A beautiful trail in Collinsville! The plant garden is along the trail which used to be a railroad…read moretrack. The objective was to create a native plant garden. This project is for pollinators and wildlife that is local to the area. Canton residents and organizations such as Cherry Brook Garden Club, etc. were the ones that made this happen. The goal is to remove invasive plants and put native plants in, such as shrubs, trees, and other pollinators. We were walking the Farmington River Trail and stumbled upon this pollen trail. The trail was clean and lovely. There is a small river down the hill with steps and trails in the woods. There were benches, garden beds, and an information sign; they even labeled all the plants that were planted. I think this is a great conservation area for a good cause. Also, a lovely spot to take a stroll!

An old amusement park? I had to check this place out. I found parking at the Lions Club Memorial…read morePark; a trail leads to this park which is next door. I used the AllTrails app to follow the trails within this park. During 1895 to 1905, there was an amusement park there. The park is in Unionville which is part of Farmington. It's on 20.5-acres with many walking trails; some were hilly inclines but it wasn't too bad. I can hear the traffic from the street at some parts of the trail. I saw signage and some remnants of the amusement park. The fountain was most notable since the rock structure was still there with a couple of benches; apparently, it's the first electrical fountain in that time period. As I continued walking, there was a sign showing where the carousel was but there was no structure there. There were remnants of a dance hall; as well as an ice cream parlor and cafe, some I can see some I couldn't. The signage helped with information regarding where these were. I can picture people enjoying this park back in the day; some ghostly feels for sure. Overall, a decent park to take a walk in!

"The ghost of electricity howls" (Bob Dylan -Visions of…read moreJohanna) Imagine a time in America when electricity was such a new thing that an "Electrical Amusement Park" was opened and thrived as a tourist attraction between 1895 and 1905. That's exactly the back story to the parkland now known as Suburban Park in the Unionville section of Farmington. Twenty acres of semi-blazed hiking trails and a half dozen or so signs point out where long gone park attractions once stood - an electrified fountain, a carousel, a pond, a cafe, an ice cream parlor, a dance pavilion, and a trolley car office. You see, the park was so popular back in the day that the local trolley line added a stop here. The trolley ride from Hartford cost fifteen cents and took 1 hour and 15 minutes. The park boasted "acres of manicured lawns and water features" and served as an amusement park, festival, lecture, and dance site. All the physical structures are gone, think of them as Bob Dylan's "ghosts of electricity" along the hiking trail. The trail meanders through the property with a spoke here, a spoke there, connecting an upper path to the lower path, and takes you near five circular depressions known as "kettles" - they were formed during the glacial age ! The hiking trail is mostly flat but there are some steep sections by the kettles and the side trails connecting the upper and lower trails. A very cool place indeed, just ignore the ghosts.

The "park" is mainly baseball/softball fields & batting cages with a very small playground & not…read moremuch else. The main sign indicated the playscape was closed due to COVID but it was no where near the playscape & had children on it. (Improper sign placement no doubt) It is also right next to a military base of some sort & you can see tanks etc. from the playscape which was actually neat because you don't see them often. Very odd "park" that I would mainly classify as baseball/softball sports fields as opposed to an actual park.

Beautiful playground that is loved by children of all ages! It is far enough off the road with a…read morelarge parking lot and a safety gate that helps help the littles from running out. It is not large but it packs a punch of multiple slides, climbing structures and brand new soft padding to absorb any falls. The playground doesn't have much shade so prepare for that on sunny hot days. Only thing noticeable missing are swings but the kiddos will get over it as there is so much to explore!

Picnics and ponds…read more Veteran's Memorial Park is a 21 acre park that has a whole lot of different activities available including football, basketball and baseball fields, several tennis courts, a playground for kids, a large and wooded picnic area and a swimming pool. There is even a small duck pond located in the park. Most of the facilities are in excellent condition except for the basketball court that has lots of long cracks in the surface from the ice and snow. Definitely time for some repaving. The fields are used by several different leagues but are open to anyone when not in use. In fact everything in the park is open to anyone except for the swimming areas which can only be used by town residents. The park gets very crowded in the summer, especially on weekends, and picnics and parties are very common here. The park can be loud and pretty chaotic with lots of kids running around and people playing various games but is always friendly and pleasant. A nice park that offers a whole lot of different things to do.

This small green area is located on Main St. and Hebron Ave. in Glastonbury; close to restaurants,…read morethe library, and in the central business district. There were free on-street parking nearby. The highlight was the water fountain. There were many benches and tables/chairs to sit and enjoy a picnic. The area was shaded with huge trees and there were quotes on the lamps throughout. We got coffee from a local cafe shop and enjoyed walking through it and then stopping by a restaurant nearby.

Beachland Park used to be a dairy farm owned by the Beach Family in the 1800s. 12 acres were…read moredonated to the Town of West Hartford in 1932. The Vine Hill Creamery building was remodeled to become a clubhouse and storage. There's definitely quite a bit of history here. There's a large pond and a smaller retention pond next to it. The Canadian geese were everywhere so watch your step with their poo. There's a baseball field, soccer field, and basketball courts. For summer recreation, there is a splash pad and pool. On this visit, we went to the playground which had two playscapes; one for younger kids and the other for older kids. There were picnic tables throughout and a short, paved trail. Overall, we had a fun time exploring the park and it's a nice quiet place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the town.

What will you find in Beachland Park?…read more A huge pond, lots of geese on the grass and in the water, soccer fields, a baseball diamond, basketball courts, a swimming pool, splash pads, very pretty scenery, and two playgrounds. There are all sorts of jogging and bike paths that snake through the park including one that took us clear out of the park into a residential neighborhood and then onto New Britain Avenue near Pepe's Pizza. Just a heads up to keep your heads down and eyes peeled on the trails and paths. There was a lot of goose poop on the trails, and I suppose you can't blame the geese for that. But we also saw a lot of canine poop that you can blame the selfish, inconsiderate, slugs of human beings masquerading as dog owners who can't be bothered to pick up after Fido does his thing on the walking path. Shame on them....

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!

Pratt Preserve Trails goes through a 50-acre preserve and is part of the Canton Land Conservation…read moreTrust. It was donated to CLCT by Winifred Pratt in 2012. Alfred Reid donated an additional 2.3-acres in 2019. Finally, donors Elizabeth Cotterman and Gerald Green donated another 26-acres in 2021. It's located off of Cherry Brook Rd. (West side) next to # 84. Per the CLCT website, it's a 1.3-mile loop trail from the wooden bridge or 1.7-mile starting from the parking lot. There is a small dirt parking lot that could fit 2-3 vehicles. There was a sign stating "Land Trust Parking". Follow the blue trail markers down to the picturesque Cherry Brook. There was a cabin with a few picnic tables, an old chimney, and a lovely bridge going over the brook. There were parts of an old dam; it used to power 18th/19th century mills. The trail had a couple of muddy spots due to the recent heavy rains. There were some ascends and descends; definitely wear some hiking boots and if possible, a hiking stick. It may have been a little bit more challenging for me because I was wearing my almost 30 pound toddler lol. My three year old loved it and I think it's a good trail for kids, just keep them close when near the hills, bridge, and brook. The terrain was mixed with rocks, dirt, mud, roots, gravel, and some grass in the beginning. A lovely place to bring snacks and sit on the picnic table by the brook, after the hike. I noticed there were white and red trail markers too; I did not hike those yet. Check the AllTrails app for more details on the routes. My family and I really enjoyed our hike and would definitely hike it again!