"Well, open your eyes, girl, look at me I'm gonna show you…read morehow it ought to be We're gonna have a good thing Such a good thing, baby" (Paul Revere and the Raiders) Good things tend to spread, don't they? The 1908 Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne, MA inspired the 1996 addition of flower baskets and boxes to the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge in Simsbury, which in turn inspired the 2015 addition of flowers to what is now known as the Canton Flower Bridge. The bridge is actually a section of the boardwalk along the Farmington River Walk on River Road in the Collinsville section of Canton. The bridge parallels the Farmington River, and on today's gorgeous summer day we saw at least ten groups of adventurers enjoying the water, in kayaks or on paddle boards or on rafts. The boardwalk was full of activity today -dog walkers, bicyclists, carriage pushers and folks just out getting some exercise and upping their step count. The bridge is decorated with hanging baskets and flower baskets that are maintained by volunteers. Another nice feature is the dozen or so placards highlighting some of the land and sea wildlife creatures that inhabit the river environment. What a lovely oasis of color and peaceful water scenery.

This is a very pretty bridge with flowers as the name says…read more It is connected to the Farmington River trail. On one side you will see the Farmington River and on the other, you can see the road. There are signs on the bridge detailing what type of wildlife lives around the river. I like reading each one, nature is beautiful. Once you cross the bridge, there is a park like area with benches. There are plenty of pedestrians using this area and it's a nice place to get some exercise and fresh air!

Beautiful house and gardens. Purchase tickets online before you visit. Parking is very limited…read more Grounds are grass, mulch and stairs. Not accessible. Only the lower floor of the house is accessible. Take the garden tour. It provides much information about the family, building the home and gardens and the architects/designers. Well worth the time. The property is on a hill so wear your walking shoes. A dirt 'one way' road leads past the house, to the dirt parking lot, then down the hill off the property. The lower part of the road, off property, is very rutted. (it happens to drive right past Norman Rockwell's grave site) Early spring the gardens are beautiful. The staircase from the cutting garden to the house is gorgeous. A leisurly walk down the Linden walk then curves around to a stroll in the wood. Many little gardens areas. Plan to spend at least two or three hours.

Another really underrated museum and estate in the Berkshires, the gardens and grounds are amazing…read more You have a wonderful view of the valley below and the house has a lot of stately charm. The tour guide we had was fantastic and is probably one of the best ones I've had for a museum tour. He was informative but kept it light. I didn't feel like he was flooding the zone with information to flex. There's some Asian/Chinese flavor in the home and the surrounding gardens, as the Choates had a keen interest in Asia. There's significant walking up and down, so keep that in mind, and not a ton of parking. This summer cottage is worth a visit, especially if you're interested in estates during the Gilded Age.

Connecticut trivia for $100, please…read more Q: What is CT's state animal? A: The Sperm Whale. For bonus points--where can you find a 60-foot long replica of such a creature? The answer is on the grounds of the CT Children's Museum. This iron and cement whale model even has a name - "Conny". It was built between 1975 and 1976 -the result of thousands of hours of volunteer labor. Conny is hollow, so you can enter and exit Conny's innards via two doors carved into its blubber. Be sure to check out Conny's impressive fluke and lower jaw. All in all, quite a bizarre but wondrous site..

One of the best places to go in the Hartford area. It has an amazing collection of classic artwork…read moreand rotating collections of modern art. I've been many times and somehow I'm still surprised by some of the pieces on display (Van Gogh, Monet, Dali, etc.). They run various events and community days, and membership costs are very reasonable. Support the Arts!

I was miserable most of my time there. BUT. This was a great museum. I was miserable because the…read moreonly time I could go was on a Saturday, a free Saturday no less, on a day they had a festival, arts and crafts, and a Christmas tree event. So the crowds were INSANE. Like NYC level insane. That being said, I have lots of great things to say about this place, which underwent a huge renovation and modernization several years ago that was so good that the New York Times wrote an article saying it was "a masterpiece of renovation." The great hall is beautiful and though I don't care much for old school colonizer art, I was bummed it was teeming with Christmas trees and families, hindering my ability to take an artful photo to capture that masterpiece. The museum does a great job of mixing colors, styles, appreciating the classical, while also mixing in fun and modern elements. They have European art. Impressionist art. All that gold religious stuff. Modern art that's just some blocks and colors and makes you wonder, "is this really art?" They have a great surrealist section and a huge Dali painting, which is actually the marketing they used to get me here. They have some sculpture, some Greek sculpture and some contemporary art. I enjoyed the art by Black artists and art focusing on Black struggles in the Amistad Center, located on the third floor, though I wish this section was bigger. They had an Islamic art section, Chinese art, American art (most of what I saw was from the 20s through the 90s). I loved how each space was painted a rich, moody color. And the common spaces were full of patterns, stained glass, and multi-colored walls winding up the staircase. The staff were nice and helpful. I paid 20-something bucks for admission, but since I bought a ticket for a free Saturday, the staff was cool enough to contact me and ask me if I wanted a full refund. I told them to take the fee as a donation. I've seen almost all the museums in New York City, which is my favorite place in the world. But this one can hold its own. But if I ever visit again (which I doubt, cus who needs to see Hartford twice?)--I will avoid weekends and free days and definitely the Christmas tree festival!

