Iowa’s top maple syrup farms to visit or buy from

There is nothing sweeter than maple syrup straight from the farm. Discover the best maple syrup farms in Iowa to visit and buy from.

Maple syrup is one of the first crops harvested every year in Iowa, with the season typically beginning in late February. It’s also one of the Hawkeye State’s oldest crops, dating all the way back to pioneer times.

Today, Iowa ranks about 14th in the U.S. for maple syrup production. The state is home to almost 90 maple syrup farms—many of which offer tours, educational programs, and events where fresh syrup is the star. Some of these farms go beyond producing just maple syrup, turning the sugary solution into all sorts of tasty treats, from candy to butter to granola.

Maple syrup harvesting—or sugaring—only lasts a few weeks, with the season typically ending in late March or early April. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the top maple syrup farms in Iowa you can visit before the season ends. Keep reading to learn more about each one.

1. Great River Maple

Address: 217 Clay Brick Ln., Garnavillo

Great River Maple is a family-run small business that produces certified organic maple syrup and cream. The farm, located in Garnavillo, is home to about 8,500 trees. Some of the trees, co-owner Dan Potter explains, are the same trees his great-grandfather tapped in the late 1800s.

Maple syrup and cream aren’t the only products offered by Great River Maple. You can also purchase maple cotton candy, maple granola, and maple sugar, as well as many syrups infused with flavors such as cinnamon, vanilla, and coffee.

If you want to visit Great River Maple, you can email [email protected] to schedule a free walking tour of the woods. Or, you can head to the farm on Mar. 28 for Maple Festival 2026. At the event, there will be free samples and tours, maple products for sale, and a maple brat lunch.

2. Greens’ Sugar Bush

Address: 1437 111th Ave., Castalia

Greens’ Sugar Bush has been producing maple syrup since 1851, making it one of the oldest continually operating businesses in Iowa. The 60-acre farm is family-owned and home to more than 1,000 maple trees—many of which have been tapped by several generations of Greens.

Maple syrup at Green’s Sugar Bush is still gathered the old-fashioned way—with buckets and horses—and during the season, you can bring your own container and purchase fresh syrup. You can also buy pre-packaged bottles and gallons, as well as homemade maple syrup candy, when available.

The company posts when it’s open for syrup sales on Facebook, but you can also call 563-605-1168 to set up a time to visit or check out the farm’s annual pancake breakfast. The event is a local tradition held during the last weekend of March and the first weekend of April. (This year’s event will take place on Mar. 29 and Apr. 4.) The beloved breakfast event features all-you-can-eat pancakes and sausage, as well as bulk syrup for sale.

3. Hartman Reserve Nature Center

Address: 657 Reserve Dr., Cedar Falls

At Hartman Reserve Nature Center, staff and volunteers tap almost 100 trees in their sugar bush—an area of maple trees that can be tapped for syrup production—every year. The collected sap is boiled on-site at the center’s Sugar Shack and turned into syrup for its annual Maple Syrup Festival.

The festival includes all-you-can-eat pancakes topped with maple syrup, sausage, local coffee, and dairy products, and a raffle. This year’s event is scheduled for Mar. 6-8.

If you can’t make the festival, you can visit the 340-acre nature center year-round and purchase maple syrup from Greens’ Sugar Bush in the gift shop. (The center doesn’t produce enough finished syrup to bottle it commercially, so it offers Greens’ instead.)

4. Indian Creek Nature Center

Address: 5300 Otis Rd. SE, Cedar Rapids

Indian Creek Nature Center has about 500 acres of land under its management, some of which is home to more than 100 maple trees that are tapped each year to produce syrup.

The center’s signature event, the Maple Syrup Festival, features syrup-making demonstrations, visits to the Sugar House, where sap becomes syrup, and a pancake and sausage breakfast. This year’s festival is scheduled to take place Mar. 28-29.

During March, Indian Creek Nature Center also hosts a maple syruping program during which you can learn about tree physiology and the chemistry of syrup making, tap a tree, visit the Sugar House, and sample some syrup.

5. McGreal Family Farm

Address: 20447 Elm Rd., Strawberry Point

McGreal Family Farm’s primary product is 100 percent grass-fed beef, but it also produces maple syrup and a variety of other goods, such as cold-process soap and fruit preserves. The maple syrup is tapped and processed on the 40-acre farm and sold in 16-ounce jars.

Head to the farm to shop at its farm store on Wednesdays from 5-7 pm and Sundays from 9 am to 1 pm. You can also find the farm’s products at the Elkader Iowa Farmers’ Market and Dubuque Farmers’ Market, as well as several small shops and restaurants throughout Iowa.

6. Sweet Maple Farms

Address: 7000 Tower Terrace Rd., Cedar Rapids

Sweet Maple Farms has been family-owned and operated since 1991. The farm specializes in maple syrup, as well as honey, wild berry products, vinegars and butters, and garden vegetables ranging from rhubarb and beets to green beans and okra.

In addition to maple syrup, you can also purchase maple marinade for meats and maple butter from Sweet Maple Farms. Products are packed in recyclable glass containers instead of plastic, and customers are encouraged to return clean containers to the farm for a $1-per-container credit toward their next purchase.

In addition to recycling, Sweet Maple Farms also prioritizes producing all-natural products. The company doesn’t use fertilizer, herbicides, or insecticides. It starts tapping mature maple trees in late winter and early spring, then boils the sap to concentrate it into syrup without using any additives.

If you’re interested in visiting the farm, you can email [email protected] or call 319-360-1028 to schedule an appointment.