Wagner Woods is another 63 acre Simsbury Land Trust gem, acquired in 2010. There was a small…read moreparking lot on Great Pond Road that could fit about 5 vehicles. When I went, it was full so I parked at George Hall's farm on Old Farms Road. This farm had a spacious gravel lot and connects directly to the Wagner Woods trails. There were multiple trails including the 0.3 mile purple Hall trail, in Wagner Woods. There are about 1.7 miles total. The trails were pretty easy and flat with occasional tree roots and rocks; there were some small boardwalks for areas that would often get wet. My family and I enjoyed the walk; it's kid-friendly, my child enjoyed it. There were wetlands, forest, vernal pool, stream, and a hayfield. The land used to be a historic farm, so there were remnants of old rock walls and foundations. I saw a sign stating that the field was used by the original owner as an aircraft landing strip. The walk was serene, with many different birds. There are approximately 60 species of birds; I've only spotted a couple, including a falcon. I've traversed the purple, blue, and red trails on this visit. The orange trail leads to Hop Brook; there's a viewing platform there. We spotted a bench too if you need a break. Overall, an enjoyable walk and I look forward to checking out the other trails next time I go.

The Wagner Woods has 1.7 miles of trail that meander through a 63 acre property…read more We parked on the Great Pond State Forest side and walked the Red Trail through the forest under a canopy of trees. We saw wetlands, a small pond, and a big hay-field with dozens of bluebird houses around the perimeter. The trail was flat and wide and very easy to navigate, just watch out for the occasional rock or two. We did get a little confused on the trail, because we saw some trails that weren't represented on our map. The map showed a Red, Yellow, Orange, Blue, and Purple Trail, but some pretty big trails weren't marked. For example, the big trail around the hay-field wasn't marked and we really couldn't tell where we were headed. We ended up doubling back to the Red Trail, where at least we had confidence that we knew where we were going. Other than a few moments of hesitation and confusion, we had a very nice time in the Wagner Woods.

This is a small town park with a little baseball field, playground, swings, and a basketball court…read more It is a fun park to bring your kids to, yet it isn't anything too exciting.

Southwest park is my favorite park to bring my little ones to. It is usually clean and free of…read moreoverflowing trash barrels, and on a nice day I know my kids will have several kids to play with. The equipment could use some updating and I wish older kids didn't feel the need to write meaningless crap all over the slides! Overall, this is a quaint little neighborhood park:)

"I gotta peaceful easy feeling and I know you won't let me…read moredown" (The Eagles) The Wildwoods Trails were developed and are maintained by residents of the Seabury Active Life Community. The idea for the trails goes back to 2004, and soon a committee and volunteer force were out on the property to clear shoulder high grass, grapevines, and raspberry bushes. They carved out a flat, mowed grass low impact four-mile network of eleven walking trails. We saw some beautiful peaceful scenery of meadows, grasslands, pretty purple flowers, and fields of white Queen Anne's lace. There are plenty of benches scattered around the trails and wooden kiosks holding folded color maps of the trail system. Another interesting feature was the signs identifying the different species of trees we encountered on our walk. While we were out there, we ran into a service cart with two volunteers who were surveying the trails for maintenance needs. They were super friendly and gave us a lot of great information about the different trails. We did have a little trouble finding somewhere to enter the trail. We finally saw entry point one on the right side of Seabury Drive shortly after we turned onto Seabury from Wintonbury Avenue. A big wood kiosk marks the access point, but we found out there are numerous access points spread out across the property. What a quiet, serene, and totally lovely time we had wandering around the trails.

This trail used to be a rail trail back in the day. The trail is paved and easy to walk, bike, and…read moreskate on. It has gorgeous views of the Farmington River. I've walked the trail in the Collinsville area in the Autumn and it was amazing seeing the foliage. Before crossing the street, there is a crosswalk and button to alert traffic to stop; beware though, some people will just go through the yellow light while you're waiting to cross. There is a little free library and bench once you get across. Once you walk up further, there is a flower bridge; when in season, the flowers are beautiful. Overall, a great trail that connects to the larger Farmington Canal Heritage Trail that goes through multiple towns.

The Canton to Collinsville portion of the Farmington River Trail accounts for about 4 of its 18…read moremiles. The paved trail is level and flat and very easy to walk on. It was clean and free of debris and dog poop. There were quite a few bicyclists out today, so keep your ears open for "on your left" when they come up behind you. The trail hugs the Farmington River and winds through a park with picnic tables, benches, a gazebo, a flower bridge, and gives you some very pretty views of the river. We didn't see any geese or wild birds today, but we did see something odd. I noticed some kind of splashing or commotion in the water, and when I looked carefully, I saw it was a guy swimming in the river! I wonder if he was training for an Ironman or something?

