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Things to Do in Canada 266
Canada’s Sweetest Season Is Here 🍁
Good morning!
Did you know? It takes about 40 litres of sap to make just 1 litre of maple syrup. No wonder it’s so expensive.
But it’s worth it, and right now, it’s sugaring season.
It only lasts a short time, and it might just be the most Canadian thing you can do this month.
Learn more about where to go, what to do, and how to make your own in the 266th edition of the Weekly Goose.
Read
Winter might be hanging on…
But something better has started.
It’s maple syrup sugaring season.
In Eastern Canada, sap is flowing, sugar shacks are firing up, and entire weekends are about to revolve around pancakes, taffy on snow, and eating far more than you planned.
Here’s how to experience maple season properly.
🍁 1️⃣ Visit a Real Sugar Shack
This isn’t just about syrup.
It’s about:
Long communal tables
Traditional music
Maple taffy rolled in fresh snow
Hearty comfort food
Steam rising from sugar houses
🇨🇦 Where to Go:
Quebec (the gold standard)
Quebec is to maple syrup what Canada is to hockey. It’s the gold standard. In fact, Canada produces more than 70% of the world’s supply, and most of that comes from Quebec.
There are many sugar shacks around the province, but some good spots to base yourself near include:
• Montérégie (just outside Montreal)
• Laurentians
• Quebec City countryside
Make it a proper weekend: Stay somewhere romantic in Old Montreal or Quebec City the night before, then drive out to a sugar shack in the morning. There are all sorts of options, and it’s not an expensive time of year for accommodations.
If you’re looking for some iconic sugar shacks, you can start with these three:
• Sucrerie de la Montagne (Rigaud, QC) — One of the most iconic cabanes à sucre in the province, with a true old-world Québécois atmosphere.
• Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon (Mirabel, QC) — A chef-driven, indulgent take on maple season. Reservations required. Stretchy pants recommended.
• Érablière Charbonneau (Montérégie, QC) — Classic family-friendly experience with sleigh rides and traditional menus.
Ontario
While Ontario is a lightweight compared to Quebec when it comes to maple syrup, it’s the second top producer in the country.
Some of the best maple regions include Lanark County (near Ottawa), Muskoka, Elmira & Waterloo Region, and Prince Edward County.
Some of the most popular places or times to visit include:
• Temple’s Sugar Bush: One of Ontario’s largest maple producers, offering tours and a full pancake house.
• Elliott Tree Farm: Popular near Toronto with wagon rides and maple brunches.
Atlantic Canada
Last but not least, Atlantic Canada also has its fair share of maple syrup producers. Atlantic maple season is smaller scale — and that’s the charm.
Some of the most popular include:
• Maplevale Farm: A New Brunswick favourite for maple tours and cozy farm visits.
• Sugar Moon Farm: Nova Scotia’s maple hotspot, known for intimate brunch experiences in a beautiful rural setting.
🥞 2️⃣ Build a Maple Weekend Road Trip
Why visit one sugar shack when you can turn it into something bigger:
Stay at a cozy inn
Hit a sugar bush brunch
Explore a nearby small town
Add a winter hike
Finish with maple taffy on snow
Attend a maple syrup festival
Late March is perfect for this:
Roads are clear
Days are longer
Winter crowds are fading
The weather is warmer
🍁 3️⃣ Maple Festivals Worth Planning Around
Beyond individual sugar shacks, there are quite a few maple syrup festivals worth planning around, such as:
Cabane à Sucre Street Festival (Quebec): Held in Verdun, this festival transforms the area into an open-air sugar shack, offering musical performances, traditional activities, and gourmet maple-inspired dishes. It's a vibrant celebration of Quebec's maple syrup production and community spirit.
The Festival des Sucres de Saint-Pierre-Baptiste (Quebec) is one of the most notable maple syrup festivals in Quebec, celebrating its 69th anniversary in 2026. This festival takes place in May and is a vibrant celebration of Quebec's maple syrup heritage, featuring a variety of activities and events that highlight the cultural significance of maple syrup production in the region.
Elmira Maple Syrup Festival (Ontario): This is the largest one-day maple syrup festival in the world, held in Elmira, Ontario. It features a variety of activities, including pancake breakfasts, live entertainment, and local vendors selling maple products.
Perth's Festival of Maples (Ontario): Located in Lanark County, known as the "Maple Syrup Capital of Ontario," this festival takes place on the last weekend of April. It includes over 100 vendors, live entertainment, and competitions, making it a grand finale to the maple syrup season.
🎁 Bonus: Scratch Off Your Maple Syrup Adventure!
If maple season has you craving a road trip… we’ve got 50 of them.
Our Ontario Adventure Scratch-Off Box features 50 bucket-list experiences across the province — from iconic waterfalls and charming small towns to outdoor adventures and hidden gems.
And yes… one of the cards includes a maple syrup experience.
Scratch it.
Reveal it.
Plan a weekend around it.
No overthinking.
No endless Googling.
Just one surprise that turns into a real plan.
Perfect for:
• Couples who want spontaneous weekends
• Families looking for something new
• Anyone tired of asking “What should we do?”
• Or the PERFECT gift!
If maple season is your excuse to explore Ontario a little more… this is your sign.
👉 Grab the Ontario Scratch-Off Box here and GET FREE SHIPPING within Canada by using the code “canadastrong”.
International Departures
🇰🇷 International Departures: Maple Season… But Make It Korean
In Canada, maple season means syrup. Pancakes. Taffy on snow. Stretchy pants.
In South Korea? It means drinking the sap straight from the tree.
Every spring, particularly in mountain regions like Gangwon Province, locals tap maple trees and collect the clear sap — known as gorosoe — which is often consumed fresh as a seasonal health tonic. Instead of boiling it down into syrup, it’s enjoyed as-is, slightly sweet and mineral-rich, and traditionally believed to support energy and circulation after a long winter.
There are even small festivals celebrating the first sap runs, where visitors can taste it fresh and hike in the mountains as winter fades into spring.
Different ritual. Same seasonal magic.
Proof that while Canada may rule the syrup world… maple season is a global moment.
Learn more about planning a spring trip to Korea — festivals, culture, and seasonal travel inspiration.
Watch
Ever wonder how maple syrup is made? Perhaps you want to do it yourself? We found this video on YouTube that does a great job explaining how the process works and how you can do it at home (if you have a proper tree nearby)
Beaver Bites
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