Gathered in plastic buckets or by plastic tubing, the water is then boiled in kettles, pans or evaporators until a barrel is finally reduced to a gallon of pure maple syrup. Tour maps are provided at the festival. Highland's downtown antique stores also open for the occasion. Most are clustered around the classic Victorian Highland Inn, a downtown landmark, c. 1904, that has been restored and is now on the National Register of Historical Places. Its 20 rooms are furnished with antiques.
Summers are as cool here as any in the East.
Outside of the maple culture, there are other interesting places to visit. In business for nearly 40 years, the facility hatches rainbow trout from eggs and raises them to adulthood. You can fish for your own, buy them frozen or just watch them swim in the cold mountain water. They are at the top of Shenandoah Mountain on U.S. 250 at the Highland-Augusta County line. Also on U.S. 250 east of McDowell is the McDowell Battlefield, where 4,500 Confederate troops under Gen. Stonewall Jackson defeated 2,268 Union soldiers in a bloody conflict in 1862.