Canton Public Works is located on River Road, across the street from the Canton Fire and Police…read moreDepartments. The building is adjacent to the Farmington River and the trail. There is a parking lot and restrooms for public use, right behind the building. There is also a sand pile, free for Canton residents during the winter for snow/ice. The Public Works Department is responsible for the following services for the town: -Snow and Ice removal -Transfer station operations/maintenance -Park maintenance -Town buildings/grounds maintenance -Pavement/storm water maintenance -Town infrastructure maintenance -Board of Ed. And Town athletic field maintenance -Special projects for the Town I've only lived in the town for a short period of time. However, I've seen the employees at work at all hours of the night, plowing and salting the roads. They've done a great job with that and keeping the town aesthetically pleasing. The parks are nicely maintained. For the most part, the roads are smooth; now that it's springtime, I am hoping some of the pot holes get fixed soon. The service is comparable to where I came from (Sunrise, FL), which was great. I used to live in Rhode Island and I don't remember seeing any presence of Public Works; the pot holes were outrageous and never got fixed there.

I took a Friday night workshop of Sign making. I was impressed on how knowledgeable the artist was…read moreabout the subject, the history and the materials available to choose from. My friend and I made both a nice sign using technique that could be quite intimidating as we never did anything like that before, using just basic technique...and considering the low price for 2-3 hr of workshop. It was a meditating experience. I highly recommend.

From the owner: The Farmington Valley Arts Center (FVAC) is a vibrant arts community that enables visitors to…read moreexperience the entire creative process from seeing artists at work to viewing finished creations in a gallery to learning the skills necessary to create works of their own.

This sculpture garden is right in the center of Springfield Museum plaza. There were a handful of…read morecopper/metallic sculptures of many famous Dr. Seuss characters. There's also a giant book sculpture that has some famous verses from Dr Seuss engraved in it. The garden has elegant walking pavement covered by trees. It leads to entrances of four museums around the plaza. There's also an outdoor tent for people to sit in front of the garden. Overall it's a nice garden for families and kids.

The sculpture garden is situated in a small park area that is surrounded by different museums. It's…read morea nice area to spend a couple hours sightseeing with family. There is limited parking in the area.

I think I've discovered the inner-artist in me. Attended my first ever paint night with a small…read moregroup and absolutely loved the entire experience! Studio is warm and inviting. There are a few small classrooms which are decorated with artwork...very motivating! It's BYOB and you can also bring food items (apps/snacks) to enjoy while creating your masterpiece. The instructor was great, very helpful and clearly explained each step of the process. I was frustrated at the beginning, having not painted since middle school, but began to develop confidence as my painting was near finished. I was also able to go back and touch up some areas that I thought needed it. A great way to spend an evening with friends. I definitely plan to return. They constantly offer promos and discounts (on their website and via groupon/living social), which I plan to keep an eye on, for my next visit.

Chloe was a supberb teacher! I haven't painted a painting since highschool and she made my friend…read moreBruce and I very comfortable and welcome. She encouraged us 100 percent and we had so much fun taking her class! She was very patient and answered all our questions the whole time. Bruce had a little difficulty with the website, there was ALOT of repeat questions that where ultimately irrelevant (just fyi )but we finally managed to figure it out, but fair warning the website/ online sign up is a head ache but overall the class was worth it! Thank you Chloe for making our night!!!

This historic landmark still stands after all these years. Currently, one of the buildings is a…read moreretail building called Antiques on the Farmington. It's strategically placed on the Farmington River so that dams could be built to create a power source. Eventually, the railroad was built near it so goods could be sent out to be sold. The large bridge nearby was part of the railroad and is now a beautiful walking path for residents near and far. Collinsville became a village because of this famous axe company. The Collins Company opened in 1826 and was known to create the first ready to use axes in America. They also produced and sold machetes and other tools. The building that the axe company was in used to be a gristmill. The company started off with only 8 men and once it got popular, they employed workers from all over the state and nearby states. Housing was built for these workers and their families as well as other town/village necessities; those buildings were a church, bank, shops, etc. As the company expanded, they sold machetes and other tools all over the world. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. The Collins brothers died and eventually the floods of 1955 destroyed the railroad, which halted their sales. Due to competition, the deaths of the owners, a natural disaster, the company closed in 1966. It was a good 140 year run though; the Collins left their legacy and we can surely feel their spirit by just walking around downtown and in the old axe factory. The remnants of this factory still stands strong. I really enjoyed walking on the path and looking at the building. There's so much history and definitely some ghostly feels.