Stratford Ecological Center

We love every visit to Stratford Ecological Center! Being able to visit during the sugar maple fest is always such a treat (literally and figuratively speaking!) Every volunteer is knowledgeable and friendly. What a wonderful organization to have in our Central Ohio community -- and we are all the luckier for it. The fest is worth it at $10 per person, in my opinion. It helps support the center and that's a win. They have programming all year. Just be sure to get tickets early, as they get popular!Also: best maple syrup ever! I love it so much!

I surprised my sweetie with a Maple Syrup Tour at Stratford Ecological Center on a crisp late winter morning. For the bargain price of $4 per person, I was expecting to spend approximately 30-40 minutes in a room learning about the syrup making process. Being wrong never felt so good! Having a reservation which I had paid for in advance, we checked in promptly where they suggested we borrow some of their boots due to muddy conditions & that proved needed as the terrain deiced. How awesome is that! Once everyone had their boots on we met fireside where our guide introduced herself, provided history of their facility & informed us of what to expect during our experience. Next stop: animal barn!Being the animal lover that I am, this was my absolute favorite part. Not only did I not know that this was included (bonus!), but I was so grateful to be able to get up close to the new calf & her mommy & see the oh so pregnant piggie. Even better we got to get in the sheep pin & the goat/llama pins where we could pet these adorable creatures. My heart was so happy I almost never wanted to leave, but it was time to move onto our next adventure... maple syrup!The walk from the animal barn to the maple syrup area was about 20 minutes. I imagine this varies based on weather conditions & the amount & ages of those on your tour. The scenery was absolutely breath-taking as the sun peeped through the leafless trees, casting beautiful shadows about. There was a dusting of snow on the ground & a crisp, icy terrain on the ground & the creek. As we walked we stopped periodically to learn about how to identify maple trees, the variety of maple trees in our area & all about how the seasons impacts the process. We got to see the process firsthand & I was surprised to see that the sap is clear.Once we arrived at the cabin we learned about the filtration system and the science of the sap to syrup process where we got to tast the sap & then the syrup. It is absolutely delicious & pure in taste without the senseless added sugar commonly found in those found in stores. Another interesting & entertaining moment came when we were shown how hot stones were placed in water inside a hollowed-out log. This experience delivered a lot of bang for your buck & it felt really good to support this local working farm. I am going to be sure to check their website for future events to explore.

Stratford Ecological Center is located near the state nature preserve in the scenic Delaware area. It is free to visit, but does rely on donations (suggested $2 per person or $5 per family). There are four miles of trails, a working farm with a variety of animals (cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens), a great greenhouse, and a sugar shack for maple syrup season. The environment includes a creek, swamp, ponds, forest, and prairie areas. Stratford offers a variety of programs and events, and I had the opportunity to visit as part of a group attending a Maple Sugar hike. This event had us hike out to the sugarbush and the Sugar Shack, with the opportunity to try out setting up a spile in a maple tree. The samples of syrup were delicious, and the tour guides were wonderful and offered a lot of information. The tour ended with a walk-through of the barn and greenhouse. Lambs had arrived at the time of our visit, which were adorable. There is a small store where we were able to purchase some of the great maple syrup made on-site, and the offerings vary by season, as they also sell herbs, produce, eggs, honey, etc.Wonderful facility - very kid and family friendly.

We came here with our two children (two and five months) for the Harvest festival. So much fun, toddler meltdown and all! Parking was easy, and there was SOOOO much to do for the little guy. He tells me his favorite part was feeding the chickens. The pig he liked because it wasn't moving. The sheep, goats, and llama scared the living daylights out of him. And forget getting on the horse hayride. The tractor hayride was MUCH cooler, and was rated second to the chickens as favorite part of the day. He had loads of fun and didn't want to go home!All in all, it was very much worth the trip out here from Bexley. It's really kind of a cool place and worth checking out - you'll learn a thing or two.