It’s not quite warm enough to get that maple sap flowing yet…but it won’t be long now until the maple syrup is boiling at sugar shacks across Ontario and Quebec. Starting now, many of the Ottawa area sugar shacks are open for business! Visiting a sugar shack with my family is one of my favourite activities for this time of year. It signals spring is on the way, there are delicious treats and it’s just so gosh darn Canadian.

Here is my guide with updated 2019 information to some of the best sugar shacks the Ottawa area has to offer.

A Few Tips Before Heading to a Sugar Shack:

• It’s a good idea to get there early. Some of the more popular sugar shacks can get really busy on the weekends and it’s not much fun waiting in a line up for a table and food with hungry little kids.
• Dress appropriately! If the snow is melting, that often means mud, lots of mud. So put your kids in their boots and proper gear to deal with either the snow or mud (I’ve learned this one the hard way).
• Consider bringing a sled to pull along small children on trails through the sugar bush.
• Bring some cash. Sometimes there are add on things to buy, such as the maple taffy and often they only accept cash.

Fulton’s Pancake House and Sugar Bush

399 Sugar Bush Road, Pakenham

Dates and Hours:

The sugar bush season at Fulton’s runs from February 16 – April 22

Weekdays from 9 am to 3 pm, and Weekends from 8 am – 3 pm

Details:

120 seat restaurant with a yummy cafeteria style breakfast offered.

After breakfast you can enjoy the nordic and walking trails. Bring your cross country skis and snowshoes. Or you can also rent snowshoes there.

You can visit the sugar camp and learn to make maple syrup. There are children’s games like eye spy and Fulton’s ultimate challenge available for the family to play every day of the week . There is a also a toboggan hill, bring your own sled or borrow one of theirs.

On weekends and holidays there are some extra special activities like  face painting, maple taffy, maple cotton candy, horse drawn sleigh and wagon rides (all available at a price).

For more information visit the Fulton’s website.

Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm

2452 Yorks Corners Road, Edwards

Dates and Hours:

Opening day is February 23th, and will run Saturdays & Sundays 9am-3pm until April 21st, and through March Break.

Details:

You can enjoy a sleigh ride, visit the sugar shack, and watch the sap to syrup process unfold while enjoying taffy on the snow. There is also a petting farm with plenty of animals and a children’s play area. The taffy on the snow and sleigh rides are an additional fee.

A pancake brunch is available at the Pancake House, a 350 seat restaurant, all you can eat. The brunch menu is extensive and prices run from $18.00 for adults, to $7.75 for toddlers 2-4 years old.

For more information visit Stanley’s website.

Proulx Maple & Berry Farm

1865 O’Toole Road, Ottawa

Dates and Hours:

Opening day is Sunday, February 24th, and runs until Sunday, April 22nd.
Sat. & Sunday: Farm and sugar bush, 9-5
Weekend Brunch 9-3, last seating 2 pm. No reservations accepted.
Weekdays, by reservation only.
March Break  9-4, no reservations needed.
Easter 4-day weekend, 9-3, brunch reservation recommended.

Details:

In addition to the yummy brunch, there is a maple tour including a visit to the production shack, maple taffy stand, a farm with animals, a playground, and a horse drawn hay ride (open on weekends).

If you are coming for brunch, you will also need to purchase admission to access the grounds and sugar bush tour.

For more information visit the Proulx website.

Wheeler’s Pancake House & Sugar Camp

1001 Highland Line, Lanark Highlands

Dates and Hours:

Wheeler’s is open from 9 am-3pm everyday, all year round (except for Christmas Day).

Details:

There’s of course the pancake breakfast, which ranges from $4,57 for a pancake and one sausage, to $20.75 for 3 pancakes, french toast, 4 sausages and beans.

There is a farm museum and a maple syrup museum, along with an original sugar shack.

There is a small playground with swings, slide and small zipline. There are sheep, alpacas, horses and a miniature horse. There are trails for walking, snowshoeing and cross country skiing. There is no cost for admission to the grounds, you just pay for your meal.

It’s a bit of a drive from Ottawa, but a lovely place to spend a good chunk of the day, and the large log cabin style restaurant is great.

For more information visit the Wheeler’s website.

The Log Farm

670 Cedarview Road, Nepean

Dates and Hours:

The Log Farm is open weekends 9:30 am to 4:00 pm from March 2nd until April 7th along with the week of March break.

Details:

The Log Farm is a historical farm site, where you can see how the Bradley family lived in the 1860’s. The house and all the out buildings are set up to depict what life for a family would have been like during this period. It is a working farm where you can see all kinds of animals on the farm. The Log Farm doesn’t do a breakfast, so don’t show up looking for pancakes! But there is maple taffy on the snow, beavertails and a bonfire where you can warm up while waiting for the wagon ride that will take you out to the sugar bush. It’s a great spot (and so close to the west end of Ottawa) to take the family if you want to learn about the traditional ways of making maple syrup, and enjoy a day outdoors.

There is a $5.31 plus GST admission to the farm and sugar bush. All children 1 and under are free.

For more information visit the Log Farm website.

Sand Road Sugar Camp

17190 Sand Road, Moose Creek, Ontario

Dates and Hours:

Sand Road Sugar Camp opens on March 2nd, and runs until April 21st. The hours are 9 am to 3 pm.

Details:

There is a maple farm buffet ranging in price from $17.95 for adults, to $7.95 for children under 5.

You can experience the great outdoors through nature trails, horse drawn wagon rides (on the weekends, weather permitting), play structure, and educational tours. There is no admission fee to visit the camp.

For more information check out the Sand Road Sugar Camp website.

Bean Town Ranch

2891 Plantagenet Concession 3, Plantagenet

Dates and Hours:

Bean Town Sugar Shack is open from March 16th to April 21st, seatings from 10:30 am to 7:00 pm on Saturdays, and until 4:00 pm on Sundays.

Details:

You need to make a reservation for this meal at the Bean Town Ranch, but the menu sounds amazing!

You get a Sugar Bush Daytime Pass includes an all-you-can-eat meal served to your table, horse drawn sleigh rides through the maple forest and taffy on the snow.

Pricing is $28 per adult, $12 children ages 3-13, and $23 for seniors.

Prices are slightly more for the evening meal time on Saturday, which also includes musical entertainment.

For more information and to check out the extensive menu visit the Bean Town website.

Maple Sugar Shack and Festival at Vanier Museopark

300 Peres-Blancs Avenue, Vanier

Dates and Hours:

The sugar shack will be open every weekend from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. between March and April. With a special sugar shack festival happening from April 2-7th (more info below).

Details:

The sugar shack isn’t big, seating up to 40 guests. Open by reservation only. Menus range from $4.50 to $20.50.

The activities really take place during the festival. We went last year and had a really fun time strolling around the maple trees in the sugar bush, trying the maple taffy and enjoying everything else this free admission festival has to offer. There is a lumberjack competition, axe-throwing, maple tastings, performances by various local artists, jugglers and face-painters. For families, you can also look forward to visiting live farm animals and sled dogs, and playing on inflatable structures.

For more information visit Vanier Museoparc website.