Friendly, courteous, and knowledgeable about what type of bait is best suited for the various fish…read morein our local lakes and waterways. I purchased some Canadian earth worms at a fair price. I highly recommend this place for a no nonsense shopping for bait experience. Rick Dumas, West Haven

Dee's Bait & Tackle May be the only place around anymore to get your reel properly strung with…read moreline, and pickup all your bait needs to go outside and enjoy the outdoors while fishing. The owner is patient and full of knowledge. Currently because of coronavirus he is coming to the door and taking orders one by one wearing gloves. My daughter had her new pole strung at a big box store in Hartford and it was a disaster, Dee straightened it out, and he keeps us in supply for worms, & grubs. It's a bit of a sketchy neighborhood at first glance, but don't let the surroundings blind you to the neighborly friendly faces you'll meet at Dee's, even waiting in a 6 feet apart line because of social distancing.

Thank you, David Anderson, the Trolley Trail is thanks to…read morehim. Boy Scout Troop 442 lent helping hands to build this trail through the marshlands. A lovely 1.2 mile out and back, revitalized old trolley track. Bird watchers are in for a special treat, kids delight as crabs scuttle by their feet. Parking has always been a breeze and the trail is flat, navigated with ease. Be sure to sit and take in the peace (save the hum of life that doesn't cease.)

This is a wonderful trail to walk. I would of given it 5 stars, if they had more access to maps…read moreand the fact there is a gap in the trail in Branford. The best part of the trail is the shortest, Stoney Creek. They have plenty of parking at various points on the trail. It also has about a half mile of paved pathways. There are plenty of benches to sit on along the trail.

9/25/21 The Guilford Town Marina holds very special childhood memories for me, as my dad would…read moresometimes take the family here on one of those "Sunday drives", that so many of us knew in the '50's & early '60's, in our 1949 Dodge Falkner Island is a scant 4 miles from here, but visitors are highly discouraged from setting foot on it as it's a designated nature preserve. There is a long abandoned small red "cottage" just across the West River from the marina that is a favorite subject of artists and photographers. I came today to bask in the warm early Autumn sun & air and to relive some of those great childhood memories. it's even quite beautiful and popular in the winter months as well. Come down here, if you haven't already. You'll be addicted to this spot as I am, and return again and again.

Not only is the Guilford Town Marina home port to many boats and yachts for fishing and pleasure,…read moreit is also one of the best places in town to watch the sunrise and sunset. Personally I recommend getting lunch at the Guilford Lobster Pound, located here (of course you have to get a warm CT-style lobster roll!) Another pro move is to stop at Ashley's to bring a hot fudge sundae down to the Guilford Town Marina for a sweet treat whilst watching the sunset. Bring your camera for glimpses of nature's beauty in all weather and all seasons!

My first trip to Maltby Lakes was wonderful. Looking for a short hike near home. Saw 3 deer…read more Beautiful.

If you go to Maltby Lakes, you will be amazed that you are actually in West Haven. It's definitely…read morethe most beautiful area in town. As mentioned in a previous review, you need to purchase a regional water authority pass for access. You have to post your pass on your dashboard, and the property is gated with a combination lock which you receive the code to when you get your pass. This is nice actually because limited access keeps the area more pristine. Usually you will only encounter a few other people while walking which is wonderful if you're going to the woods to get away from it all. It's a peaceful, serene environment. It's a great area to take a walk/hike during any season of the year. There are numerous trails, many of them bordering on the water. All of the trails are gentle and fairly easy to traverse. There are many deer in these woods, which make for nice nature sightings. Take your camera because the scenery is truly beautiful.

$30? Are you insane?…read more 9am on a holiday weekend and the parking lot was empty. We just wanted to see the lighthouse but there is no dang way that I'm paying that much. Or even half that much. For ten minutes or ten hours, that's a crazy fee. The only positive is that the dude in the payment booth was nice about it. On to the next!

Beautiful beach views. Children playing, people walking and a wedding. We watched as the sunset and…read morebreathed in those first signs of fall. Watching the boats and seeing the cityscapes--both a site. Very clean and people were generally friendly. The restrooms were a contention because apparently we could not use the women's restroom as it was reserved for wedding.... Used the one suggested and it was dirty with an odor of urine. Overall the visit was priceless and why, because I was spending time with my son and husband. #yaleparentweekend2025

There's a few different sections of the Naugatuck State Forest. We went to the Quillinan Reservoir…read moreBlock, which is in Ansonia. There are a few ways to access this park, we decided to go from the Ansonia Nature Center. The transition over to State Forest is pretty subtle, mainly with some markings on the trees. This park is also adjacent to some watershed land, that is also marked really well. This park has some nice hiking trails, with a lot of different loop options. We ended up doing a 10k (6 miles) hike, on the white and purple loop trails. The trails are nicely blazed, and there's a really good variety of trees. We went through some hardwoods and some pine forest, and there were lots of plants and some water views of the reservoir at various points along the hike. It's not too strenuous elevation wise, which was nice for a moderate hike. Mountain biking is allowed in the park, and we saw several people out for a ride, so it seems a pretty popular location for biking, and the trails seem not overly eroded. My only complaint is this park is adjacent to a gun club, so for a good chunk of the hike (mostly the white trail) was done to the sound of near constant gunfire. It's not the most tranquil thing, especially if you're sensitive to that sound.

This is a beautiful walk around the reservoir. The day was overcast with a threat of rain, but the…read moretemperature today made up for the darkened skies. Colorful leaves are starting to pop out everywhere, and I suppose this place will be in it's prime in a week or so. If you're in the neighborhood, you have to stop by and enjoy the scenery.

This is a good, clean facility that is kept up well. But bear in mind that this is a corporate…read moremarina. If all is well, the place is great, but if you have any issues, management is very unresponsive. In early June it became apparent that mechanical issues will keep my boat out of the water this season. I immediately spoke with the member service specialist, asking whether it's possible to get a partial refund or credit towards next season. I was told management needed to sign off on this but "it's looking good". After repeated followups, I was told in mid-July that nothing could be done and they're keeping my money. This is not customer service, they'll never see another dime from us.

Destination resort marina. Formerly a Brewers yard. Excellent repairs and family paradise with pool…read moreand restaurant.

I stopped by Silver Sands State Park with my husband and some friends when we were driving down the…read moreConnecticut coast over the Fourth of July weekend. The park is almost 300 acres of beach, dunes, salt marsh, and woods. You can beach, swim, fish, walk along the beach or boardwalks, birdwatch... (FYI: alcohol is prohibited, so this is a beach for families, relaxing, and no-alcohol fun.) It's free for in-state registered vehicles. If your car or rental car is not registered in Connecticut, it costs $22 on weekends or holidays and $15 on weekdays (or $112 for a season pass). We couldn't stay long (the downside of a roadtrip with a planned out itinerary), which was too bad, because the beach was very nice! Crowded, perhaps, but what beach isn't on a hot July day?! I could've stayed a while with an umbrella for shade, a book, and a picnic! A lovely public beach.

We had a perfect seaside lunch at Frenchie's Coffee Bar - our serious lobster roll consumer said…read morethat this was the best she's ever had. The black bean burger was perfectly prepared to order They were super nice about making me a grilled cheese even though it wasn't on the menu. Staff were super cheerful and helpful and friendly, and we couldn't have asked for a better lunch stop on our coastline walk!