Spring Brings Return of New Hampshire Maple Experience to The Rocks Estate
Bethlehem, New Hampshire (PRWEB) March 12, 2014 -- As spring returns to the North Country this year, so does the New Hampshire Maple Experience at The Rocks Estate. Scheduled to run March 15, 22-23, 29-30 and April 5, the Maple Experience offers visitors a chance to learn about and participate in each step of maple sugaring, a treasured rite of spring in the area.
“The Maple Experience program at The Rocks is really hands-on, and that’s what sets us apart from other maple tours,” said Nigel Manley, manager of The Rocks Estate. “Participants drill holes in the trees, put taps in, and hang buckets. They also learn to identify different types of trees, so they can tap their own sugar maples at home.” Maple Experience visitors will enjoy a horse-drawn wagon ride through the historic Rocks Estate as part of the program. An interpretive guide is on board each wagon, sharing some of the local history and information about sugaring.
Maple Experience tours include a visit to the sugar house, tucked into one of the many renovated historic buildings at The Rocks. Here, visitors will watch fourth-generation sugar maker Brad Presby at work. Guests are invited to purchase a New Hampshire Maple Experience commemorative mason jar to fill at the sugar house with warm syrup to bring home.
Adjacent to the sugar house is the interactive maple museum and education center, featuring maple sugaring artifacts from the extensive collection of legendary Sugar Hill sugar maker Charlie Stewart.
Visitors will also enjoy a maple syrup tasting – paired with the traditional fresh donut and sour pickle. Maple cooking demonstrations by chefs from the renowned Sugar Hill Inn and Indian Head Resort will be staged each day of the Maple Experience at noon. Onlookers will be invited to sample the finished product, and each recipe will be printed and available for visitors to take home.
For hungrier guests, The Rocks offers crepes and French toast, cooked to order, along with bacon, sausage and – of course – maple syrup. Kingdom Kernels Kettle Corn will also be onsite, with their delicious fresh popcorn in a variety of flavors including maple.
The Rocks and its gift shop will be open during Maple Experience days from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Maple tours are offered at 10 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:15 p.m., and 2 p.m. Reservations are recommended, with walk-in visitors allowed as space allows.
The Rocks staff will be selling mixes from widely famous Polly’s Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill. Maple Experience visitors will receive coupons to Polly’s, which will open March 15. Polly’s will be open weekends through May 12, when it begins daily operation through the fall.
For those looking to turn the Maple Experience into a weekend-long North Country stay, The Rocks is again partnering with local inns to offer weekend vacation packages. Visit http://www.therocks.org/vacations.php to find participating lodging establishments.
For more information, please visit http://www.therocks.org. For reservations and other inquiries, e-mail info(at)therocks(dot)org or call 603-444-6228.
The Rocks is the North Country Conservation and Education Center of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (http://www.forestsociety.org). The Forest Society is non-profit membership organization founded in 1901 to protect the state’s most important landscapes and promote wise use of its natural resources.
Colleen Eliason, Lincoln Woodstock Chamber of Commerce, http://www.lincolnwoodstock.com, +1 (603) 745-6621 Ext: 201, [email protected]
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