Well-timed road trip could be rewarding for maple syrup lovers

While the current tourism season is winding down, it's never too early to start thinking of good road trip destinations. One interesting possibility takes place for a short time each spring in just a handful of parts of the country.

In regions like New England, maple syrup production is an activity that pre-dates the Pilgrims and has emerged as a tourist attraction in its own right.

The flow of the maple sap depends heavily on temperatures and other weather in the late winter and early spring, but late March is typically the optimal time for maple syrup production.

In fact, every March, the Vermont Maple Foundation holds its annual Maple Open House Weekend, which features activities at sugar shacks throughout the state. In neighboring New Hampshire, the state's governor typically kicks off the maple sugar season in a well-covered media event.

For those who are interested in visiting states like New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, planning to go in the early spring can present an opportunity to get a firsthand look at this age-old tradition. These and other states are home to a number of working sugar shacks that produce pure maple syrup as well as other related products, such as maple sugar candy.