This place is just great. We visited last night for a kids Valentine's Day event. The staff was so…read moregreat with the kids. Arts and crafts. Play room. And we can't forget all the animals. Such a great time.

What a sweet little nature center! I wandered in this afternoon after a very un-fun visit to the…read moreDMV across town. If you are ever stuck at the DMV for a few hours, visit this place to unwind. ;) I happened to be the only visitor at the moment, so I got to chat for a while with the woman working there. She introduced me to all the birds (Merlin, Thomas, and Bonnie) and got to try to make them talk to me. Merlin (the gorgeous red macaw) said a couple of words in response to my cell phone's alarm. Thomas (an African Grey) wished me a good morning and then mumbled at me a bit. ;) I also was allowed to hold Bonnie and she showed me her trick of climbing from one hand to the other if you hold your fingers out like ladder rungs. There are bunnies, ferrets, lizards, turtles... I tend to turn to mush around animals anyway, so this was the best place to possibly do to clear my head this afternoon. They also host birthday parties for kids... I asked if I could come back and visit for my 34th. The woman there said there was no reason I couldn't. ;) My friends may be getting some animal-themed invitations this year! :)

Nice for walking nice view of the Connecticut River cows in the neighbors farm and cottontail…read morerabbits ‍

The Riverfront Park is a nice outdoor space in Portland on the CT River. Volunteers have worked…read morehard over the last few years to clear walking trails and make it a nice little spot to visit. There is a walking trail with beautiful views of the river, as well as picnic tables, brownstone benches and a Pavillion area, that can be rented for events. Just in the last year they added restrooms (much better than the porta potties) and a covered stage area for bands and other entertainment. In the month of August there is a summer concert series with local bands. It is a great community event. The park is located very close to the Brownstone Exploration Park, which is also another great outdoor activity to check out in Portland.

Situated on the corner of Pleasant Street and Route 6 in Woodbury, CT, this little park is often…read moreforgotten by the residents, except at Christmas, when the town's tree is decorated and lit. It's not included in the list of the town's recreational facilities, nor is it one of the popular sites for family picnicking. One of the reasons is the lack of parking, which makes this a great place to walk to from anywhere in town, instead of taking the car. There's a number of benches, some provided by the town, others, built and dedicated by the local Lions in memory of deceased members. The bandstand (NEVER call it a gazebo!) was also built by the Lions in 1986, and is dedicated to the memory of local composer Leroy Anderson. It's popular with local residents as a dog walk area, or as a place to sit and quietly reflect. There are several large trees, and an open space that's great for that quick Frisbee toss. It's also the place with the most advertising signs because of its location along Route 6, and the traffic light that requires cars to stop in front of them. I'm all for green space in any town. I wish this little park would get more use.

This is a nice little area to rest in Woodbury. It is down the road from the Orenaug Park and…read moreHollow Park which could be part of why this area is overlooked when visiting the town. The gazebo and benches make a nice pit stop when walking along the sidewalk of route six. Like many other town greens, there is not much to do and it is not big enough for town wide events, but nice little areas to bring your family for some fresh air on nights and weekends.

I love the accessible trail here! It is a mostly shaded trail made up of compressed gravel or wood…read moredecking. A little over 1 mile long, the trail meanders through the forest past tall trees and a small brook. There are several benches and lookouts along the trail to sit and relax. Also, a few of the wooded trails connect to the accessible trail for those who want to extend their walk. The trail is open even when the Nature Center is not. Leashed dogs are welcome.

