While nothing beats an authentic sugar shack experience at one of Montreal's off-island cabanes à sucre, maybe you just want to try something a little closer to home. The following Montreal sugar shacks are all located on the island of Montreal. And though they don't serve full-scale traditional meals, they're the perfect antidote to those pesky maple syrup cravings.
- Montreal Botanical Garden
Every year, the Montreal Botanical Garden proposes a sugar shack experience minus the country air and traditional meal. Learn how maple syrup is made, eat hot maple taffy on snow, buy maple products and take in the Garden's Treehouse exhibits. Good options for kids. Most suitable option for people from out-of-town and centrally-located residents using public transit.
When: usually open every day of the first week of March (spring break), and every subsequent weekend of March. In 2011, it's every day from February 26 to March 6, and every weekend from March 12 to April 3, 2011. Hours 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: call (514) 872-1400 for details
More INFO - Cap St. Jacques
Cap St. Jacques, a massive park located on the western tip of the Island of Montreal, can be a bit out of the way if you don't live in the area, but it can be reached with public transit and the park has a lot to offer visitors: this is the closest experience to a day at a sugar shack in the woods without leaving the city. In addition to eating homemade maple taffy on snow, there's pea soup, pancakes (plain or with ham and cheese) and maple syrup pie sold on the premises. Tractor rides also offered as well as visits to the site's animal farm.
When: usually open every day of the first week of March (spring break), and every weekend from late February through April. In 2011, it's every weekend from February 26 to March 6, and every weekend from March 12 to April 3, 2011. Hours 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Scheduling exceptions made for groups of 20 or more.
Cost: $3 for each maple taffy stick, $3 tractor rides ($2 for ages 2 to 11, free under age 2), $5 or less for menu items, call (514) (514) 280-6743 for prices on other activities, including snowshoeing and cross-county skiing
More INFO - Morgan Arboretum
McGill University's forest reserve, home to 330 horticultural species, is unfortunately not within a reasonable distance from public transit. But if you can make it by car, do it. You'll get to enjoy the season in the middle of the arboretum's sugar maple grove, where its sugar shack is located and see how maple syrup used to be made. The arboretum makes its own maple syrup the traditional way: by gathering tree sap in buckets and boiling it over a wood fire. Maple syrup is sold on the premises in limited quantities. Maple taffy on snow, hot dogs and German sausage dogs also available.
When: usually a couple of special sugaring off events per year, in March. In 2011, they're on Sunday March 20 and Sunday, March 27. Hours 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Admission $5, $2 children, $3 seniors and students, $12 family rate, $5 to $10 for maple taffy on snow, $3 for hot dogs and beverages. Free admission for McGill students and arboretum members.
More INFO - Go On a Sugar Shack Train Escapade
Urban sugar shacks aren't quite doing it for you? Still aching for an authentic sugar shack experience outside Montreal city limits, one complete with a traditional meal, maple taffy and wagon rides in the woods but you don't have a car? Maybe you have a car but want someone else to do the driving for you. Either way, you don't need one with the Agence métropolitaine de transport's sugar shack train escapades.
When: varies every year, several dates from March through April.
Cost: all-inclusive rate (train fare, sugar shack meal, etc,) which varies by age.
More INFO
