CARBONDALE, Ill. (KFVS) - Not only does the Maple Syrup Festival offer a breakfast topped with maple syrup, the festival also offers an educational look at how maple syrup is made!
Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center will host the 2026 Maple Syrup Festival March 21-22 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day.
Visitors can see a firsthand demonstration of how maple syrup is made. Visitors will also be able to enjoy lumberjack shows, pottery and rope-making demonstrations, blacksmithing demonstrations, walks, live music, and children’s activities.
“The Maple Syrup Festival is really something special,” said Brian Croft, executive director of Touch of Nature and the Office of Sustainability. “We tap the trees and make our very own syrup at Touch of Nature. When people attend, they can enjoy fresh maple syrup and see what all is involved in the intensive process that converts the sap to syrup. And there’s so much happening that day, ensuring people of all ages have a great time.”
The pancake breakfast with all the trimmings is offered from 9 a.m. until 1:45 p.m. daily.
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Limited quantities of fresh, homemade maple syrup will be available for purchase each day at the center’s Maple Syrup Store.
The festival is held at the facility located about eight miles south of Carbondale off Giant City Road.
Maple Syrup breakfast ticket prices are:
- Ages 11 and older: $15.
- Ages 4-10: $8.
- Ages 3 and younger: free.
- SIU students: $8 with valid student ID.
For more information, including a schedule of events, visit the website, email ton@siu.edu or call 618-453-1122.
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