We have a guest visiting from out of town this weekend (2/15-2/19/2024) One of the activities we offered is going to a sugar shack. Sugaring off is a quintessentially New England activity. Normally I wouldn't offer this as something to do in mid-February. Maple sugar weekend is usually in mid March. But, I read an article in The Union Leader written by Allegra Boverman. She titled her piece, " The sap is running at Babel's Sugar Shack". This is how I discovered Jeff and Paula Babel's Sugar Shack! This is a small, wood fired maple sugar producer located at 323 Hurricane Hill Rd in Mason NH. The Babels (pronounced Bay-bell) are both wonderfully friendly, knowledgeable, and interesting to converse with! Jeff is passionate about maple syrup and is happy to share his wealth of knowledge. We viewed the entire maple barn, equipment, and enjoyed all Paula and Jeff shared with us about their maple syrup production. They have a shop behind the sugar shack where maple syrup, candies, and other delights are for sale. The sugar shack is very new and clean. The equipment is gleaming stainless steel. The shop is super welcoming with tables and chairs for customers to sit and enjoy treats. Babel's is an award winning maple syrup producer! Most recently they won second place in the NH Maple Producers Association Carlisle Award competition! They were competing against the best of the best and won second place! If you go to their Facebook page you can see the other awards they've won, including Best Sugarhouse in 2021 from WMUR! Babel's Sugar Shack LLC has earned the New Hampshire Seal of Quality from the NH Dept of Agriculture! They have an adorable, young golden retriever, Winnie; she is happy to greet you and loves to chase snowballs! We purchased two containers of dark amber syrup because we love super maple-y maple syrup! The Babel's are readying the sugar shack for Maple Weekend this year, March 16 and 17! I called ahead to make sure they were really open. Even though they weren't making syrup today it was still a wonderful outing! I highly recommend visiting Babel's Sugar Shack, if not for award winning syrup, then go for the lovely ambiance and great conversation! read more