Going to a beach in CT was the reason we took our overnight trip. My husband and I have not been to…read morea beach in 15+ years mainly because of body image issues, and never wanted to run into people we know. This is the perfect spot. We actually felt liberated, and it was worth every penny. How do you get there? Go down past all the houses, and you will see a parking lot midway as you drive along the coast. Its $20 for non residents to park in the lot. This beach is small, with not much sand, but not very crowded. We enjoyed our time here as we didn't feel embarrassed, were far enough away from others and could just relax. The sand has many shells, tiny snails, and is quite shallow. When the tide is low you can sit way out, and watch all the little snails head towards the water. There is a little bbq hut incase you are feeling hungry. Our only disappointment is that we tried to come back here at night to just hang out, eat ice cream with a view of the water because the sign says the beach closes at 10pm, but the gates were closed up when we arrived around 9pm. We would definitely take a trip back here to feel comfortable, and pretend like it is our own private beach. Quite the opposite from the beaches on Long Island. Although tiny, well worth the privacy and relaxation.

This is a decent park that my son and I found in Old Saybrook. It was probably beautiful when it…read morewas first built. It's definitely seen better days. Most of the playscape is made of plastic, that has been bleached out by the sun. The once vibrant reds, greens and yellows are now dulled. Some of the markings have worn off due to the years of play. There is ample parking for the park. You'll also find tennis courts, a baseball field and a splash pad in addition to the 2 playscapes. Unfortunately, the water is shut off to the splash pad at 3 pm. We had just missed it by minutes. There are two playscapes, one is good for ages 1-3, the other would be good for up to 7 or 8. It appears that the playscape was made with special needs children in mind. It offers one swing and a ramp to the larger playscape with a slide.

This was a busy beach when we went on a Saturday afternoon. There were a lot of people sunbathing…read morebut nobody in the water that day. They have clean restrooms with a large covered pavilion. You can also walk on the trails along the beach. I was told by a close friend that the lagoon across the beach is a great place for bird watching too. There were a lot of birds flying around when we were there.

Hammonasset Beach State Park is located in Madison, CT. We arrived here on a cloudy, but sunny day,…read moreso the beach area wasn't super busy. For Connecticut residents admission is free. For non residents it can be as high as $22, per day depending on time of arrival and the day of the week. They had a substantial amount of campers and tents on the park side of the beach! They also have restrooms and showers. You can also find a snack and ice cream bar here. The walk to the beach from the parking was pretty short, since there's no boardwalk here. I found the sand to be pretty soft, the shells were the most prominent and the most aggressive the closer to the water. Unfortunately due to the wind and the cloudy sky, it was too cold for a swim. We used an SPF 70, and still walked away with a red back! The beach was clean and the water was clean. There were lifeguards on duty. I would return here again.

A whole lot of…read morerecreation Ethel Peters is a huge recreational complex that has a whole lot of different activities. Different schools and organizations use the complex as well as individual residents and everything in the complex is very well maintained. Several huge and very nice baseball fields, a football and soccer field, hoop and tennis courts, a skate park, a nice running track and even a dog park are available. It is a huge area and many people just use the area to jog or go for a walk. During the summer lots of different leagues use the facilities and there is always something going on. Fortunately the complex has a huge parking lot so even with zillions of people around parking is usually not a problem. In the winter I have seen people cross country skiing and snow shoeing here. A wonderful town park that meets the needs of just about any activity you could want. A great place for some recreation or relaxation.

The kids love coming to visit this bike/skate park! The signs indicating that this park may be…read moreclosed due to littering are a little concerning but hopefully it helps keep it clean. The kids love the ramps and it appears to be well kept with the exception of the back side of the park where the litter seems to collect. providing additional trash and/or recycle bins might be beneficial.

A beautiful free quiet preserve along the inlet allows for gentle relaxing walking trails, and you…read morecan bring your dog. It's an 18 acre natural meadow that can be explored. This acreage overlooks the Indian River, marsh and Long Island Sound in the distance. It's a quaint little gem lots of parking, adjacent to the also free McCuster Landing, a small boat dock and cupola called McCusker Landing.

