HERE
What’s so great about maple sugar?
Learn how to make maple sugar and find out why early New Englanders used it more than maple syrup. Old Sturbridge Village’s Maple Days run Wednesdays to Sundays Feb. 22 through March 19, when you can watch the whole process of creating maple sugar, from tapping trees to “sugaring off.” Historians dressed in early-19th-century costumes will cook period foods made with maple products, while the tinner and cooper make maple-related items. Stock up on all things maple-related, from maple-scented bath and body products, maple candles, and maple recipe books to fresh maple syrup at the village’s Ox & Yoke Mercantile, which opened last summer. Regular events will continue during Maple Days. Wander through historic buildings where the blacksmith, the cabinetmaker, and the printer are hard at work, learn how textiles are produced from raw materials, and visit heritage-breed animals such as horses, sheep, and cattle. Admission free for ages 3 and under to $28 for adults; advance tickets recommended. www.osv.org/plan-your-visit
THERE
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Enjoy free flights for 2023 trips
Get free airfare for trips that take you to visit an Icelandic horse farm, see Rwanda’s mountain gorillas, or view Mount Fuji from Japan’s famous bullet train. Overseas Adventure Travel will offer free airfare to participants on 17 of its trips this summer and fall, including two new ones: Scotland Revealed: Legends, Lochs, and Highland Landscapes, and Kenya and Tanzania Safari: Masai Mara to the Serengeti. Other northern European destinations take travelers to Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Ireland, while other African destinations include Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Morocco. The caveat: You must book your trip by March 3. OAT specializes in small group adventure and solo travel for those age 50 and older (60 percent of OAT participants are solo travelers) and offers free or low-cost single supplements on its trips. Trips start at $3,495. 800-955-1925, www.oattravel.com
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When artistic design meets orchids
Wander through live orchid displays inspired by ancient Chinese garden designs at the New York Botanical Garden, Feb. 18-April 23. Renowned landscape artist Lily Kwong designed this year’s exhibition, “The Orchid Show: Natural Heritage,” which explores the diversity, adaptability, and cultural significance of orchids. Kwong, a Los Angeles-based artist, has worked on botanical installations from the Taipei Night Market to Grand Central Terminal and received many accolades for her work worldwide. For this show, she drew inspiration from classic paintings of Chinese mountainscapes handed down through her family from Shanghai. Kwong uses a wide variety of orchids, from iconic to rare specimens, to create towering forms that envelope visitors. She seeks to create a world — through her artistic designs — in which humankind and nature peacefully coexist. See the show in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Admission free for those under age 2 and members; $15 for ages 2-12; $31 for students with ID, ages 65 and older; and $35 for ages 13 and older. www.nybg.org
EVERYWHERE
A backpack for adventures and treasures
If you’re like me, you never return home from a trip with less “stuff.” Collected treasures — purchased or found — all seem to take up the original cargo space and more. Hydaway’s new collapsible travel backpacks, made by ChicoBag, are designed for people like us. Use the pack at your destination for daily exploring and then use it to transport souvenirs home. Each bag packs down into its own pocket for easy travel, so you can toss it in a suitcase for the outbound leg. The 15-liter pack has a small zip pocket on top for small items such as keys and a wallet, a large main compartment with a separate sleeve for a hydration bladder, laptop, or maps, and two stretchy outer sleeves for a water bottle or small umbrella. The water-resistant packs have an extra-durable nylon bottom, comfortable shoulder straps with an adjustable sternum strap, and colorful designs representing different national parks — choose from Acadia (with trees and a rocky shoreline), Biscayne, Kenai, or Zion. Each bag’s fabric, straps, buckles, and even carabiner are also made from 100 percent recycled plastic bottles. $39.95, www.myhydaway.com
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