Plan a Day of Fun Outdoor Activities with the Family at Terra Cotta Conservation Area
Spring is the sweetest time at Terra Cotta Conservation Area! Our staff tap the sugar maple trees in the park to collect sap that we turn into maple syrup in our sugar shack. Visitors can experience the Canadian tradition of maple syrup production at Maple Syrup in the Park, our annual festival.
Take Advantage of our Early Bird Ticket Pricing
This year, we’re offering discounted tickets for a limited time! Save $3 per ticket when you buy your tickets before February 28, or when our early bird tickets sell out. Maple Syrup in the Park is sponsored by 407 ETR and takes place from March 14 to 17, 23 and 24.
Head out to Terra Cotta Conservation Area and enjoy family activities, including:
- Five educational stations with historical and modern demonstrations of how sap turns into syrup.
- Free cedar tea to sip at sacred fire chats while learning about Indigenous culture.
- Blacksmith demonstration of how iron tools were hand-made.
- Additional activities perfect for families include a scavenger hunt, maple-themed storybook walk and a trail to the sugarbush to see where sap is collected at the park.
A trip to Maple Syrup in the Park wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the Pancake House. This year you can enjoy a pancake breakfast with real maple syrup and other maple-themed items, available for purchase. Bring your own plates and cutlery and receive our green incentive of five per cent off your food purchase.
More Things to do During Maple Season
This year, we’re also offering a variety of interactive and small group experiences during maple season. Limited tickets are available and reservation are required for these events:
Lamplight: Maple Syrup After Dark
Saturday April 6
Cozy up on a wagon ride through the forest to our illuminated sugarbush. Enjoy a maple-themed tasting menu while relaxing around the campfire with live music. Must be aged 19 year or older to attend. Learn more.
VIP Tours
March 16,17, 23 and 24
Experience the ultimate VIP tour of Maple Syrup in the Park with an expert guide. Enjoy a gourmet breakfast with a variety of maple syrup grades and a tour of our sugarbush and educational demonstrations. All ages welcome. Learn more.
Sap to Syrup: A Maple Syrup Making Experience
April 6, 7, 13 and 14
Turn sap into sweet maple syrup during this hands-on experience in the sugar shack. Learn how to tap trees, collect sap and bottle maple syrup to take home. Must be aged 16 or older to attend. Learn more.
Sugarbush Wagon Rides
April 13
Join us for a wagon ride to the sugarbush. Learn how maple syrup is made with demonstrations of traditional and modern maple syrup making tools. Try taffy, sample maple syrup, enjoy hot drinks and make s’mores over a campfire. Learn more.
Learn more about our maple syrup events and get tickets for your preferred dates today!
By: Jamie Williams, Specialist, Marketing and Communications
Hi, will you be showing the indigenous history of how maple sugar was discovered and how they used it?
I would be interested in going but I would like to go if indigenous peoples history is included ?
Hi Nancy, yes one of our educational stations is titled “Sweetwater Discovery” where visitors can learn about possible ways that Indigenous Peoples may have made syrup and sugar from maple sap. New this year, we are also hosting sacred fire chats where visitors can sip on cedar tea while learning about Indigenous culture from Traditional Helpers (Oshkabewis) and a Fire Keeper, through storytelling and song.
Hi
Do you have to buy advance tickets for the maple pancake breakfasts or can you just show up without tickets. Thank you. Angela Hohban
Hi Angela,
You can purchase your admission tickets online For Maple Syrup in the Park, as well as tickets for taffy. Your admission tickets give you access to the Pancake House and you can stop by anytime during your visit to enjoy a pancake breakfast or other maple-themed items. Items at the Pancake House should be purchased onsite and are not included in the admission price.
Thank you so much for the lovely evening! The staff and all the experience were amazing. Also, it was the most detailed story about the maple syrup time. Thank you!
Hi there, Is dog on leash acceptable for the event?
Hi Julia,
You are welcome to bring a dog on leash to Maple Syrup in the Park. They are welcome throughout the park but may not enter the Pancake House or Sugar Shack.