This was a nice shell beach and there was even a walkable maze. We spent about an hour here…read moreenjoying the beautiful view of the ocean on one side and the lagoon on the other.

Lots to learn! Very interesting experience for all ages. Awesome learning experience about the…read morewildlife and nature in our own state! Variety of animals and pictures to inform yourself about wildlife and how to preserve our planet

I really like this beach. It's cool for kids, has bathrooms, outdoor shower, and changing rooms…read more Plenty of parking, lifeguards, and even a food truck. The tide goes out really far, and leaves plenty of things to explore such as tide pools, and long sand bars that go out again very far. It does cost money to get in, but I think it's free after like 6pm. Only thing I wasn't a fan of is the swimming area. There are big patches of grasses growing right where you'd swim during high tide, and it makes the swimming area very small, and a few big rocks that should be moved and are dangerous. Very clean beach. Haven't seen really any trash or plastic. There are crabs to catch, and shells to find. They even let us drop off for free. It is considered one of the best beaches in Ct.

4 stars, nice (for ct!)…read more thats the way it is these days, when you summer in RI, you expect certain things, harvey beach is very different than what i typically experience. the flats! this is one of the neatest part of the beach, low tide you can walk out into the bay real far out, its surreal! high tide has a lot of grassy areas, again, kinda weird to me for a beach, but its still nice sand and clean water. there is also a lobster truck in the lot and bathrooms too. 15$ to park, which stung, but way better than say 16$! cost of doing business, this is a public beach, so if you can walk, save the moneys. sandy (danny?)

"When she's walking by the river and the railway line She…read morecan still hear him whisper Let's go down to the waterline" (Dire Straits) Fort Saybrook Monument Park, mild January weather, and the adjacent waterfront combined to give us a wonderful time in Old Saybrook. The Park has a boardwalk and quite a few historical displays on the development, early industry and railroad heritage of the Saybrook Colony. You'll see some displays dedicated to Dutch explorer Adrian Block, one of the earliest European visitors to the area. Another display covers the Peqot War of 1636-38 when colonists from the Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Saybrook colonies and allies from the Narragansett and Mohegan tribes joined forces to rout the Pequot tribe. As you head to the waterfront, there's a concrete path that takes you toward the marina and gorgeous Saybrook Point Resort. Check out the hand carved railroad tie poles along the marina! Walk in the other direction and you'll see a miniature golf course and a wood landing with some great photo opportunities to see some seagulls up close and personal, but be careful of the wood platform because some of the boards are missing and others are in disrepair and a state of failure. A boardwalk takes you over some marshland for nice photo opportunities and you can read about the fish and wildlife in the marsh. All in all, the Park and waterfront gave us a very enjoyable few hours to meander around, learn a few things, and enjoy the scenery.

Great park in Old Saybrook! Stopped by for a quick walk in the park with a friend and her baby. We…read moreloved the shady wooden pathway that looked over the marsh. We also loved the benches that overlook the water! My only complaint is I wish it were cleaner - lots of scattered trash all around, bummer!

Beautiful, smooth bike trail through a wooded area that goes to Hammonasset Park and campground…read more I only wish it continued to the town of Madison as originally planned.

Great trail to run, bike and walk. The trail is not strenuous with little to no inclines. Shoreline…read moregreenway is kid friendly with plenty scenic views. It can smell during low tide, it's the price we pay for such beauty.

Went on a half day (morning) fishing trip with these guys. Had to get up and leave Boston wicked…read moreearly in the morning, but the captain suggested getting there for a morning run... Once we got out to the middle of the sound, it was NON STOP. There were four of us, and we must have reeled in at least 20 bluefish each. Didn't get any stripers, they are pretty outnumbered. The captain and mate do most of the work, all you really have to do is reel the fish in. I think you can take turns driving or preparing bait if you want. $550 for a half day (5 hours or so). Four of us was perfect. Bring beer, snacks, etc! Boat was great too, good condition, and the captain and mate know there stuff. Highly recommended!

Love fishing, and the mate was really helpfull.read more