Highland County Maple Festival

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Virginia Tourism Corporation

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Tour pure Virginia maple sugar camps for a cultural and culinary adventure at the annual Highland County Maple Festival, held the second and third weekends in March.

Take a step back in time to Highland County, “Virginia’s Sweet Spot!"

March 11 - 12 and 18 - 19, 2023

Travel scenic back roads and majestic mountain byways to the annual Highland County Maple Festival. Since 1959, visitors have been drawn to Highland County to tour real maple sugar camps for a cultural and culinary adventure!

In 1999, The Library of Congress designated The Highland County Maple Festival a “Local Legacy.” In 2014, the Governor of Virginia signed a bill into law designating the festival as the “official maple festival of Virginia.” The festival has won many user-voted awards, including most recently as best Festival of the Shenandoah Valley Region in Virginia Living’s eleventh annual Best of Virginia issue.

Each year, tens of thousands of visitors are drawn to this unspoiled, rural region of Virginia to celebrate the “opening” of the trees and observe the process of making maple syrup. Sugar camp tours provide a unique and educational experience that portrays a rapidly vanishing way of American life.

Several sugar camps are open to explore for free with with unique techniques and stories. In addition to pancake and buckwheat cake meals, famous Maple Doughnuts and live entertainment, over 100 high-quality juried arts and crafts vendors take part in the festival each year.

We’re glad to have you share the experience!