Tapping Into Tradition: A Muskoka Maple Adventure at Windermere House
Our latest travel package is a two-night, three-day spring getaway rooted in land, flavour, and heritage. Stay at the historic Windermere House on Lake Rosseau and experience maple season from forest to table – learning Indigenous maple teachings, visiting a six-generation family sugar bush and enjoying maple-inspired dining and wellness. This immersive weekend celebrates the arrival of spring through meaningful cultural connection, local food traditions and moments to slowing down and savour Muskoka at its sweetest.
Tapping Into Tradition A Muskoka Maple Adventure at Windermere House
March 20 – 22, 2026
- Two-night lakeview stay at the historic Windermere House
- Fireside welcome with guided Elder teaching
- Welcome canapés and a warming non-alcoholic beverage
- Daily breakfast (Grab & Go Saturday; full breakfast Sunday)
- Round-trip bus transportation to Brooklands Farm from Winderemere House
- Guided sugar bush and sugar shack experience at Brooklands Farm
- Maple-inspired farm brunch at Brooklands Farm’s 1876 log home
- Three-course maple-themed dinner with live music at The Rosseau at Windermere House (alcohol excluded)
- Full access to Windermere House amenities
- Guided reflection session with a Muskoka Chautauqua artist
Price:
- Double Occupancy: $1,650.00 CAD
- Single Occupancy: $1,345.00 CAD
Tapping Into Tradition A Muskoka Maple Adventure at Windermere House
The first warm day after a freezing night. That’s when it happens. Across Muskoka, maple trees begin their quiet alchemy, drawing water from thawing roots and transforming it into the sweet sap announcing spring’s arrival. This is maple season, and it’s more than a harvest—it’s a homecoming.
Our Tapping into Tradition package invites you into this moment of transition, connecting you to the land, the people, and the traditions that make Muskoka’s maple season unforgettable.
Your Home Base: Windermere House
Your journey begins at Windermere House, a heritage resort that has welcomed travellers since the 19th century. Perched on the shores of Lake Rosseau, this isn’t just accommodation, it’s a place where the community gathers, stories are shared, and the seasons are celebrated. Here, you’ll experience elevated maple-inspired dining that brings the journey from forest to farm to table. The culinary team crafts menus that honour the season, showcasing maple traditional and unexpected ways.
Between adventures, the property offers everything you need to rest and recharge: plunge pool, hot tub, three-barrel saunas overlooking the lake, steam rooms, and outdoor fire pits for evening gatherings.
Honouring the Land
For Indigenous communities, maple season has long marked a time of ceremony and gratitude, honouring the Creator for the first harvest of the year and the nourishing gift of the maple tree.
Through guided cultural experiences, you’ll be invited to understand deeper stories of this land and the traditions that have sustained communities here for generations. This isn’t observation, it’s an invitation to listen, learn, and carry these teachings forward with respect. Terry and Lucia are two elders/knowledge keepers of the Mohawk culture. Terry belongs to the Bear Clan family and Lucia is part of the Turtle Clan family. They live in Wahta Mohawk Territory and have a daughter, a son, and grandson. They like to share their knowledge in their community of Wahta and in the surrounding communities of Muskoka. They have given their time learning and living the ways of the Longhouse people for the last 40 years of their lives. Now as of present time they teach the culture to everyone in Glen Orchard Public School.
Terry and Lucia are two elders/knowledge keepers of the Mohawk culture. Terry belongs to the Bear Clan family and Lucia is part of the Turtle Clan family. They live in Wahta Mohawk Territory and have a daughter, a son, and grandson. They like to share their knowledge in their community of Wahta and in the surrounding communities of Muskoka. They have given their time learning and living the ways of the Longhouse people for the last 40 years of their lives. Now as of present time they teach the culture to everyone in Glen Orchard Public School.
From Sap to Syrup: Brooklands Farm
The heart of any maple journey is the sugar bush, and Brooklands Farm outside Port Carling, on the pleasantly named Butter & Egg Road, offers something rare: authenticity passed down through six generations. For the Riley family, maple syrup isn’t just a product, it’s the first and most meaningful crop of the year, a tradition that connects them to the land and to their ancestors.
You’ll venture into the sugar shack where sap is gathered and transformed through patient hours of boiling. The steam rises sweet and thick, filling the air with the unmistakable scent of spring. You’ll learn the craft from those who know it best, understanding why small-batch syrup tastes different as it carries both flavour and ancestry in every drop.
