Virginia’s sweetest event of the year is the annual Highland County Maple Festival! Nestled in the peaceful, rural mountains on the western border of the Commonwealth, travelers can take a step back in time for a cultural and culinary adventure at the county-wide event during the second and third weekends of March. 2025 marks the 65th event, set for March 8-9 and 15-16.
Highland County is Virginia’s least populous county but has been drawing tens of thousands of visitors to the community since 1959 to celebrate the “opening” of the trees and to observe the process of making delicious, pure maple syrup. Free “sugar camp” tours provide a unique and educational experience for the entire family to learn how the golden delicacy is made from tree to bottle, ranging from traditional to modern techniques. Local sugar camps have even expanded to include syrups infused with fruits and spices or even aged in spirit barrels. Other tree syrups can be found at the festival as well, including hickory, birch, and black walnut.
Local civic clubs and organizations offer delicious food offerings, including famous fresh maple doughnuts, pancake and buckwheat cake meals with country side dishes, trout, pork rinds, and just about anything maple-flavored! Food vendors on North Water Street and Main Street in Monterey offer expanded options for savory and sweet meals for visitors.



Over 100 juried arts & crafts vendors will be available in Monterey and McDowell, providing one-of-a-kind treasures, tasty treats, and special gifts. Browse and shop with new and returning vendors for a seemingly endless variety of handcrafted items, from old-time trades to exclusive artwork to exquisite jewelry. For music lovers, each day of the festival plans to feature at least two live shows at The Highland Center in Monterey, with bluegrass and old-time performances, as well as clogging and square dancing.
In 1999, the Library of Congress designated The Highland County Maple Festival a “Local Legacy,” and in 2014, the Governor of Virginia signed a bill into law designating the festival as the “official maple festival of Virginia.” More recently, the festival has earned several user-voted awards, including the winner of Best Unique Festival in the Best of the Blue Ridge 2024 Reader’s Choice Awards from Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine and 2024’s first-place place winner for Best Festival of the Shenandoah Valley Region in Virginia Living’s Best of Virginia.



The Highland County Maple Festival is coordinated by the Highland County Chamber of Commerce and made possible with the help of countless volunteers and organizations. Traditional hours of the festival include Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm and Sundays from 9 am to 4 pm, though visitors can get a jumpstart to the day with maple doughnuts being served at 6 am and pancake meals starting as early as 7 am. Full details on all the festival happenings can be found at www.highlandcounty.org/maple-festival, with posts highlighting the festival available at www.facebook.com/HighlandCounty and www.instagram.com/highland_county_va.
Virginia is for Maple Syrup Lovers!
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We go every year, the ruritan donuts are our favorite by far.