the sugarbush!
Did you know you can make quick maple candy?
Well, another sweet thing to do at the Chippewa Nature Center's Maple Syrup Day is enjoy a sweet treat of maple syrup mixed in ice and placed on a popsicle stick! YUMMY!
- So come on out to Chippewa Nature Center for Maple Syrup Day with food and fun for all ages! You can also walk their trails!
One of our favorite Michigan Maple Syrup Festivals!
11. Maple Syrup Time at Stage Nature Center | Troy, Michigan
Maple Syrup Time at Stage Nature Center
When: Saturdays, March 2, 9 and 16, 2024
Tours last approximately 1.25 hours and start every quarter hour between 9 am and 3 pm.
Where: Stage Nature Center, Troy, Michigan, 6685 Coolidge Hwy, Troy, MI 48098
Bundle up the kids and go for a fun nature hike through the sugar bush of the Stage Nature Center! See how maple trees make sugar and how it is collected. Learn about the natural and local history of this southeast Michigan region. See how maple sugar is gathered, boiled, and processed.
Join a group to be guided along the trail to visit a historic sugar camp and see the wood-stoked evaporator at the Sugar Shed. Enjoy maple syrup and maple cream samples and a “take-home” children’s craft. Shop for Michigan-made maple syrup, cream, and more sold by the Troy Historic Village. Super popular Michigan maple syrup festivals in southeast Michigan!
12. Maple Syrup at the Ford House: Tapped, Shaken, and Served | Grosse Pointe Shores
The Ford House: March 7, 2024 at 5:30 p.m Ages 21+
Location: The Ford House, 1100 Lake Shore Rd, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI 48236
Come on out to the Ford House to learn about the process of making maple syrup! You’ll be introduced to techniques used to identify appropriate trees for tapping, take a short walk to their “sugar bush” for a tapping demonstration, along with a discussion on the process and history of making maple syrup. Then, check out the wood-fire maple syrup evaporator.
This event will conclude with maple syrup-themed cocktails (one per guest) and warm beverages. Dress warm, this event will be outside!
Book Your Maple Syrup: Tapped, Shaken and Served tickets!
13. Family Workshop: Maple Syrup | The Ford House | Grosse Pointe Shores
Family Workshop: Maple Syrup
When: March 9 at 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.
Where: The Ford House, 1100 Lake Shore Rd, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI 48236
Discover the magic of how to make maple syrup at the Ford House! Explore the art of tapping trees and crafting delicious sweet syrup! You'll learn the best times to tap a tree and discover how sap transforms to syrup. What a perfect March outing for the whole family!
14. 2024 Sarett Nature Center: Maple Sugar Magic | Benton Harbor, MI
Sarett Nature Center: Southwest Michigan
When: Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 11:00 AM and also March 17, Sunday, 2:00 PM
Where: Maple Sugar Magic at Sarett Nature Center, 2300 Benton Center Rd. Benton Harbor, MI
See “how to” demonstrations on maple sugaring and stroll through the woods to learn how maple syrup is made. Learn to identify maple trees, how to tap and collect the sap! Plus, discover how to turn sap into delicious maple syrup!
15. Old-Time Maple Sugar Festival | Chelsea Michigan
Old-Time Maple Sugar Festival! Fun for the whole family!
When: Saturday, March 9, 2024, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Where: Eddy Discovery Center, 17030 Bush Rd. in the Waterloo Recreation Area near Chelsea.
Take an exciting and informative guided walk to see how to collect sap, and boil it down to make delicious real maple syrup. Antique equipment for making syrup will be on display from the Waterloo Farm Museum so you can learn the history of maple sugaring. Yummy maple products will be available for purchase.
Free Admission!
16. 2024 Fenner Nature Center's Maple Syrup Festival | Lansing Michigan
When: March 23, 2024 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m
Location: Fenner Nature Center, 2020 E Mt Hope Ave, Lansing, MI 48910
Enjoy a cup of hot freshly brewed coffee and a bag of delicious maple cotton candy as you learn all about the syrup season in the sugarbush! There will be stations demonstrating sap boiling techniques such as a Native American sugaring log, homesteader kettle, long pan and modern evaporators!
Discover how gallons of syrup is made! Be sure to purchase some sweet treats like maple candies, maple sugar, and Michigan maple syrup!
- All-you-can-eat pancakes with yummy sides too! Tickets are $10 for ages 5 and up | $6 for ages 4 and under
17. Maple Sugaring at Johnson Nature Center in Bloomfield Township (Detroit Region)
When: Sunday, March 3, 2024 and Saturdays, March 9 & 16, 2024. Times: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
Where: Johnson Nature Center: 3325 Franklin Rd, Bloomfield Twp, MI 48302
Maple Sugaring at Johnson Nature Center: Enjoy a tour of their sugar shack, tap a sugar maple tree, explore the history of sugaring, and taste one of nature’s sweetest treats.
Self-guided tours begin every half hour starting at 9:30a. There will be lots of activities to do at your own pace. Pre-registration is required. Timed entry every half hour
5 Places to Get Michigan Maple Syrup
We absolutely love buying only Michigan maple syrup. I always prefer to buy local when I can to support Michigan businesses.
Maple syrup Upper Peninsula Michigan:
Chris' mom lives in the Upper Peninsula and likes to send us Michigan made products like this Niemela's Pure Maple Syrup that she found at Niemela Family Growers in Chassell, MI.
Niemela Family Growers
Circle Back Farms sells their amazing syrup at Laurium Michigan's farmers market in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I grabbed this bottle while staying in the area and we just love it. Their farmers market is absolutely awesome, by the way.
Shephard Sugar Bush Michigan Maple Syrup - Buying local at it's best! Handmade by volunteers in Shepherd, Michigan
- 100% pure Michigan maple syrup
- Grade A dark color with robust flavor - Previously called Grade B or Dark Amber, darkest end of color spectrum for this Grade
- Proceeds support recreational activities in the Shepherd community
They boil the sap from hard sugar maples to create the best flavor for their Maple Syrup. Excellent quality.
- Sleeping Bear Farms recommend pouring it on ice cream, pancakes, waffles, and yogurt.
Yummy!
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