Looking for something fun to do this spring? Check out White Meadows Farm.
White Meadows Farm, located on the outskirts of St. Catharines, is a locally run farm that has belonged to the Bering family since 1937. However, it wasn’t until nearly 60 years after the family settled on the 200 acres of cropland that they found their farm’s claim to fame — maple syrup.
Known locally for this sweet and sticky treat, White Meadows Farm sells maple syrup in stores all around the Niagara Region. The Maple Sweet Shop, located at 2519 Effingham St., is their main location and is situated on the farm itself. Their other two stores are located at 27 Queen St., Niagara-on-the-Lake, and 6380 Fallsview Blvd., Niagara Falls.
While maple syrup is the farm’s main product, the business also benefits from guided tours held between March and October. The farm is open throughout most of the year, but due to their Sugar Bush Trek and Discover Maple Sugar Bush Tour, the Bering family and their staff welcome most of their visitors from the early days of spring until the late days of fall.
The Sugar Bush Trek is a nearly two-hour-long excursion offered every weekend from March 1 to April 13. The trek starts aboard the “Sugar Shuttle,” which takes guests on a 10-minute drive through the meadows and cropland of the farm. After this, visitors are guided on a 45-minute walking tour that educates them on the sugar maple tree and the history of making maple syrup. At the end of the tour, visitors can participate in a rite of passage for children born in Canada: eating maple taffy on snow.
The Discover Maple Sugar Bush Tour is a little longer at nearly two-and-a-half hours long. Offered on weekends from May 17 to Oct. 26 and daily from June 30 to Aug. 29, this tour follows a similar itinerary to the Sugar Bush Trek, but ends with a tasting of four flavours of maple syrup: golden, amber, dark and very dark.
While the Sugar Bush Trek and the Discover Maple Sugar Bush Tour are geared toward young children and families, White Meadows Farm also offers tasting boards for an older audience. From May 17 to Aug. 29, visitors can enjoy either a classic or deluxe maple-inspired charcuterie board paired with a glass of maple iced tea.
Enjoyed by generations of Niagara Region locals, the White Meadows Farm experience is a great way to spend a cold spring morning or a sunny summer afternoon.