Tourism Nova Scotia/ Acorn Art & Photography
- Sugar Moon maple-syrup farm in Nova Scotia, Canada, offers visitors the chance to taste-test its sugary products in a cozy setting.
- The farm has its own restaurant that serves maple-syrup-inspired dishes and cocktails.
- Visitors can also take part in the farm’s culinary events or book a tour of the property.
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Sugar Moon is a dreamy, family-owned maple farm in Canada that produces large quantities of handcrafted maple syrup straight from the sugar woods of Nova Scotia’s North Shore. It also invites visitors to get a taste of the action.
Here’s what it’s like to visit the maple-syrup farm:
The farm’s on-site restaurant serves a variety of maple-syrup-infused dishes
Taste of Nova Scotia/Jessica Emin
On the weekends, Sugar Moon’s restaurant serves a locally-sourced, maple-inspired brunch with savory and sweet offerings ― from maple-syrup pancakes to its signature maple mac and cheese with candied bacon.
The menu also includes some syrupy beverages and cocktails, like the maple hot chocolate and the maple toddy.
Sugar Moon also organizes special events for visitors
Tourism Nova Scotia/Acorn Art & Photography
Visitors can also check out the farm's special "chef nights."
The events are led by a culinary artist who prepares five farm-to-table courses, including local seasonal delicacies and signature maple appetizers, paired with fine Nova Scotia wines and maple cocktails.
There's limited seating for "chef nights" due to COVID-19 restrictions, so if you're planning on booking a table, make sure to do so far in advance.
To simply dine at the restaurant, you can just drop in ― though making a reservation is highly recommended.
Visitors can also take a tour of the maple farm and explore its gift shop
Tourism Nova Scotia/Acorn Art & Photography
Sugar Moon's other organized experiences include guided tours of the sugar camp and maple tastings with the owners.
At the end of the tour, guests receive a custom gift bag filled with maple-syrup treats.
Afterward, it's worth visiting Sugar Moon's gift shop. Apart from jars of the farm's syrup, it offers maple-inspired cookbooks, memorabilia, and even toiletries, such as maple soap and maple lip balm.
You can also place an order at the online shop and pick up your items at the farm or, if you live in Canada, have them delivered.
The farm's been around for decades, and the surrounding area is full of hiking trails
Current owners Scott Whitelaw and Quita Gray bought the farm from Bob Williams in 1996, when it was still called Boondock Maple Products and Pancake House.
They renamed it Sugar Moon as a nod to the third moon in the indigenous calendar that signifies the end of winter and the beginning of spring - which is usually when maple sap is ready to be collected.
Since buying the farm, they've continued the tradition of processing sap from sugar-maple trees that indigenous peoples in North America started thousands of years ago.
If taste-testing sugary products isn't your thing, the 2,500-tap operation is surrounded by nature, including numerous wooded trails that are perfect for long hikes.
Note: Canada has set travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic. Most foreign nationals, including US citizens, wishing to travel to the country will need to prove that they meet the relevant criteria set by the Canadian government.
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