Such a beautiful park! If you're coming from the main entrance there's a beautiful view of the…read moreHartford skyline over the hill. If you're walking from the plaza, you get a beautiful view of the river and trees as you make your way towards the boathouse.I love walking along the CT river no matter the season honestly, you can probably catch me there any time except dreaded January and February. I think the boathouse is so well kept and beautiful. I'd love to catch a boat launch, I'm not sure how I always miss them. I feel like it's the perfect activity for a little summer lunch since they have so many benches and tables. I'm always amazed by how big the park is when there are hella people visiting. The parking lot is huge too for those driving over.

Riverside Park is in downtown Hartford and the river is the Connecticut River. The park is big…read moreenough for lots of goings on and has several amenities for being outside in the fresh air. Boat launch, fishing access, wooded trails (be aware of your surroundings and never walk alone!), paved walkways. Plus picnic tables and charcoal grills and a large picnic shelter. A sand volleyball court, cricket and football fields, playgrounds and a bunch of interesting sculptures. There is plenty of parking including a number of dedicated handicapped spaces. Great park, lots of interesting stuff. [Review 15163 overall, 665 of 2021, number 19 in Connecticut.]

Bushnell Park is located in the downtown area of Hartford, Connecticut. It features an historic…read morecarousel and numerous monuments such as the Corning Fountain. Bushnell Park is the site of many major events each year, including the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz and the Hartford Marathon. My daughter and I came this week to Bushnell Park for Caribbean week and part two was at Bushnell Park. This was my second year here and the festival was good but in my opinion the other festival at Mortensen Riverfront Plaza is better, just because I love the riverfront. There were a lot activities for families and there was plenty of food trucks to choose from. Many of the lines were long but my daughter and I came across a tent called Cuisine and Pastry, which serves West Indian food, American food, and baked goods. As we thought the line was short, we still waited in line for about an hour. I believe the staff we're having problems with there debit card machine. I ordered the Stew Chicken, Cabbage, and Rice and Peas. My daughter and I took are first bite and we looked at each other and we both had a skeptical look. The cabbage totally lacked flavor and the chicken was dry. Stew Chicken is supposed to be like a stew with Caribbean seasoning and flavors. It lacked the stew part but the Rice and Peas were the best thing on the plate. My daughter stopped eating it after three bites. Two stars for BP Cuisine & Pastry. I actually looked them up on Google and it says there establishment is temporarily closed but on Yelp it doesn't indicate if there closed. I was confused. The event was great and they even had a live Caribbean show. My daughter and I had a great time and we look forward to going next year.

Never have I experienced anything so exciting as a ride on the Bushnell park carousel. Indeed my…read moreride on Wind dancer was extra special and the operator was also an exceptionally fun person and was also extremely helpful, offering me a stool to help me get onto a horse that was rather high up. Thank you very much for a memorable time.

The banks of the Connecticut River, in Hartford and East Hartford were not maintained and…read moreovergrown. The area was under utilized despite the beautiful river view. In the early 80s, they cleaned up the area and connected four parks via the Riverwalk. This area gave me Waterplace Park Riverwalk, in Providence, RI vibes. The other parks are Charter Oak Landing, Riverside Park, and Great River Park. There is a bridge that connects the city with East Hartford, it goes over the river and connects it to the Great River Park. I visited this place during the Taste of the Caribbean and Jerk Festival. The place was clean and large with beautiful views of the river. The CT Science Museum is also connected. It's a great venue for different events; food trucks, vendors, and live bands. It was spacious and we enjoyed walking around and seeing the river.

The Mortensen Riverfront Plaza hostess's the Jerk Festival every year. I come every year to enjoy…read morethe festivities, food, and my favorite, the riverfront. The riverfront is beautiful. While enjoying the riverfront, you can enjoy your food, listen to music, and enjoy all the boats coming in and out of the dock. It is truly relaxing. I always end up staying at the riverfront for hours. This year the festival was packed and the lines were very long. It was maybe an hour wait for each truck. This year I passed on the food since this my fifth year here and I really didn't feel like standing in the lines. The festival truly is a great event and I look forward to coming each year.

The Great River Park is a small park right off the highway, in East Hartford. This park is right on…read morethe Connecticut River. There were a number of people fishing and some were walking. There are some picnic benches if you'd like to be the one with nature while enjoying your lunch. This park is very clean, the grass has been cut recently. There's a substantial amount of trash cans, so no one should be littering on the park. On the other side of the river is where you'll find the capital city of Hartford. With some tall insurance buildings as well as the historic Colt Armory building, that is in plain sight. This is a nice place to step outside, if you happen to be working in one of the close by offices. This however, isn't my favorite or go to park because of how noisy the highway traffic can be.

I adore walking in the park every day on my lunch. I usually walk across the bridge into Hartford,…read moreloop back and then loop down and through the park to get a bit of fresh air. The statues are cool to see during the different seasons, and it's just a nice, quiet, contemplative area to visit. My office overlooks the park too so it's cool to see what's going on if I ever need to daydream out my window.

As someone born and raised in Hartford, I can say this is one of the nicer parks we have. They have…read morean indoor and outdoor pool; separate hours for adults and kids; a gym and basketball court; plenty of outdoor open space to play; walking paths, and ample parking. Additionally, the staff are super sweet and friendly. I'm kinda bummed I haven't made the effort to come here in years past. I only recently started coming because hubby wanted somewhere to swim once it got cold that didn't cost too much. We found free! I will admit that the outside park can sometimes be a little dirty with litter. The city only does but so much. However, I think it's still a worthwhile place to spend time in Hartford!

For a small park, Pope Park has a lot to offer for locals…read more Despite the media painting it as a haven of thugs and bad guys, it really ain't that bad. In either March or April, there has been a carnival taking place for a number of years. And in the springtime volunteers from non-profit environmental groups in Hartford come out in force for an annual spring cleaning. Must we not forget the the number of amenities that the park offers as well: indoor/outdoor pools, a basketball court, little league baseball field and soccer field. There are picnic tables strewn about and also a playscape for the little ones. During the summer there are also musical performances too!

I need to point out that Colt Park is a municipal park operated by the City of Hartford. Coltsville…read moreNational Historic Park https://www.yelp.com/biz/coltsville-national-historical-park-hartford is a federal park operated by the National Park Service. They're separate so hopefully the hamsters at Yelp don't merge them. Colt Park is 106 acres and was originally part of the property of Samuel and Elizabeth Colt. It was deeded to the city of Hartford upon her death and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park has baseball fields, basketball courts, football fields, soccer fields and softball fields plus a pool. Quite large but during my visit today, an unacceptable amount of trash and litter. Streets need some care as well. At the top of the park is the huge statue of Samuel Colt that's worth a stop. It is shaded. There's also some litter there. Thien's earlier review says "sketchy" and I had the same vibe. I would not want to be here after sunset. [Review 15175 overall, 677 of 2021, number 29 in Connecticut.]

Located in Southeast CT. Colt Park is actually pretty big (105 acres) It's also home to…read moreplaygrounds, sports fields, a skating rink and Dillon Stadium. With basketball courts, soccer/baseball/softball/football fields and even racket ball courts -- there is plenty for you to keep busy. However over the years, Colt Park hasn't exactly been a stranger to being in the spotlight. Stabbings and killings, it certainly has been sketchy. Today though, the city does a good job at keeping it clean. Just know when and when not to being hanging around..