Lake Waramaug State Park has so much to offer, whether it be camping, fishing, swimming, renting a…read morekayak, boating, having a picnic, or just to take in the beautiful views. I came here for kayaking. This beautiful, scenic lake is clean, and circling the lake is an enjoyable 9-mile paddle. From the water, you can take in the scenic hills that surround the lake, or view some of the waterfront gorgeous homes. This state park is well worth checking out.

It's an okay stay over place, large spaces, no privacy, but pleasant enough. What totally ruined…read morethe experience were the extremely loud campers across the way who's nonstop shouting and swearing went well into the quiet hours with no one to contact for assistance since staff leaves at 10:00 (the start of quiet hours!)

Lovely walk I was lucky to find a Amazing Couple who allowed me to walk with them due to me not…read morebringing a bear whistle the trail was flat and clean. Hopefully my talking and walking was what they enjoyed their Love Story was magical just like this trail. To My Two New Friends Thank you for the Lovely Sunday Stroll. Next time I'll walk farther with a Bear whistle and family.

Great historical area with awesome up keep and no vandalized buildings!! (So far). You can also…read morefeel the cool breeze from the caves, the bat cage mine as well as the shaft on the main hiking trail.

This was our 3rd hike this week, and by far the best one I've done in quite awhile. We chose the…read more3.5 mile (yellow) trail which started off along the river, past an old quarry and up to 2 vantage points (one mostly obscured). The trails are well maintained and clearly marked throughout. It starts off along the river and then moves along through series of hills of moderate height. It takes around 2 hours to complete, and the varied scenery makes it the whole trip a joy. We will definitely be back in the fall to see it again with more colorful foliage.

"Sixteen miles to seven lakes way up among the pines In some…read morehidden valley where the twirlin' river twines" (Gordon Lightfoot) Hidden Valley is beautiful - a quiet and tranquil oasis of peaceful solitude. It covers over 900 acres with wooded scenery, hiking trails, gorgeous river views, and a very cool wooden timber suspension bridge known as the Thoreau Bridge. The bridge was the high point of our visit. It spans 134′ across the Shepaug River. We saw a few photographers stationed on the bridge snapping away in search of a perfect photo of Mother Nature' majesty. Spread across the bridge's handrails and a bench at the base of the bridge are etched quotes from Henry David Thoreau's essays. The inscription on the bench contains what is perhaps Thoreau's best-known passage: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

"Now I'm sittin' here Sippin' at my ice cold beer…read moreLazin' on a sunny afternoon" (The Kinks) On this sunny afternoon, we found a very nice park more or less in a Torrington residential area. The John Toro Sports Complex has a lot going on -two softball fields, a soccer field, an enormous dog park, hiking trails, water views along the Naugatuck River, Greenway, picnic tables, and a Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorial I have reviewed separately. https://www.yelp.com/biz/over-the-rainbow-bridge-pet-memorial-torrington We walked around the complex today and were quite impressed by what we saw. The premises were neat and clean with no evidence of littering. There was a spirited softball game in progress, we walked past the dog park which is really two dog parks with dedicated off-leash space for both small and medium to large size dogs. We walked the Greenway and were treated to a flock of 35 or so Canadian geese swarming in for a group landing. All in all, we had a lovely visit to a very nice community park.

Fantastic place to see some possibly once in a lifetime birds. Take the trip out to visit, it's…read moreworth it.

ORIGIN: S. Dillon Ripley, Professor of Ornithology at Yale,…read morewas the first to propagate in captivity many threatened and endangered species of birds. In 1985 he and his wife donated the property that supported this effort, allowing it to be a non-profit bird conservatory. LOCATION: The conservation center is located on an unpaved road that is just a few minutes away from Route 202. CONCEPT: Ripley's continues Dillon Ripley's legacy by supporting bird conservation and education initiatives. EXPERIENCE: Periodic educational events are offered at Ripley's. I enjoyed a mid-winter "owl prowl", led by one of the center's aviculturists. I learned about the sounds, behavior, and appearance of three types of owls that can be found in North West Connecticut. Most memorable, I got to see a screech owl several different times as we walked along the road. TIP: Upcoming events and tickets can be found on the center's website.

