In our experience, sending our child to Renbrook for Pre-K was unfortunate. There were two Pre-K…read moreclasses that, to us, appeared quite segregated, with most minority students and teachers in one class and others in the other. This gave us the impression that the school lacks diversity. Throughout the school year, our previously happy and outgoing child became increasingly miserable, to the point of not wanting to go to school in the mornings. We all felt a significant amount of stress. At the time, we weren't aware that Renbrook does not require formal qualifications for their teachers. It seems that individuals who were formerly teacher's aides or camp counselors are employed as teachers, without any formal education or training in child development or education. This contrasts with local public schools, which typically require a master's degree in these fields. In our view, based on what our child shared, these unqualified "teachers" seemed unable to connect with our child and perhaps others, resorting to strict discipline methods such as yelling, time-outs, and a lack of affection or support. As parents, we were repeatedly pressured through emails and phone calls to use time-outs at home to make our child easier to manage in class. The classroom environment seemed overly strict for four-year-olds, who were expected to sit still in a circle for extended periods and were not allowed to wiggle or make noises without being labeled disruptive. Any attempts to communicate with the school about how well-behaved our child was in other settings were dismissed. We felt blamed as parents, with the school insisting that the problem was with us or our child, never them. It appeared that children of teachers and wealthy donors were given preferential treatment, allowed to misbehave without consequence. Our child noticed this difference and expressed that the teachers only helped certain kids, not her or some of her friends. There seemed to be a bias, with boys being excused for inappropriate remarks or physical transgressions, while girls were expected to remain quiet and compliant. This made us feel very concerned. Based on conversations with other parents, it seemed that families who were not part of the teachers' or donors' circle were often advised to seek psychological evaluations and treatments for their children. This gave us the impression that the frequency of children in therapy at Renbrook was notably high. We never had the opportunity to meet the school counselor, as she was part-time and unable to attend a meeting we hoped she would join. When we attempted to discuss our concerns with the head of the school, we felt that our concerns were again dismissed, with the suggestion that the issue lay solely with us and our child. This was not supported by a subsequent elaborate professional evaluation, which found our child to be highly intelligent and emotionally healthy. Throughout the year, most of the school's communication centered around fundraising and monthly donation requests, with little focus on the educational details of our children. The events were more akin to social gatherings, featuring heavy drinking by some participants and the formation of cliques among parents at golf or social clubs. Notably, Renbrook does not offer tuition refunds if you decide the school is not a good fit and wish to transfer your child during the school year. This made the school year seem long and needlessly difficult for us. Things immediately improved when we enrolled our child in a different school for summer camp and kindergarten, where she now feels respected, supported, and welcome. We are very pleased with this change, and she has returned to being her happy, outgoing, curious, and well-behaved self. Lastly, we have noticed that Renbrook tends to respond to negative reviews by stating they have no record of the student attending, particularly in response to anonymous reviews. We assure you that we did send our child there, regardless of whether Renbrook acknowledges our email address.

Renbrook is by far the best private school - and better than most public schools - in the area…read more It's worth a look for any child between the ages of 3years old and 9th grade. Small class size, diversity, traditional and creative school curriculum and individual attention from teachers is the norm, not the exception.

This is a great community swim and tennis club. A yearly membership is required. If you compare…read morecosts of going to the beach or parks like six flags or other Connecticut outdoor events the SWAT is well worth it. The staff is great. The pool is covered well with the lifeguard staff! You can bring your food or buy from the mobile snack shack.

Great pool. Good family fun. Includes a kiddie pool, Olympic size pool, mini golf, art shack, and…read moretennis.

Flamig Farm is one of the coolest farms I've been to in a long time! Located in West Simsbury, I…read morewould highly recommend visiting if you have younger children, as they have a variety of different activities including a petting zoo, pony and hay rides, and (during December) visits with Santa. Once you arrive you'll know you're at the right place when you see the giant backwards "EGGS" sign on the front of the red barn. I started by going inside their Egg Room and Farm Store, which is not very big, but does sell farm-fresh eggs, local honey, jams, pork and grass-fed beef, etc. They also have a lot of merchandise/souvenirs with their backwards "EGGS" logo. While you're inside, say hi to the birds, guinea pigs, and baby chickens that are near the register. After looking around the farm store, I went outside to check out the petting zoo. Admission is $8.00, with children under 2 and seniors over 80 being free. You can also buy a cup of grain for $2.00 to feed the animals, or a bucket for $5.00. Flamig Farm has a fairly extensive petting zoo, with pigs, goats, donkeys, sheep, alpaca, llamas, horses, cows, emus, chickens, geese and ducks, and more! You can pet and feed most of the animals, who were very friendly! Keep in mind that the petting zoo is only open from April until mid-November, 9am-5pm. Dogs are also not permitted on the farm unless they are certified Service Dogs with proper paperwork. The farm also offers pony rides for kids on Saturdays/Sundays from 11am-3pm, April through November, weather permitting. It's $5.00 per ride, with an 80-pound weight limit. Tractor rides are also available by reservation, or during the fall on weekends from 11am-3pm, weather permitting. $5.00 per person, and under age 2 is free. During the month of October, the farm offers a "Haunted Walkthrough," and during December they have visits with Santa Clause. Make sure to check their website for dates/hours and to buy tickets in advance. The only staff member I really interacted with was when I bought my ticket to the petting zoo, but she was friendly. Overall Flamig Farm is a great spot to spend an afternoon and make some new animal friends. I would highly recommend checking it out!

