With the warmer days of March comes the sound of sap dripping in buckets attached to the sugar maple trees of western Rhode Island. Take a road trip to see sap being turned into syrup at places like Charlie's Sugarhouse in Coventry.Charlie is Charlie Chase, and the sugarhouse is open weekends in March from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can see the fragrant clouds of steam rising as Charlie boils sap into syrup. (It takes 40 gallons of sap to make each gallon of pure maple syrup.) Samples are offered, and bottles of pure Rhode Island syrup are available for sale.
Charlie's Sugarhouse, 124 Hall Rd., Coventry. (401) 397-7102. Directions: From Route 95 in Providence, head south to Exit 10B, Route 117 West, to Route 102. Turn right to go north on 102 to Waterman Hill Rd. Turn left onto Waterman. Bear right at the fork.(Providence Journal photo by Connie Grosch)