This recreation and conservation area in Harwinton has a pond, playground, picnic pavilion, beach…read morevolleyball net, benches, and trails. The trails are used for hiking and mountain biking; trailheads are located at multiple locations, such as Bentley Drive and South Road. The trails were a little muddy and buggy since it just rained; it was easy to walk on with a few roots here and there. I saw a structure that looked a like a teepee. These trails are connected to the library, sports complex, and town hall. There were plenty of parking and the road going into the parking area was narrow and on a hill; it almost looked like a private driveway. The entrance was in front of a traffic light. We went to the playground shortly after it rained so it was damp. It was a small playground on mulch. There were a couple of slides, a handful of swings, and ladders. The pond was beautiful with all the water lilly pads and flowers; I saw quite a few fish. Per the town's website, it's stocked with trout every spring. There was an old looking tennis court; it appeared to be run down and taped off, so I'm not sure if it's open. Overall, a great conservation and leisure area.

First time exploring this charming town, rich with history, Litchfield, CT…read more The Litchfield Town Green is a long park in the middle of the town center, going west and east. The park is split up into three sections, West Park, Center Park, and East Park. It is surrounded by restaurants, shops, religious buildings, historic homes etc. There are benches, Cival War cannon, memorials for the Cival War, World Wars, Korean, and Vietnamese wars. There were plenty of street parking throughout the area. The area was bustling with traffic and people. Overall, from first impressions, Litchfield gave me that charming New England town feel; their town green was also just as lovely.

The Litchfield Green has a lot of history - I believe this is where King George stood before the…read morestatue was melted down during the Revolution. Now it's about two islands of grass with a few plaques and benches, surrounded by shops and a chaotic traffic system. There is an information booth that is staffed I believe more in the week. The Green has summer concerts, bring your own chair, and an annual craft fair. Parking is most okay, but when there's an event or summer weekend it's packed. There is a parking lot behind the storefronts, and now that the pandemic is over there are separate roads to enter and exit. (The pandemic saw the exit sacrifice for outdoor dinning, and getting out became a very careful drive) Cops do like to sit on the Green for stopping and cell phone citations, and will judge the drivers on whether they look like they belong. They do give that game away when they ask how long you've lived in a lower income city, and not only have you never lived there, they're literally reading your license with a completely different address. That's not really the fault of the Green itself though.

I forget where this park is, but it's on the quieter side of Torrington near Litchfields entrance…read moreto Route 8. It's very quiet even though the grounds have a dog park with oodles of balls. The actual rainbow bridge is maybe a quarter mile from the park entrance in the woods. In addition to the bridge, there are other monuments and memorials with a picnic bench and chairs. The vibe is very serious even with all the color. The bridge is not over a body of water. It would be a nice place to mourn and see how much love there was for people's dogs and cats.

"She's gone, she's gone I'm just left here all alone…read more she's gone and I'm lonely" me and my dog" (Andre Williams) I did some quick research and found that 71% of U.S. households--that's about 94 million homes--own at least one pet. And when their short lifespans take them away from us, that loss has become a phrase -they "crossed the rainbow bridge". There is a real rainbow bridge and pet memorial behind the John Toro Sports Complex located at Davis Passway in Torrington. There is outstanding signage to guide you there. The first thing you'll see as you approach is an archway where you'll be greeted by sitting statues of a dog and a cat to welcome you. As you walk along the path, you'll see placards with names of dogs and cats that have "crossed the bridge" with loving words from their owners. As you walk deeper into the memorial, it gets very emotional. I saw a lifelike statue of a smiling Yellow Lab happily sitting while leashed to a bright red fire hydrant, there's a Pawprint Memorial Garden with cast pawprints honoring family pets. And then there is the bridge itself, yes, a real-life Rainbow Bridge painted in the striped colors of the rainbow. The sides of the bridge are covered with photos of dogs and cats with their leashes and collars left by their owners. The bridge was the brainstorm of a local Eagle Scout who thought of and oversaw the project, gathering funds from local pet owners and sponsors. The bridge and Pawprint Garden are a tranquil and very lovely place to remember our four-legged friends that enriched our lives with their companionship and unconditional love. It helped us remember Clyde and Maggie, and the distinctive little ways they enriched our lives and made us smile every day.