I am a self-proclaimed gas guzzler. As much as I hate to spend money, when the weather gets nice, I love to take my family out in one of the vehicles and drive around with the windows down. Sometimes we have a destination in mind; other times we just like to take the long road home. Gas companies love me!

So when the temperature topped 60 degree F this past weekend, I knew we would be getting out on the town. In reality, we have a family tradition that my wife and I started years ago before we even had children. The Lake Metroparks Farmpark is our idea of a perfect weather afternoon. Not only is it a farm that is run by the park system, but they also host an annual Maple Sugar Festival that is the highlight of our March tradition.

Our goal every year is to get there early and before the church-going crowds get out and onto the town. This year with the time change I was nervous because we did not arrive until around 10:00 AM. Luckily, the parking lot was still fairly empty as most people must have still been sleeping and getting used to the time change.

After paying our admission, we follow the same game plan year after year. First up, an AMAZING pancake breakfast served in the cafe. Pancakes, bacon, sausage, and potatoes, but what pulls it all together is the amazing, fresh maple syrup. Year after year, we have yet to not have a spectacular meal to start off our day. It is the one time in my year that I actually crave the breakfast spread. It is that good…and thus why I have no pictures, but you have all seen what a pancake is, right?

When our bellies were fully, and I had blurry vision from all the maple syrup, we began our exploration of the grounds. The farm is full of new life every March with new animal births throughout. The main barn housed various breeds of sheep, most with baby lambs, pigs and piglets, horse rides, and various ducks, geese, chickens, and rabbits. Everything is presented in a very educational manner, and the boys loved the chance at interacting with the animals.

Maple Sugar Process

With some straw in our boots, we headed out to the woods to see the maple syrup process. We enjoy walking along the path and seeing trees that have been tapped to draw out the sap for processing into maple syrup. Curious George recently taught our sons all about the maple sugar process, so now we could help drive the concept home.

The farm has maple trees throughout the property tapped for syrup production. Several trees are equipped with the traditional tap and bucket, while large wooded areas were all tapped and tied together with drip lines to a common collection point. The sap was then collected for processing into syrup. If you have never sampled maple tree sap, it is basically sugar water. The “brewers” had samples for people to try, which we let Bug enjoy some of the sap and Shark some of the maple candy.

Also outside is a do-it-yourself arrangement for turning sap into maple syrup, which basically consists of a fire box that is used to slowly burn off the water, leaving behind the fresh syrup. Inside the main barn is the commercial size version of the same contraption. Also inside the barn is a history of the maple syrup process, as well as a stand for not only sampling various maple syrup products, but also to buy the products. Note, in the syrup barn one must pay with cash only. Otherwise, they sell the same products up in the main gift shop where one can use credit.

Did You See The Size of Those Tomatoes?

Perhaps one of my personal favorite spots of Lake Farmpark is the greenhouse, which I relate to because I have always want my own greenhouse attached to my house. The facility really knows how to cater to kids too, because as soon as you walk in, instead of being impressed with gorgeous blooms, there are several interactive areas for kids to explore.

There are all kinds of informative 3-dimensional displays showing the process of photosynthesis and how plant structures work. There are small experiments with water and gravity. There is even a separate indoor bug cave. As the wife and Bug explored, Shark and I headed into one of my favorite rooms, the hydroponics. While not as impressive as the hydroponic display at Epcot, this one is more scalable for a do-it-yourselfer at home.

It has always been a dream of mine to have a wonderful garden and/or greenhouse, and seeing the rows of lettuces and vegetables, all being grown in water and no soil medium, is beautiful! Over the past couple of years, after rapidly killing off my own share of oxygen emitters, I have eventually started to improve on my green thumb capabilities, and visiting the greenhouse always gives me some new ideas.

My wife likes to call me Edward Scissorhands after I chopped off the orchids last year, but this year I received the last laugh after getting them to rebloom, only in different colors. Who has the choppy-chop hands now?

The Milking Barn

Perhaps the boys favorite part is the dairy cow barn. The Lake Farmpark has a handful of dairy cows that they use for daily milking and educational presentations. The boys really enjoyed seeing the baby calf hand fed from a large baby bottle, and Bug recalled being there the year prior and getting to milk the cow (it might have just been that we told him though). Lan-Shark even received a very special kiss from the calf as he could not get enough of the animals!

Did you know that after a dairy calf is born, they have to be separated from their mother? The reason being is that today’s dairy cows produce way more milk than normal, and infant calves have no method of telling them when to stop feeding. Therefore, they will continue to eat until they get sick. Cattle raised for beef production, on the other hand, produce the right quantity of milk, and therefore do not need to be separated from the mothers. I randomly learn that fact after overhearing one of the staff tell a guest.

We love going to the Lake Farmpark each year, especially after we now see how much our boys love it. My only suggestion for the Maple Sugar Festival weekend is besides seeing them make the syrup, there really is not much in the way of a festival. I would really like to see the park improve on what they could offer for the weekend to make it special and above and beyond what you would experience at the farmpark any other day of the year.

As a parents, the most rewarding part from taking your children along for an experience is seeing them grow. When the boys were at the Lake Farmpark, they were kids. I saw them enjoying themselves, the outdoors, open space, and free air, and living in the moment. The boys were able to just be kids, chasing their shadows as we walked along the paths. This year, more than ever before, I saw the joy in their eyes from such simple pleasures that we take for granted. Bug loved being able to walk around freely with his little rubber boots and enjoying the land. No longer was he being pushed around in a stroller like his little brother Lan-Shark. We loved it, and certainly our boys did too. For that reason alone, I will continue to fill our gas tank and see where the next adventure will make us go.

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