Love the little beach here! Super small and private. Which makes it a much peaceful experienceread more

Tiny little camp/beach location. Came here for a swim meet. the restrooms were out of order, which…read moreI'm sure wasn't fun for the folks who had to be here a while. I'm sure this is fine for a quick dip or a short swim race, but I was underwhelmed by the location.

Have past by the Mill Pond Park crossing over the bridge with my former 4H'r on our way to the Fair…read moreGrounds. Often thinking, this Historic Mill Pond and upstream stretch of the Scantic River must be tackled. That day finally arrived. A later Monday afternoon in July. Should be quiet. Wrong, the Park was bustling. Busy with Park goers: Nature people by the pond, one person enjoying their laptop on a shaded picnic table, kids on the playscape, other kids fishing with a parent and some with a grandparent, and then there were the kayakers loading and others unloading bound for and some returning from the same adventure. A great Small Town feeling. I unloaded and hiked my kayak & gear down to the boat ramp. Chatted with a few, the usual, the great weather, did you fish, how far did you go or plan to go. Public Safety Notice: 1. The upper side of the Mill Dam is dangerous and boaters are warned to stay clear. 2. If you're a first timer like I was, bring a GPS to track your route out and back. There are many dead-end coves and depending on the water level numerous ways to lose the River. There are Orange markers/blazes to follow the River Trail. 3. Wear your Personal Flotation Device (PFD). The Pond, in July was weedy and there was a great deal of surface algae in sections of still water. The main flow of the Scantic was fairly clear and on this trip the water level allowed easier passage across sunken or semi-sunken obstacles. Yes, bugs abound, but so do fish for anglers and foul for watchers.

Curtis Park is located on two sides of Rte 315 in Simsbury. The south side is all soccer fields…read morewhich the Simsbury Soccer Club uses extensively. I don't play soccer and I am way beyond the age of having kids involved in your soccer teams. So my review is the other side which does include a couple of soccer fields but also includes a large amount of grass fields and access to the Farmingon River . The main attraction though is access to the Farmington river. It is a convenient spot to launch a canoe or kayak. You can paddle downstream a mile or so before you get into the T'ville gorge and you can paddle upstream a long way through Simsbury. Depending on the river level the launch site can be steep which makes a handling a heavy fishing kayak somewhat difficult. There used to be some OK fishing in the vicinity of the launch area but due to increased activity ( lots of boats, dog swimming etc) it is not so great anymore. And my pet peeve.. litter continues to be an issue.

This park has four soccer fields and a large picnic pavilion. Parking was spacious but on…read moredirt/gravel. When we went, it was early afternoon so there was not much shade. We were able to relax in the picnic pavilion for a bit, which was fully shaded on this hot day. The Farmington River is adjacent to this park. Many people use this location to access the river for kayaking, canoeing, and fishing. Based on the Town of Simsbury's website, camping is also available. It's a nice place to play soccer, be a spectator, fish, and canoe/kayak. Based on the All Trails app, you can paddle on the river from Curtiss Park to the Old Drake Hill Flower bridge; can't wait to go back and try this route out!

Wow wow wow- this is the playground of all play grounds. I met another mom who travels to this…read moreplayground because it is one that her child's unique abilities are considered. So many unique structure to play and be in the outdoors. Both my boys said this is their new favorite park. Their favorite features were the basketball hoops and the circular merrigo-round made for one person. There's so much more- a braille reading library. Safety fence with a safety lock to keep kids inside. Huge parking lot. There's also motivational quotes all around with so much color. The buddy beach is bright and there's also a rock sharing area. This park has thought of everything to make everyone have a sense of belonging. The only negative was the picnic tables that are covered are also used for parties. They may come out to ask you to move to accommodate a birthday party. Which was a major pain for us as we had a full on picnic spread out. The staff was very kind and allowed us to stay when they recognized we had a bunch to move.

A very large and nice playground. There is a mini basketball court, climbing playscape, zipline…read moreunder a fake airplane, etc. The playground is located in the back parking lot area of the Mandell Jewish Community Center. It opens everyday from 8 am to sunset. There is a porta potty available. This was built in 1996 and was the first all inclusive playground for children of all abilities in the area. We went on a Saturday and it was super busy. You have to keep a hawk eye on your babies because they can get lost in the crowd. There is a pavilion with picnic tables. The play area is fenced in and has plenty of parking. In the end, I can't wait to come back on a weekday when it's less busy.