Maple Syrup Festival@Malabar Farms 🌳

4950 Broomfield Rd. Lucas

Growing up, we visited Malabar Farms. I have a lot of great memories! We went to the Maple Syrup Festival today. My oldest liked the maple sugar sample the best, and then family time. My middle liked the horse carriage ride the best. And my youngest loved neighing at the horses.

There is a Sugar House that has a short tour of what happens during the process of making maple syrup, a little history and a sample of real maple syrup. It’s sweet but not overly sweet and thin. Not like the most of the fake syrups at the store.

There was a Pioneer Sugar Camp where you got to learn about the process and sample maple sugar. It was the first time I had tried it. And it is good for 3 years! Crazy, right?

There was also another station that educated about how maple syrup was made in in the old days. With fire and hollowed out logs and much more. And I love that they were in costume.

Then we went to the Malabar mansion. It has 23 bedrooms! It was fun to explore. I loved all the flower wallpaper and cool tone colors and decor. They even had a dishwasher in 1939.

There is a farm themed playground that we hadn’t played on yet. It’s very cute with a climbing tractor, mill and swings. The tractor was very cool and our girls favorite.

This is an Ohio State Park located in Pleasant Valley of Richland County, Malabar Farm is representative of the diversity of the glaciated Appalachian Plateau region and was the dream of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Louis Bromfield. Today, visitors can see the house and farm existing just as they did in Bromfield’s time. The outbuildings and pastures still house chickens, goats and beef cattle. The hills are ribboned with strips of corn, wheat, oats and hay while the scenic trails are adorned with nature’s bounty.

Fishing

Good catches of bluegill and catfish can be caught from the farm ponds at Malabar. A valid Ohio fishing license is required.

Ohio fishing laws and information

Guided Tours

Malabar Farm reflects the agricultural tradition of Ohio while focusing on Louis Bromfield’s life and philosophies. The 32-room Big House, designed by Bromfield and architect Louis Lamoreux, is a blend of Western Reserve architectural styles and was built to appear as if it had been added onto over the years.

Tours of the mansion, preserved just as Louis left it in 1956, are offered year-round.

Wagon tours of the farm are offered May through October. During the growing season, Malabar Farm offers educational tours of its vegetable garden.

There is a nominal fee for house and wagon tours. Contact the park for hours and fees.