Our Sweetwater Harvest Festival is the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre’s biggest special event of the year – and ONE ticket gets you access to TWO fantastic sites this March 22 & 23, 2025.
Join the Friends of Wye Marsh and Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons for an awesome maple syrup experience this spring!
See what’s new, get tickets and details at: www.wyemarsh.com/sweetwater
Call 705-526-7809 for assistance.
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Early Birds save $6 each per timed ticket from February 14-March 18 @ 4 pm!
- $16 per Adult… INCLUDES Taxes and Eventbrite Fees
- $12.50 per Student and Senior day pass… INCLUDES Taxes and Eventbrite Fees
- Children three and under are FREE
Regular Timed Tickets: Available March 18
- $22 per Adult… INCLUDES Taxes and Eventbrite Fees
- $18.50 per Student and Senior day pass… INCLUDES Taxes and Eventbrite Fees
- Children three and under are FREE
All sales are final.
* Program runs from 9 am – 5 pm, with last admission from 2:30-3:00 pm. No Refunds.
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Start your Sweetwater Harvest experience at Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons:
- See how the local Indigenous People, the Huron-Wendat, traditionally welcomed spring
- Take part in awesome educational activities
- Explore historical objects and ancient artefacts by completing our indoor and outdoor scavenger hunts
- Taste delicious cornbread in the cookhouse
- Try on historical costumes in the Shoemaker/Tailor’s workshop
- Play Indigenous games in En Pilier and take some home
- Make your own clay pots and okies
- Create and decorate a corn husk doll
- Plant the three sisters for your home garden: corn, beans and squash
- Sample historic teas and listen to Indigenous stories in the longhouse
- Learn the French and Wendat methods for starting fires in the 17th century
- Investigate Sainte-Marie’s award-winning indoor museum
- Swing by the Sweetwater Harvest Arts & Crafts Market, where you’ll connect with local artists and artisans selling one-of-a-kind products
- Take Part in our Walking Scavenger Hunt to enjoy during your walk between Sainte-Marie and Wye Marsh!
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Head to Restaurant Sainte-Marie to purchase a delicious pancake breakfast with real maple syrup.
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Visit Wye Marsh – the birthplace of Sweetwater… and fall in love with our natural heritage!
- Wander through the Sugar Bush
- Visit the Sugar Shack to see how sap is turned into liquid gold
- Warm up by an open fire (weather permitting) and roast some Bannock on a stick
- Play traditional games
- NEW: Join Basile in the Pavilion and learn how to “Jig”
- Listen to an Indigenous Storyteller
- Make’N Take a craft in the Visitors Centre
- Visit the Birds of Prey Field and say hello to the owls, hawks and eagle
- Explore forested trails or head out on the boardwalk to see the marsh stir to life after a long winter’s nap
- Purchase your supply of local maple syrup and honey
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Admissions:
- Please note: All tickets must be purchased through Eventbrite.
- Our timed tickets, with set attendance limits each half-day, will help spread out visitors over the day, providing everyone with the time and space to enjoy Sweetwater to the fullest.
- Last admission is at 2:30 pm to provide you with time to enjoy programs ending at 5 pm. To make the most of your Sweetwater experience, we suggest you book earlier in the day. We anticipate it will take guests approximately an hour to enjoy the Wye Marsh, approximately 45 minutes to experience Sainte-Marie and approximately two hours to visit both sites.
- Please print and bring your receipt to the event; cell phone coverage is spotty at Wye Marsh. It will automatically be emailed to you.
- The festival will run regardless of weather – please dress accordingly and wear comfortable footwear.
- There is limited parking at Wye Marsh. We encourage those who can, to please park at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. It is about a 10- minute walk to Wye Marsh, and this kindness allows others with limited mobility to park their vehicles directly at the Wye Marsh.
- While we love our furry friends, we are not able to accommodate pets at this special event (service animals are welcomed of course). Thank you for your understanding.
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About Wye Marsh:
Friends of Wye Marsh is a not-for-profit charitable organization taking care of 3,000 acres of provincially significant wetlands and federal forests in the Heart of Georgian Bay. This National Wildlife Area and recognized Important Bird Area (IBA) provides habitat for a number of significant species including provincially Threatened Least Bitterns, Species of Special Concern Black Terns, and the famous Trumpeter Swans.
Wye Marsh is the perfect place to Escape – Explore – Experience the area’s natural history as the site includes 25 km of all-season trails, a Birds of Prey field, and Visitors Centre!
For more information on the Wye Marsh, and its environmental education programs and stewardship initiatives, please call 705-526-7809 or visit: http://www.wyemarsh.com
About Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons:
Ontario’s first European Community, Sainte-Marie among the Hurons was the headquarters for the French Jesuit Mission to the Huron-Wendat people. In 1639, the Jesuits, along with French lay workers, began construction of a fenced community that included barracks, a church, workshops, residences, and a sheltered area for Indigenous visitors. This community was abandoned and burned down in 1649. Thanks to extensive archaeological and historical research, Sainte-Marie is now recreated on its original site, where the mission’s compelling story is brought to life with costumed historical interpreters, events, education programs and more.
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Program Changes: In Case of High Winds or Extreme Weather
Outdoor programs at Wye Marsh may need to be modified if the trails are closed due to high winds, thunder storms, or other inclement weather. For example:
- Birds of prey may move inside, in the Visitors Centre, or head out to the pavilion
- Sugar Shack pans and interpretive items may be relocated to the pavilion
- Bannock roasting may be relocated to the longhouse at Sainte-Marie
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No refunds.
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