NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA & LAKE COUNTRY TOURISM
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It’s that sweet time of year again, as Orillia & Lake Country presents the ever-popular Tap into Maple experience.
Running March 1 to April 7, the program is an opportunity to visit the region’s maple syrup producers, enjoy special maple-themed experiences, and indulge in local maple-inspired cuisine.
This year’s Tap into Maple program truly showcases the deep roots of maple in our region with 18 participating locations including eight maple syrup producers offering an array of sugar bush experiences.
Take a self-guided tour through lesser-travelled routes to working sugar shacks that offer a first-hand view of the maple syrup process, from harvesting and boiling to enjoying. Additionally, experience the many ways maple is celebrated by shopping for maple products, enjoying a maple-infused craft brew or dining out on maple-featured menus.
Warmer temperatures have meant an earlier start to Orillia & Lake Country’s popular maple season. The sap has been flowing through the region’s sugar bushes to the sound of rushing tap lines and dripping buckets as producers start some of their earliest seasons on record.
This year’s Tap into Maple producers include Elsie’s Creek Farm, The Farmgate, Hewitt’s Maple Syrup and Farm Market, Hutchinson Maple Syrup, Maple Grove Syrup, Shaw’s Maple Syrup, Sugar Sweet Farm, and Windlee Farm Maple Syrup.
Walk through a tap-lined sugar bush, see the different processes from small-scale sugar shacks to larger facilities, meet the producers who work year-round to ensure the best product, and pick up the freshest maple syrup of the season. Be sure to check TapIntoMaple.com for visiting hours at each site.
Be sure to stop at Chelsea Chocolates in Oro-Medonte, Copperpot Nuts in Severn, and DWN Craft Chocolatier and Susie Q Fudge & Gifts in Orillia for even more maple-inspired products. All of these shops have developed partnerships with local maple syrup producers to infuse their sweet treats — including maple chocolate bars, maple-infused nuts, and maple fudge.
On Saturday mornings the Orillia Farmers’ Market also welcomes vendors and producers celebrating all things maple this season. In Rama First Nation, Rama Cannabis offers maple-infused items, showcasing the connections of both cannabis and the maple tree (ininaatig) to Anishinaabe culture.
Orillia & Lake Country’s culinary scene is also ready to celebrate all things maple. Off Eleven Pizza + Eats, by the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport, is offering two dishes featuring Hutchinson Maple Syrup. G&O Bistro at Best Western Plus Mariposa Inn will be offering a three-course specialty dinner menu highlighting maple and Canadiana flavours.
Three of Casino Rama Resort’s restaurants will have maple-infused treats: maple snacks at Cedar Express, breakfast at The Weirs, and dinner and maple-infused cocktails at Simcoe Yard House. At Lagoon City Pier One Resort, maple syrup from The Farmgate, made just down the road, makes it onto their delicious pepper maple-glazed pork loin dinner. Finally, top off the end of a self-guided tour through the region with a maple-infused craft brew at Quayle’s Brewery along with great food and on-site activities for the whole family.
Mark your calendars for two family fun events to cap off the Tap into Maple experience. On March 23 and 24 the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre hosts the 34th annual Sweetwater Harvest Festival with loads of family fun activities, delicious food and educational opportunities alongside their partner site, Sainte-Marie among the Hurons.
At the grand finale of Tap into Maple, the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association presents Maple Weekend on April 6 and 7. Many Tap into Maple producers will offer extra events, activities, and treats on site during the weekend to kick off the spring sales of maple products in our area.
Tap into Maple has something for everyone. Check out each location for details about hours of operation and booking ahead. Visit TapIntoMaple.com for more information on all of the participating producers, businesses and activities.
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