By Giulianna Lalomio
Special to The Villager
It is once again that time of year, and we hope you are excited for the long-awaited Western New York (WNY) Maple Weekend! This month, on March 21-22 and March 28-29, come out to the sweet side of New York to experience an age-old tradition of pancake breakfasts, wagon tours and, of course, delicious maple candies and other syrup-themed products. Celebrated across the Empire State since 1995, Maple Weekend is a fun and inexpensive way for the whole family to explore new parts of the state through a bit of light driving guided by the direction of their taste buds. To make this navigation a little easier, we have compiled a list of visitors’ favorites in WNY.
Niagara~
Wolf Maple Products
Just 10 minutes from the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, this location’s most distinctive feature is a series of talking animatronic trees that guide you through the maple syrup-making process. In addition to syrup, they also sell maple hot dogs, maple soft serve ice cream, maple glazed donuts, maple popcorn, maple cotton candy and more! Wolf Maple Products is located at 9355 Chestnut Ridge Rd, Middleport, NY 14105. You can reach them by calling (716) 735-9102 or find them on social media.
Erie~
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village
Don’t miss out on this day of fun — once tickets are gone, they are gone! For one day only, March 28, this location offers a pancake breakfast for the whole family, maple educational programming, maple products, and a raffle. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit https://bnhv.org/bnhv-events/maple-festival. The Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is located at 3755 Tonawanda Creek Rd, Amherst, NY 14228.You can reach them by calling (716) 689-1440.
Genesee~
Sweet Dream Maple Farm
Located near Six Flags Darien Lake, this maple farm showcases the past and present with advanced stainless-steel machinery and a traditional wood-fired evaporator. Perfect for families, visitors have the chance to meet friendly chickens and — everyone’s favorite — highland cows! Pack a lunch or purchase on-site, as there will be maple hot dogs and sandwiches available during maple weekends. Sweet Dram Maple Farm is located at 1116 Reynolds Rd Corfu, NY, 14036. You can reach them by calling (585) 356-2669, or go to their website: sweetdreammaplefarm.com.
Chautauqua~
Johnson Estate Winery
If you are searching for a more adult-themed location and want to avoid the crowds, look no further! Right outside the town of Westfield, this location is open for maple business for an extra weekend before the regular dates, enjoy pancakes, Julia Child-style French crêpes, Maple Liqueur and fancy ground toasted nuts. Johnson Estate Winery is located at 8419 W Main St, Westfield, NY 14787. You can reach them by calling (716) 326-2191 or visit their website: johnsonwinery.com.
Cattaraugus~
Sprague’s Maple Farms
Featured in a Villager article last year, this location is once again firing up its maple syrup engines! Sticking to tradition, they offer live tree tapping demonstrations, wagon rides, and sugarhouse tours with a special focus on Native American maple syrup production. Don’t forget to grab a sweet little treat on your way out, as they make sugar on snow and homemade maple cake donuts. Sprague’s Maple Farms is located at 1048 Portville-Obi Rd, Portville, NY 14770. You can reach them by calling (716) 933-6637 or visit their website: spraguesmaplefarms.com.
Wyoming~
Humphrey Nature Center at Letchworth State Park
Come for the pancake breakfast, stay for the feast! This location offers a buffet of knowledge in the Haudenosaunee stone boiling, iron pot fire pit boiling and modern evaporator maple syrup production. After the demonstrations, join a walk led by environmental educators who will highlight maple tree identification, tree tapping and more. Humphrey Nature Center at Letchworth State Park is located at 6773 Trailside Rd, Castile, NY 14427. You can reach them by calling (585) 493-3680 or find them on social media.
Allegany~
CTK Farms LLC
Spend the morning hiking or enjoying the scenery at Allegany State Park, and then drive for about half an hour and you will find this location tucked away in the town of Cuba. If you are looking for a unique gift, consider traveling to this location to try its Bourbon-Barrel aged maple syrup. Weather permitting, you can smell the boiling sap as you munch on a freshly made maple cider donut. CTK Farms LLC is located at 6117 New Mexico Rd, Cuba, NY 14727. You can reach them by calling (585) 610-7279 or find them on social media.
As you most likely learn during your maple weekend experiences, sap tends to flow best during freezing nights and warm days, so let’s not get too comfy with these high temperatures just yet. Once all of those pancakes, maple breakfast sandwiches and maple candies are eaten, though, we might need some warm weather to get outside and burn off the calories…
A full, comprehensive list of participating maple farms can be found on New York State Maple Weekend’s “Map of Participating Farms” page, mapleweekend.com.