Set amidst a rural landscape dotted with covered bridges and round barns, Burton’s Maplewood Farm in Jackson County becomes the Mecca each spring for all things maple syrup.

The Burtons have a 30 acre farm with a lot of stately old maple trees. They have 1400 taps (tapping a tree is the way that the sap, which rises after a cold night and warm day cycle typical of early spring, is siphoned from the tree) and five miles of the tubing used for tapping. After collecting the sap, it is sent to the rustic looking “Sugar Shack” where it processed into syrup. Inside the shack is a state-of-the-art evaporator used to boil the syrup (the old fashioned way was to put it in a large open kettle over an open fire).

Take time to visit the three covered bridges and three round barns, all dating back to the 1800s, which dot the landscape of Jackson County.

Take a walk at the 7,802 acre-Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge with its scenic driver perfect for wildlife viewing, eight hiking trails and four miles of auto trails. The refuge includes wetlands, forests, ponds and a plethora of wildlife as well as a visitor’s center and a log cabin historic site.