Wallace Barnes Nature Trail is a 1.1 mile, fully accessible trail behind the Barnes Nature Center…read more There were plenty of parking spots when I went. It is a level boardwalk with some crushed stones throughout; people can use wheelchairs, strollers, walkers, etc. It goes through the woods so there were plenty of shade. I love that it has benches and shelters, for a quick rest. Those shelters overlooked a stream and field. There are informational signs throughout giving facts about the area. This trail also connects to 5 other trails; those trails are: Elmer's Way 0.5 mile Blue Trail 0.7 mile Yellow Trail 0.2 mile White Trail 0.3 mile Purple Trail 1.2 mile My children and I thoroughly enjoyed this very easy walking trail. We are a fan of boardwalks so it was enjoyable and pleasant. There were a few others out enjoying the trail also. I look forward to going back and checking out the other trails as well as the nature center. The nature center was closed when I went (Tuesday) but opens Thursday through Saturday 10-4 and Sunday 12-4. I highly recommend it!

Great spot to walk. An escape from the noise of Bristol's commotion. Close to home. A nice place…read moreto stretch your legs.

Beachland Park used to be a dairy farm owned by the Beach Family in the 1800s. 12 acres were…read moredonated to the Town of West Hartford in 1932. The Vine Hill Creamery building was remodeled to become a clubhouse and storage. There's definitely quite a bit of history here. There's a large pond and a smaller retention pond next to it. The Canadian geese were everywhere so watch your step with their poo. There's a baseball field, soccer field, and basketball courts. For summer recreation, there is a splash pad and pool. On this visit, we went to the playground which had two playscapes; one for younger kids and the other for older kids. There were picnic tables throughout and a short, paved trail. Overall, we had a fun time exploring the park and it's a nice quiet place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the town.

What will you find in Beachland Park?…read more A huge pond, lots of geese on the grass and in the water, soccer fields, a baseball diamond, basketball courts, a swimming pool, splash pads, very pretty scenery, and two playgrounds. There are all sorts of jogging and bike paths that snake through the park including one that took us clear out of the park into a residential neighborhood and then onto New Britain Avenue near Pepe's Pizza. Just a heads up to keep your heads down and eyes peeled on the trails and paths. There was a lot of goose poop on the trails, and I suppose you can't blame the geese for that. But we also saw a lot of canine poop that you can blame the selfish, inconsiderate, slugs of human beings masquerading as dog owners who can't be bothered to pick up after Fido does his thing on the walking path. Shame on them....

Nice small park located right along Main St (route 6) and also borders two side streets. It's a…read moretriangle green. Different activities set here throughout the year. Now in November 2020 they have a Santa with a couple of reindeer set up all lit up at night. It's huge. It's about 20 feet high. Great for the kids to see. Very nice relaxing low key park. There's also a war memorial monument set up in the park to pay tribute to those fallen in war. There's also a small gazebo there to hang out in if you want to get out of the sun.

I saw that this 17.5 acres park had a wooden covered foot bridge so I had to check it out. There…read moreare two ponds in this park; upper north pond and lower south pond. The bridge is over a dam between these two ponds. New England is popular for its covered bridges; they're all over. There were plenty of parking and a porta potty onsite. There is a building with a deck overlooking the ponds that you can rent out for events. We walked around the park and explored. There were two small trails in this park we walked on; one lead to a street and the other to a paved path behind houses. There were a couple of benches and a small wooden bridge on one of the trails. I think it's a small park; great to do a short walk and view the small waterfall. As far as trails and activities, it seems limited compared to other parks.

"Let's move to the countryside Park this truck in the pale…read moremoonlight Just you and the stars up in your eyes" (Florida Georgia Line) We parked in the Countryside lot near 335 Huckleberry Hill Road and immediately saw two pretty big ponds and a covered bridge. Countryside Park is just 17.5 acres of hiking trails, scenery, and picnic areas by the ponds. Lots of great photo ops here. The short hiking trail is dirt with some tree roots and rocks. Its really a connector to the paved "Rails to Trails" system which snakes right past single family homes. We were so close to the houses, we felt like we were intruding on their privacy. The park property also has a 60' X 25' multi-use building for private use, with a full kitchen, fireplace, air conditioning, and a deck overlooking one of the ponds.  But you'll have to wait a while before you use it because its currently closed for renovations.