Your visit concludes with a farmer’s breakfast, prepared by the family and served in their historic log home dating back to 1876. The meal is simple and generous: pancakes with fresh syrup, farm eggs, bacon, coffee strong enough to wake the forest. Around the table, stories will flow as freely as the syrup
Home of Muskoka Chautauqua
Rooted in a century of tradition, Muskoka Chautauqua stands as one of the region’s longest-running and most iconic cultural institutions. Its story began in the 1920s, when Windermere emerged as Canada’s literary summer capital, a tranquil sanctuary where North America’s great creative minds gathered for intellectual exchange. Today, this vibrant arts community remains a focal point for personal growth and renewal, serving as a premier cultural hub where artists and leading thinkers share innovative ideas while enjoying Muskoka’s beautiful natural backdrop.
While renowned for its signature summer festival, which encompasses diverse programming including high-profile concerts to immersive art workshops and personal author talk series, the Muskoka Chautauqua experience extends beyond the warm months with the delivery of year-round programming that connects visitors with the region’s soul.
Throughout this March weekend, Muskoka Chautauqua has taken the best of its music, art and learning to provide entertainment through the weekend. Enjoy live music from local artist Leah Leslie and her constant companion, a 1976 Grit Laskin acoustic guitar. As well as a guided visual story telling by graphic recording artist Pamela Hubbard, capturing the spirit of the experience and creating a collective expression of the shared journey.
Whatever the season, our programming encourages a deeper, more authentic connection to the natural environment and rhythms of local Muskoka living.
A Journey Worth Taking
This package is more than a getaway – it’s a collaboration born from passion for the land, the flavours, and the stories that make Muskoka unique. Where maple forests, family farms, Indigenous wisdom, and historic resorts come together to celebrate the rhythms of the season.
In a world that moves too fast, maple season asks us to slow down. To notice when the sap begins to flow. To honour the hands that gather and transform it. To taste the forest in a single drop of syrup.
This is regenerative travel at its finest: celebrating tradition, supporting local livelihoods, and honouring the rhythms of nature at the very moment when winter releases its grip and spring begins.
Itinerary
Friday, March 20 – Arrive & Welcome
- 4 PM Arrival and check-in at Windermere House, your historic lakeside home for the weekend.
Take time to settle in, explore the grounds or enjoy the amenities overlooking Lake Rosseau.
- 5 – 6 PM – Welcome Fireside Gathering: Begin the weekend with a warm welcome and guided Elder teaching that honours maple season and the land it comes from. Enjoy passed canapés and a comforting non-alcoholic hot beverage as stories and traditions are shared fireside
- Evening at Leisure: Following the welcome, guests are free to enjoy dinner at their own pace, relax by the fire pits, or unwind in the saunas and hot tubs.
Saturday, March 21 – From Forest to Farm
- 8 – 10 AM – Grab & Go Breakfast at Windermere House.
- 10 AM – Activity bus departs Windermere House for Brooklands Farm.
- 10:30 AM – NOON – Sugar Bush & Sugar Shack Experience at Brooklands Farm:Be welcomed by the family and guided through the maple bush and historic sugar shack. Learn about six generations of syrup-making, the seasonal rhythms of the forest, and the transformation of sap into syrup. Weather and conditions permitting, guests will experience the boiling process in action. Please dress appropriately for outdoor walking, including suitable footwear.
- NOON – 1:30 PM – Maple-Inspired Farm Brunch in the family’s 1876 log home for a hearty, maple-nuanced brunch featuring pancakes, fresh syrup, farm eggs, bacon, and coffee.
- 1:30 PM – Activity bus departs Brooklands Farm.
- 2 PM – Late Afternoon: Return to Windermere House and enjoy time at leisure. Relax in the spa facilities, simply rest before the evening’s culinary experience.
- 6:30 PM – Maple-Themed Dinner at The Rosseau Restaurant at Windermere House: A seasonal, maple-inspired dinner in the Rosseau Dining Room, thoughtfully prepared to celebrate the journey from forest to table. Live music by local Muskoka Chautauqua musician, Leah Leslie.
Sunday, March 22 – Reflection & Farewell
- 8 – 10:30 AM – Breakfast at Windermere House.
- 10 – 11 AM: Guided Reflection with Muskoka Chautauqua Artist, Pam Hubbard. Using a World Café-style process where guests are invited to reflect on the weekend’s experiences through a series of small-group conversations. Guided questions will encourage thoughtful dialogue around what emerged, what resonated, and what participants will carry forward.