Wheelers Pancake House and Sugar Camp

Wonderful pancakes, and all things maple. Lovely way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. About 2 hours from Ottawa, open every day 9 to 9. Museum of chainsaws was something to behold! Have never seen so many in one place. And the other museum reminded me of growing up in a rural farm in Nova Scotia. Hiking trails, and playground for the kids. Family owned and operated, spotless, would make a good venue for a small crowd.

Wheeler's “Sugar Camp” Pancake House is approx. 2 hours from Ottawa. Head up to Perth then turn at Balderson for McDonald’s Corners and watch for the signs. We recently stopped in here for breakfast and a walk through the museums. The property is gorgeous, as is the building itself. The menu choices are limited as expected, but delicious. You have the option of pancakes or French toast with maple sausages or baked beans. The pancakes were tasty and fluffy and the maple syrup was fantastic. Included is a generous portion of maple syrup. After breakfast, we looked through the museums. Most of the artifacts are maple syrup related and items of the days gone by such as old washing machines and some very rare interesting stuff, etc. Their chain saw collection however is the mother of all chain saw collections. It includes saws of all sizes from all parts of the country if not the world. Outdoors they have several different animals. A zip- line and play ground is also available for the youth. Plan to allow time to experience all of this.

I love this place - be sure to have enough time to not only eat the amazing food (home made sausages are the best!) but also to walk the trails, poke around the museums, and play on the swings. We can easily spend a full morning here. The restaurant is in a beautiful log building that itself is great to visit.

The interesting thing about Wheelers isn't the food, it's the surrounding area. Wheelers have created a Museum, a petting zoo, walking trails and my nephew's favourite, a zip line. Also on the property is a black smith's shop. Definitely worth the price for lunch to see all the attractions on site. The attractions were all created on site by the owners, and it's all free. Kudos to them for such a great job.

Wheeler’s Pancake House & Sugar Camp (Wheeler’s) is a family-run maple farm featuring a pancake house and maple museum near the hamlet of McDonald’s Corners. Established in 1996 by Vernon and Judy Wheeler, the year-round farm is open daily to visitors from 9:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon. The pancake house (constructed of white cedar logs reclaimed from old barns and houses from across Eastern Ontario) is nestled in the centre of a 730-acre forest. The centrepiece of the dining hall is the handcrafted stone fireplace built from stones collected from the surrounding area. Ordering is by menu. Items on the menu include pancakes, French toast, sausage, and beans. All meals are made on site using local, farm fresh eggs and served with Wheeler’s organic, pure maple syrup. The sausage is also made on site using 100% lean pork. Gluten-free pancakes are available upon request. Food is cooked in an open kitchen and served directly to tables. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Snowmobilers are welcome. Be sure to check out the on-site store as part of your visit for a large selection of maple syrup. All maple syrup is produced by Vernon Wheeler who apparently taps over 20,000 maple trees each year to draw fresh maple sap into an on-site sugar camp to be boiled into liquid gold. All products are certified organic by EcoCert Canada. Be sure to also visit the on-site Maple Heritage Museum during your visit. Added to the property in 2000, the museum boasts the world’s largest collection of maple syrup artifacts. Be sure to also check out the on-site Forest and Farm Museum to see a large collection of vintage chainsaws and unique farming tools. But that is not all! The farm’s original sugar shack still exists. It was built by Clarence and Mary Robinson back in 1936 and includes a wood-fired evaporator similar to the one the Robinson’s would have used. Guests can also visit an on-site barn to see pigs, turkeys, chickens, sheep, alpacas, and horses. Wheeler’s also has an authentic teepee, numerous outdoor displays (stump puller, crawler, sap optimizer, Model A Ford, etc.), a blacksmithing shop, six hiking/snowshoeing trails, and an on-site playground where children can run free and play. And finally, there is also a plaque near the Maple Heritage Museum worth checking out. The plaque (one of three in Canada) was unveiled in 2010 by Parks Canada to recognize the importance of maple products to the Canadian identity and the Canadian way of life.