THE NEW HAMPSHIRE MAPLE SUGARING EXPERIENCE AT FOREST SOCIETY NORTH AT THE ROCKS

Start: Sunday, March 23, 2025 10:00AM
End: Sunday, March 23, 2025 2:00PM

BETHLEHEM, N.H. (Feb. 10, 2025)— Celebrate Spring with the popular NH Maple Experience at Forest Society North at The Rocks in Bethlehem. Registration is open for March 15, March 22, March 23, March 29, March 30, and April 5, with tours on the hour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. As the days lengthen and temperatures warm, sap begins to flow through sugar maple trees, ready to be collected and crafted into sweet maple syrup, sugar, and candy. The New Hampshire Maple Experience is a hands-on, educational experience that includes tapping a maple tree, horse-drawn and tractor-drawn wagon rides, a visit to a working sugar house, and maple tasting with syrup, donuts, and sour pickles (to complement the sweetness of the syrup). Participants will leave with the knowledge of how to identify a sugar maple tree, how to tap and boil the sap to make syrup, and an understanding of the history of maple sugaring. While at The Rocks, participants may also visit the newly renovated 1884 Carriage Barn, which has been transformed into a North Country headquarters for the Forest Society, powered by green energy. The program center hosts a gift shop, exhibits, forest and nature education programs, and offices for locally based conservation and outreach staff. The Gardener’s Cottage at The Rocks has also been renovated and is available during Maple Month for short term rentals via Bretton Woods Vacations for visitors seeking accommodations. (Learn more at https://www.brettonwoodsvacations.com/rocks/) “We created the New Hampshire Maple Experience with our visitors in mind to share both the history and the continuing practice of maple sugaring in New England,” said Nigel Manley, senior outreach manager for the Forest Society at The Rocks “This hands-on experience is truly unique and exciting for all ages. Participants will hand drill holes and tap metal spouts into the trees, and if you are lucky, and the conditions are right, the sap will start flowing.” Visitors will also meet fifth-generation sugar maker, Brad Presby, as he plies his trade in the sweet-scented steam of the sugar house. The spectacular White Mountain views, including the Pliny, Kilkenny, and Presidential ranges, the Christmas Tree Farm, the new solar array, and the allure of an authentic farm experience draw visitors near and far for the New Hampshire Maple Experience at The Rocks. The landmark 1,400-acre property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and offers agri-tourism and eco-tourism opportunities throughout the year. "What makes the New Hampshire Maple Experience different is that kids and adults alike will learn how to identify a sugar maple tree versus a red maple, use an authentic brace and bit to tap a tree, and the knowledge and enthusiasm shared by our staff and volunteers, including Brad Presby, a fifth-generation maple sugarer,” adds Manley. “It’s truly a fun and engaging experience for the whole family that is not to be missed.” Maple syrup from The Rocks’ own sugar bush will be available for purchase inside the New Hampshire Maple Museum, where visitors can see maple artifacts from the extensive collection of legendary sugar maker Charlie Stewart of nearby Sugar Hill. NH Maple Experience at The Rocks: Dates: March 15, March 22, March 23, March 29, March 30, and April 5 Times: Tours leave hourly from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and last approximately 2 hours. Cost: $20/per person (children 5 and under are free). Ticket includes tapping a sugar maple tree, horse-drawn and tractor-drawn wagon rides, maple tasting, and more. Reservations: https://www.forestsociety.org/the-rocks/nh-maple-experience Learn more: info@therocks.org ABOUT THE ROCKS The Rocks is a 1,400-acre property, owned and managed by the Forest Society. Built as a working farm in the 1880s by John Jacob Glessner, a cofounder of International Harvester, The Rocks retains much of the grandeur of White Mountain retreats – exceptional period architecture, an Olmsted-designed Garden, and a network of woodland trails open to the public year-round. In 1978 descendants of the Glessner family donated The Rocks to the Forest Society, which has operated it since as a vibrant Christmas tree farm, conservation and nature education center, and working forest. Learn more about The Rocks at forestsociety.org/the-rocks. ABOUT THE FOREST SOCIETY The Forest Society is a private, non-profit land trust and forestry organization established in 1901. The Forest Society now owns 200 protected forests constituting nearly 65,000 acres in 105 New Hampshire communities across the state. In addition, it currently holds nearly 800 conservation easements statewide permanently protecting an additional 131,000 acres of New Hampshire’s natural landscape.