I came here for a birthday party and it was the first time visiting this farm. It is pretty cute…read moreand the birthday party was held in a small building with its own kitchen. The kids had fun feeding the farm animals. I will have to admit I had fun too. There are all sorts of farm animals, such as chickens, cats, dogs, goats, horses, bunnies, pigs and more. I am a cat person and I enjoy looking for the barn cats. The place is pretty clean for a farm and the kids enjoy the tractor ride. All the employees were nice and friendly. If you're planning a fun kids party, this is a great place for them.

I love the JCC! Many people think of the JCC because of its pool and exercise facilities -- which…read moreare great. But it is so much more than that! It has a great Early Childhood Education program, a family room for parents and their toddlers, a great theater program, classes for people of all ages, and great programming. I especially love their Jewish Book Festival and everyone raves about their annual Jewish Film Festival (I haven't made it to many movies, I guess I prioritize books). These guys are the real deal -- and all really good people, too. If you are looking for a place to make awesome friendships and enrich your life (and your family), definitely check out the JCC.

The facilities themselves are great. However, one of the women at the front desk was rude. I came…read morewith my boyfriend and when I was about to let her know I didn't have my pass with me and ask if she could look me up in the system, she just asked him, "What about the little girl?" I am a small woman, but it was rude to not even address me and call me that when we are both evidently adults.

I'm a long-time member, and I love this place. Brought my kids here decades ago, now bringing my…read moregrandkids. WT offers so much. It is very large, offers many opportunities.

** This review is for the recent company outing that took place here during the week…read more First let me start off by saying that the property is absolutely gorgeous. From the lake and hiking trails to the numerous playgrounds and pavillions Winding trails offers a variety of options. Close to the interstate you would not know that while you are here. It was that serene and tranquil. My firm had our recent company you outing hee and had a wonderful time using the property for our "Olympic" competition. We were provided with shaded pavillions as a central eating/meeting location and equipment to use for sand volleyball kickball and a relay race (which included a canoe of ride around the lake). There were several other groups on the property but I never felt "on top of them" The grounds were clean and well kept with our plenty of garbage cans and recycling bins to dispose of our catered lunch from Bear's BBQ (which was as good as eating at their brick and motor store in Hartford). It also looked like there were individual families enjoying the property but I am not sure if Winding Trails offers a separate membership for that. If you are looking for a place to hold an event large or small, I highly recommend checking Winding Trails.

We couldn't be happier with our experience at The Goddard School in Simsbury. We were at a…read moredifferent school before and our experience has been night and day. Our son is thriving, the teachers are phenomenal and Goddard has really become a part of our village!

From the owner: At The Goddard School located in Simsbury, we're more than just a daycare. The Goddard School is a…read moreprivate preschool, offering childcare to infants and toddlers to pre-k. Our programs are designed to nurture each child's curiosity in a safe and caring environment.

We had a birthday party here and it was a really fun event. The staff was very friendly and…read morehelpful. Everyone in our group enjoyed selecting a piece of pottery and then painting it. They closed the place to the public for the two hours we were there which was great for friends to visit with each other. We were able to bring in drinks and snacks for our party. There is an accessible bathroom on-site. The basic pottery pieces cost around $30 each.

This place was nice! We went for a group outing of seven people. When I called earlier in the week,…read morethe guy said we didn't need a reservation and could just walk in for Saturday. We all planned to meet there at 5 PM, but when we arrived, they told us we actually needed a reservation and had to come back at 6:45. Thankfully, West Hartford has plenty to do, so we walked around, grabbed some food, and returned for our reservation. One thing to know is that you pick the pottery you want to paint it's not a place where you make the pottery yourself. That has pros and cons, depending on your preferences. I'm honestly not that artistic when it comes to freehand painting, so I picked a simple snowflake design (probably the cheapest option at around $14). My friends picked reindeer, cookie trays, and other fun items. Painting was fun, but you have to leave your piece for 2-3 weeks to be glazed, so don't expect to take it home the same day. The space is small, but I liked the intimate setting. The staff was also very nice, and overall, I had a good experience. I would definitely go back.

A park with a spectacular view!…read more Talcott Mountain State Park is a 574-acre park located in Simsbury. Parking was spacious. The trail to the Heublein Tower is 1.25-miles long. The Tower can be seen from various parts of the state. It's a beautiful, white, 165-foot high tower with 360 degrees view. The trail was wide and on gravel. There was recent heavy rains so some of the trails had some washout. The hike was mostly up hill with some flat areas; I'd say it's moderate but it was a little bit more challenging for me because I was baby-wearing my child. My toddler did great on it. There were a couple of benches and logs to sit on along the way; pet waste receptacles were seen. My only qualm were the bugs, so don't forget bug spray like we did. Once we got to the top, there were a couple of porta potties and a kiosk. The view of the tower up close was exhilarating, so much history. There was an informational movie on in the garage with benches. There was a huge picnic pavilion and picnic tables throughout; a giant BBQ pit and another small one. The Heublein Tower was beautiful and built in 1914; it can withstand 100-mph winds. The staircases going up and down were meant to be one way; this was a great way to reduce pedestrian congestion and a fire hazard. There were historic relics and rooms decorated the way it was back in the day. Informational signage throughout the space. The tower used to be the summer home for Gilbert Heublein; a successful businessman whose company acquired Smirnoff Vodka and A1 Steak Sauce. The view from the ballroom was amazing and breathtaking. They had signs showing what we can see based on the direction. The hike back down the trail was easier, becareful though, some of the gravel were slippery and I saw a kid fall. Overall, a great hike and the view was worth it!

Amazing and easy hike with the gals. The view is amazing from the top. It is a great hike to chat…read morewith people and too far from Hartford