Last Friday I visited the Agape Valley Sugar Bush with my four kids and my mom (I was so grateful for her help with the kids!)

We got there just after 9 am, which seemed like a fairly good time to get there because it wasn’t too busy yet. We decided to go on the tour before we had our pancake breakfast, so we lined up for the wagon ride. The wooden wagon pulled by a great big tractor runs every 15 minutes, so we didn’t have to wait very long. We all piled in and started the bumpy ride down the hill towards the sugar bush and the start of our tour. Our tour guide was an enthusiastic young man who was very knowledgeable about the maple tapping process and kept the children engaged by asking a lot of questions.

We had a short walk through the forest while we learned about the process of making maple syrup (the total tour was about 20 minutes – I thought it was a great length for both adults and kids), then we stopped for a quick treat – maple taffy on a stick (for $1.00) and then headed back up the hill to the pancake house for our real treat.

My kids were excited for pancakes and hot chocolate (so was I) and we only had to wait about five minutes to be seated at long tables. It was warm and welcoming inside and the volunteers were all very nice and helpful. My youngest daughter had a bit of a freak-out when a squirrel and bee character tried to give her a high-five, but other than that, my kids loved their breakfast and their time at the sugar bush.

My six-year old daughter listened intently and learned a lot about making maple syrup, my four-year old daughter gobbled up her pancakes and maple syrup, and my two-year old sons loved the wagon ride and walk through the forest. All in all, there was something for everyone and we all enjoyed our visit. Because Agape Valley Sugar Bush is run entirely by volunteers, everything is free, except the food, which is very reasonably priced. All proceeds from the food goes towards their summer camp and daycare.

We had a great morning at the sugar bush, and we will definitely go back next year for another visit!

Agape Valley Sugar Bush (www.agapevalley.ca) is open Saturdays in March (7, 14, 21, 28) and Saturday April 4th. It’s located at 392 Kilman Rd. Phone: 905-892-4273