Located on a 35-acre campus in Amherst, the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is a hidden gem in Western New York. “The village is a museum and historic village space where we focus on preserving, exhibiting, and telling the story of the history of agriculture and rural communities in New York State,” said Executive Director Carrie Stiver.
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is able to educate and inspire its visitors through exhibits, costumed interpretation of rural life practices, group tours, classes, artisan workshops, and events.
One of their upcoming events is actually two fold. Both on March 25, 2023, Tap into Maple and A Taste of Maple connect visitors with one of New York’s most valuable agricultural exports: Maple Syrup.
“When people think of New York, not many are going to think about agriculture…but New York is actually an incredibly important part of our agricultural industry in the US and across the world. We are consistently ranked among the top three producers of many important products such as dairy products, wine and grapes, apples, and of course, maple syrup.”
Tap into Maple and A Taste of Maple are a part of New York’s Maple Weekend, a statewide celebration and educational event, now in its 27th year.
“We are the second leading producer of maple syrup in the country, behind only Vermont. New York actually has the largest stock of tappable maple trees in the country,” shared Stiver.
Tap into Maple is a family friendly event that begins at 1pm on March 25. The day includes guided tours of the Maple History trail, maple syrup and sugar demonstrations from the 1800s and 1900s, and tree tapping demonstrations.
The event will also include blind taste testing. Participants can see if they can distinguish genuine maple syrup from imitation store bought pancake syrup, and the different grades of maple syrup. Plus, there will be a snack stop with coffee, tea, and baked goods for sale at The Bluemerle Bakery and Lend a Leaf Tea Co. Ellicottville Brewing Company will be on-site as well.
A Taste of Maple is a 21 and older event, and begins at 4pm and tickets are presale only. Guests will be able to sample maple based delicacies from each of the local food vendors, who will also have other food items to sell. The museum team will be making historic maple recipes for guests to sample, and will be offering tastings of different grades of maple syrup. Ellicottville Brewery will be selling craft beers, and there will be a fun round of maple trivia in the theater at the village. This year’s vendors include Dirty Bird, Kith and Kin, Fat Bobs, Southern Junction, Sunshine Vegan Eats, and Buffalo Bros Burgers
Stiver hopes that guests “learn a lot about maple syrup and the industry in New York State… and just how intricate the process has been throughout history and still is now. I hope they learn something about the importance of the agriculture industry to New York State, and I hope they’re going to be talking about all the delicious things that they tasted and the fun activities that they were able to participate in… agriculture really impacts every facet of our daily lives and communities”
EVENT DETAILS
Tap Into Maple
DATE & TIME | March 25, 2023, 1:00pm to 4:00pm
COST | $12 Adults; $10 Children; BNHV Members FREE
LOCATION | Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village, 3755 Tonawanda Creek Rd, Amherst, NY 14228
Join us at the Village for our Family- Friendly guided tours of our Maple History Trail, Maple syrup/sugar demonstrations (both 1800s and 1900s), Taste testings—genuine vs. imitation and different grades of maple syrup, Sugar on Snow demonstration and tastings, and Tree tapping discussion and demonstrations! Snack stop with coffee, tea, and baked goods for sale at The Bluemerle Bakery and Lend a Leaf Tea Co. onsite! For the adults, enjoy some drinks from Ellicottville Brewing Company. Maple products available for purchase. This event is for all ages. Please note: No animals are allowed on the premises, only service animals are permitted. Products may contain food allergens.
Taste of Maple
DATE & TIME | March 25, 2023, 4:00pm to 7:00pm
COST | $30 Adult, $25 BNHV Members
LOCATION | Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village, 3755 Tonawanda Creek Rd, Amherst, NY 14228
Travel around our museum with your foodie passports! Each admission will receive a passport and samples from each of our food vendors, with additional food items for sale. Our vendors this year are: Dirty Bird, Kith and Kin, Fat Bobs, Southern Junction, Sunshine Vegan Eats, and Buffalo Bros Burgers! While you’re taste testing all the yummy maple foods, you may want to pair it with an alcoholic beverage from Ellicottville Brewing Company! All vendors will be set up inside of the museum for this event. We will also have taste tests- try different grades of maple syrup and see if you can tell the difference between real and imitation! When you’ve eaten your fill, test your knowledge with maple trivia in our theater, and be sure to grab some syrup to take home! Maple products will be for sale from our partners at Merle Maple
Please Note: Taste of Maple event is 21 and older. Products may contain food allergens. No animals(other than service animals) are permitted on the premises.