Maple Days at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge

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For many at Old Sturbridge Village, the first whiff of spring isn’t the aroma of spring flowers – it’s the smell of wood smoke and maple syrup, a sure sign that the sap is rising and spring is on the way. Join us for four weekends of “Maple Days” in March, when the Village’s working sugar camp demonstrates maple sugaring as it was done in early 19th-century New England.

See the entire sugar-making process, from tapping the trees to “sugaring off,” and learn why maple sugar was more commonly used than maple syrup in early New England.

Costumed historians will demonstrate maple sugaring as it was done in early 19th-century New England. You can learn more about the tools, the labor involved, and the ultimate goals of maple sugaring!

The Tools
While the modern process of collecting maple sap stirs images of metal spiles and buckets, early 19th-century New Englanders used several wooden tools!

The Labor
Producing maple sugar is a lot of work! Sap must be collected and boiled for a long time. It takes 35-40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. That one gallon of syrup can make 6 to 8 pounds of sugar!

The Goal
Today, maple syrup is typically the goal! We love the golden liquid on pancakes and waffles. In early 19th-century New England, however, maple sugar was the ultimate goal! Even more than that, the goal was to make maple sugar that tasted more like regular sugar than maple sugar.

Find out why during Maple Days at Old Sturbridge Village.

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Venue

Old Sturbridge Village
29 Stallion Hill Road
Sturbridge

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Dates

The event runs from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM on the following dates.
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