With the first notes of spring, Women’s History Month, Maple Weekends, and outdoor events, March is a month like no other in the Finger Lakes. Learn about the past and celebrate the present, explore the indigenous culture of the Finger Lakes, and accompany your end-of-winter, beginning-of-spring stroll with a couple maple flavors along the way.
Brave Women and Women History Month Events
The Finger Lakes region is the heart of women’s history in the United States. Check out the Brave Women Week events to learn about the past, commemorate the present, and envision the future.
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Dive into a welding workshop at Ironwood Studios (8256 S. Main St., Springwater, N.Y.) on Mar. 7, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. During these immersive, women-only, hands-on experiences, connect with other women and explore your creativity while metal artist Stacey Mrva guides you through the basics of MIG welding as you build your own lotus candle holder.
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Naples Women’s Weekend (Naples Historic Shopping District, 116 N. Main St., Naples, N.Y) between Mar. 6-8, 2026, is a weekend-long celebration featuring informative workshops, motivational speakers, live entertainment, pop-up shops from women-owned businesses, and more.
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Brave Brews Festival (251 North St, Auburn, N.Y.) returns for its fifth edition in 2026 between Mar. 6-8, 2026, celebrating New York State’s women-owned craft beverage producers. The festival features women’s-history-focused tours, craft brews, live music, and karaoke.
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To celebrate International Women’s Day with the best of the Finger Lakes culinary scene, head to New York Kitchen (800 S. Main St., Canandaigua, N.Y.) on Mar. 8, 2026. Focused on simple techniques and thoughtful ingredients, Women in Food: Cooking from Good Things, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. is a hands-on experience led by award-winning chef Samin Nosrat, highlighting the power of women’s voices in the culinary world through storytelling, skill-building, and connection.
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Continue the celebration at New York Kitchen (800 S. Main St., Canandaigua, N.Y.) with Celebrating Women of Finger Lakes Wine on Mar. 8, 2026, from 12 to 1 p.m., a guided wine tasting led by acclaimed wine educator Sandy Waters. This immersive experience blends wine tasting with storytelling to explore the vital role women play in shaping Finger Lakes wine—from vineyard and cellar to leadership and innovation.
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Join the Ontario County Historical Society (55 N. Main St., Canandaigua, N.Y.) on Mar. 18, 2026, at 6 p.m., and Mar. 26, 2026, at 12 p.m., for She Speaks: Women of Ontario County, a program featuring historical writings and creative works by Ontario County women who made history.
Indigenous Winter Games & Maple Festival
Join the Winter Games & Maple Festival at Ganondagan State Historic Site (7000 County Road 41, Victor, N.Y.) for an immersive cultural experience celebrating the Seneca ways of winter through traditional Native American activities. Featuring snow snake demonstrations, traditional games and social dances, dog sled demonstrations, traditional item exhibits, and maple syrup education to welcome the maple season, this free event—donations accepted—is open to the public.
Maple Weekends
Enjoy the best of maple during Maple Weekends, held over the last two weekends of March on Mar. 21–22 and Mar. 28–29, 2026. Farms across the Finger Lakes invite visitors to explore their grounds, sample their products, and celebrate the maple sugaring season. Participating farms offer pancake breakfasts, maple tastings, food trucks, locally made maple products, and family-friendly activities—providing a behind-the-scenes look at how maple syrup is made while savoring the flavors of the season.
Check the full list of participating farms and don’t miss your chance to enjoy everything maple!
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