Massachusetts Maple Weekend returns on Saturday and Sunday, March 7–8, 2026, offering a sweet opportunity to explore working sugarhouses, learn how maple syrup is made, and bring home bottles of pure, locally produced maple goodness. In Franklin County, several family-run operations will welcome visitors for tours, tastings, and farm-fresh products, making it an ideal weekend to celebrate late winter in Western Massachusetts and support local farmers.
A Sweet Franklin County Getaway
Massachusetts Maple Weekend is a coordinated, statewide open house when sugarhouses fire up their evaporators and invite the public in for a behind-the-scenes look at sugaring season. Franklin County’s rolling hills and forested ridges, dotted with towns such as Ashfield, Conway, Deerfield, and Shelburne, provide a classic New England backdrop for this annual tradition.
Visitors can watch sap being boiled down into syrup, ask questions of experienced sugarmakers, and purchase syrup, candies, and creams directly from the people who produce them. Planning a loop through several farms turns the weekend into a relaxed country drive, with scenic views and plenty of chances to stop for photos and snacks along the way.
Photo credit: Bear HIll Sugar Farm
Franklin County Sugarhouses to Visit
Franklin County is home to a number of sugarhouses that are taking part in the 2026 Maple Weekend, each with its own character and offerings. These farms give visitors a chance to see different scales and styles of maple production while staying within the same region of Western Massachusetts.
Photo credit: Boyden Brothers Maple
Boyden Brothers Maple – Conway
Located on South Deerfield Road in Conway, Boyden Brothers Maple will be open both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for Maple Weekend. Visitors can see sap boiling on a wood-fired evaporator (weather permitting), sample maple products, and purchase syrup and other treats to take home or ship within the U.S.
Cranston’s Tree Farm – Ashfield
Cranston’s sugaring operation is based at their sugarhouse on Bellus Road in Ashfield, a separate site from the main tree farm. Open from noon to 5 p.m. on both days of Maple Weekend, the farm offers tours that walk guests through the maple process and give them an up-close look at this long-running, multi-generation family business. The will also have syrup and cream for purchase.
Graves Glen Farm Sugarhouse – Shelburne
Graves Glen Farm in Shelburne maintains a self-serve farm store on Wilson Graves Road that operates 24/7, including during Maple Weekend. Visitors can purchase maple syrup along with other farm products such as milk, ice cream, hay, straw, beef, eggs, and compost, paying via cash, check, or Venmo at their convenience.
Bear Hill Sugar Farm – Shelburne Falls
Bear Hill Sugar Farm in Shelburne Falls is a three-generation, family-owned sugarhouse that has grown from boiling sap in a single pot in 2008 to running 3,500–4,000 taps on a 4 x 10 evaporator in a new sugarhouse. For the 2026 Massachusetts Maple Weekend, they will be open Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., welcoming visitors to learn about their sugaring operation and purchase maple syrup, maple coated nuts, and other farm products directly from the producers.
Davenport Maple Farm – Shelburne
Photo credit: Davenport Maple Farm
Davenport Maple Farm in Shelburne is a small family farm that has been in the Davenport family since 1913 and runs a sugarhouse and restaurant during sugaring season. During Maple Weekend, visitors can stop in between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday to enjoy all-day breakfast—pancakes, waffles, French toast with homemade bread, Finnish pancakes, and eggs—served with their own maple syrup, while also seeing the sugaring process and purchasing maple syrup, maple candy, maple coated nuts, maple cream, and granulated maple sugar.
Williams Farm Sugarhouse – Deerfield
Williams Farm Sugarhouse in Deerfield, located on Routes 5 & 10 just south of Historic Deerfield, is a five-generation sugaring operation that opens its sugarhouse for breakfast during the late-winter season. They will be open both days during Maple Weekend from 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM. Guests can enjoy pancakes, waffles, French toast, and maple-frosted donuts cooked to order and served with syrup made on site, then learn about the sugaring process and pick up maple syrup, maple candy, maple cream, and other maple products to take home.
Brookledge Sugarhouse – Whately
Brookledge Sugarhouse in Whately offers bulk maple syrup along with granulated maple sugar, maple candy, and a variety of other maple products from its sugarhouse on Haydenville Road, about two miles west of the Whately Inn. Visitors during Maple Weekend are invited to come see how they produce maple syrup, enjoy free samples, and shop for maple syrup, their award-winning maple cream, maple candy, coated nuts, cotton candy, and additional maple treats, with maple products available year-round.
Photo credit: Boyden Brothers Maple
These stops showcase different ways Franklin County farms integrate maple into their operations, from traditional sugarhouses focused on syrup to diversified farms offering an array of local foods.
Planning a Franklin County Maple Route
With several sugarhouses open in the same general region, visitors can craft an itinerary that fits their schedule and interests. The statewide Maple Weekend map offers driving directions and location details, making it easier to connect the dots between each farm. Checking individual sugarhouse hours in advance ensures that everyone arrives in time for tours, tastings, and boiling demonstrations.
Families might plan a slower day with one or two stops and plenty of time to watch the evaporator in action and ask questions. Others may opt for a more ambitious route, visiting multiple sugarhouses to compare flavors, grades, and stories from different producers. Either way, having a flexible plan—and leaving room in the car for several jugs of syrup—helps make the most of Maple Weekend.
Why Buying Local Maple Syrup Matters
Photo credit: Davenport Maple Farm
Purchasing maple syrup directly from Franklin County producers keeps food dollars circulating in the local economy and helps family farms remain viable for future generations. Small New England sugarhouses invest year-round in maintaining sugarbushes, upgrading equipment, and managing forests sustainably; buying syrup, candy, cream, and other maple products is a tangible way to support that work. Local maple operations also help preserve open space, rural character, and working lands that define much of Franklin County’s landscape.
Beyond economics, local maple syrup offers a connection to place that mass-produced products cannot match. Each batch reflects the season’s weather, the producer’s techniques, and the specific mix of trees on the land, creating subtle variations in flavor and color. Visitors who meet the sugarmakers, see the sap lines in the woods, and stand near the warmth of the evaporator often leave with a deeper appreciation for the craft—and for the bottle they bring home.
This Maple Weekend, a visit to Franklin County’s sugarhouses gives everyone a chance to enjoy a classic New England tradition, learn how sap becomes syrup, and directly support the Massachusetts farmers who make it all possible.
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