It’s hands-on, educational, inspirational and celebrational—good times this maple sugaring season won’t get much more family-friendly than Geauga Park District’s 40th Annual Sap’s-a-Risin’ at Swine Creek Reservation in Middlefield!

Free festivities from noon–4 p.m. on Sundays, February 22, March 1 and March 8 will include sap-gathering in the sugarbush with a horse-drawn sap sled, sugar house tours with sample tastes of fresh syrup, and historical stations with costumed interpreters displaying and demonstrating maple sugaring methods from prehistoric to modern day. 

Plus, visit Swine Creek Lodge to warm up with free maple treats and live music. Maple syrup produced right onsite will also be available for sale as supplies last.

With a stop here, you can also make a day of it to see other sugaring operations in the area. Swine Creek Reservation is one of many featured stops on two drive-it-yourself tours on March 8: the Ohio Maple Producers’ Maple Madness Tour and the more local Maple Tour of Northeast Ohio. 

For tour maps with complete lists of participating sugar houses, visit ohiomaple.org and mpneoh.com.

For more on Geauga Park District offerings, call (440) 286-9516 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. or visit Geauga Park District online via www.geaugaparkdistrict.org.