Coe Memorial Park in Torrington functions as the town green. Several festivities are held in the…read morepark annually, including Summer Concerts-On-the-Green, Strawberry Festival, Peach Festival, Watermelon Festival, and Fall Harvest Festival. I attended this year's 1st Annual Watermelon Festival and was astounded by the many people attending the event. The festival featured over one hundred vendors, food trucks, and fun activities. In addition, both the Civil War Soldier's Monument and Veteran's Memorial are located within the park. These sections consist of military relics and a beautiful, large water fountain that spouts blue water. The park is conveniently located south of the Naugatuck River. The local library is located across one end of the park while a decent-sized shopping plaza is located across the other end.

Coe Memorial Park is located in Torrington and it is their "town green". The land was donated to…read morethe city by the Coe family to memorialize their parents; their home and greenhouse were on this 5-acre property. There's a large boulder with a memorial plaque; there were other war memorials as well. This park serves as a meeting place for the city and they hosts numerous events. The event we went to at this location was the Strawberry Festival. The park had plenty of green space with beautiful landscaping. The gardens had colorful flowers and plants throughout. The green space was plentiful for us to frolick around; my toddler loved playing near the trees. The walking path through the area was nicely maintained. There were benches to rest on and a building with a stage inside. There were plenty of metered on-street parking and a parking lot. Overall, a lovely town green amidst the bustling small city.

Hills and rocks…read more Ragged Mountain Memorial Park was opened in 1975 in honor of Maurice Stanley, a hiker and environmentalist who loved and appreciated the wild stuff. The park is almost 600 acres and there are a little over 6 miles of trails, although you can add a few more miles by taking some of the unmarked paths. The hiking varies a lot from very flat and easy to hilly and slippery. As can be expected in New England, there are plenty of rocks, ranging from strategically placed small ones to trip over to huge glacial boulders than were dropped in the area 15,000 years ago. The trails are well marked but it is easy to miss a turn if you're not paying attention. They are some lovely views along the way to the top and the hiking is never dangerous or really that difficult as long as take some care as you move along. Mountain bikes are allowed and so are dogs, as long as there are kept on a lease and like most trails in NE, the best to hike is in the cooler weather when the biting flies and mosquitoes are gone. The trail can also be done in the snow if a bit more care is taken on the hills. A wonderful and interesting place to hike and explore that changes with the seasons.

I really enjoy this hike. This was my first time in this particular section of Ragged Mountain…read more There's definitely a lot of interesting things to see all the old cars and the different path. Definitely enjoyed it. I think we did about 4 miles that day. I plan to go back to hike other paths in this area. I would recommend this area to go out different things to see.

I came to this hiking trail for the first time and was pleasantly surprised at the nice trail so…read morecloseby! It seems somewhat of a hidden gem as there were only 2 other people on the trail when I went. I did not see an actual parking lot, but there's space to park by the trail entrance. Lots of nice little views and an easy, enjoyable hike lasting about an hour. Definitely recommend!

Orchard Glen Trail is a nice little area to hike. You will find this area off of Barnes industrial…read moreRoad . There are a few trails within trails there. Most of them are loops. There is a tiny waterfall that you can walk down to access. We did not access the waterfall on our recent hike due to the leaves on the ground, and we had concern sliding down. Though I have gone down a few times and taken pictures previously. The trail is mostly well marked. There are a few places we got turned around on, but we are managed to get back on trail without any issues. There are powerlines through part of this trail. I do know that just in case some folks don't want to see the powerlines. I completely understand. Overall I like this hike it's not too strenuous so I've done it a few times throughout the last few years. I recommend going in late spring after things of blossoms you can see the different colors or early fall before the leaves fall kind of thing..

This is a decent local trail. It has some nice views. Very easy, nice for a leisurely walk. Small…read moreparking lot and there's a seperate handicap parking lot, it is a handicap accessible trail so that's nice. Lots of people on bikes and with their dogs. Definitely a trail everyone can use. Only downside is there are lots of little flies so it can be a little annoying. Definitely recommend using bug spray.

I really enjoy this trail. Depending on which section you are on is depending on the beautiful view…read moreyou have. If you take the Hanover Pond Trail, you will have a beautiful view of the pond. If you're fortunate enough to catch the sunrise here it is stunning. When you follow through this trail, you will have the pond you for a little while and then you get to see some woods and yes, you do see the back of homes and the schools, but it doesn't take away from your journey. If you take a gorge trail, you get a nice view of the river and the trees with all of the mountainside.

Splendid mix of very well maintained trails and gated gravel access roads within the Session Woods…read morePreserve. All watched over by the CT DEEP. Today Monday 6/8/2026 was my first visit with my pup and daughter's pup. We covered approximately 3.5 miles hopping from trail to trail. The weather was phenomenal and the forest very pleasant. The DEEP facility hosts training and learning seminars in addition to their regular duties. Hats off to this splendid preserve. Open from sunrise to sunset.

Sessions Woods is a nature preserve on 700 acres of land with trails and an education exhibit. They…read moreoffer educational programs and demonstrations; there are hiking trails throughout that you can hike yourself. Trails are open from sunrise to sunset; the exhibit is open 8:30-4 Monday-Friday. There were four trails to choose from; Beaver Pond, Forest Meadow, Tree ID, and Crosscut Trail. The parking lot was large. On this visit, I completed the Forest Meadow Trail. The trail was a 0.6-mile loop trail. There were informational signs throughout; they were kind of faded and old. The trail was easy and peaceful; I noticed quite a few boulders. There was only one other person we walked by on the trail. I was being vigilant about bears and ticks. There were quite a few benches which was a nice since my toddler enjoyed resting on them. I saw that the other trail had boardwalks; I look forward to coming back to check that out.

"Then bumping into you was so unexpected You popped into…read moreview, we clicked and connected" (Tony Bennett) Living so close by, we seem to visit the Staples store in Avon once a week. And after our shopping is completed, we always exit the same way, by driving down the lot section between Staples and Petco, and making a left to enter traffic on West Avon Road. Whenever we've done this, we always saw a sign in the back of the parking lot indicating an entry point to some sort of a trail, and we always say to each other. "Hey, we should check that out some time". Well, after we picked up some printer paper at Staples yesterday, guess where we finally stopped? What was really unexpected was that within 20 steps of entering the trail, the forest we encountered had zero connection to the busy suburban traffic and commerce we had just left. The grounds and trails of the Wellner Preserve are amazing - peaceful, tranquil, isolated...... pick an adjective because they all apply. While you're at it, pick one of their three well marked trails and loop around to see solitary woods everywhere. We were the only ones out there and just saw three signs of civilization - a wood bridge at the trailhead, a kiosk sign and trail map, and a fallen tree that had been chain sawed open to unblock a trail. That was it. We saw and heard nothing. We could have been in the desolate Maine wilderness for all I knew. The trails are short and covered with leaves, and the mosquitoes were pretty active, but all in all it was a pretty incredible experience to see.

Wellner Preserve is a 1.3 mile loop trail managed by the Avon Land Trust. There are three trails;…read morethe blue Cathedral Valley trail is 0.3 mile one way; the yellow Wellner perimeter trail is 0.75 mile; the orange Nancy Nation trail is 0.6 mile out and back. On the orange trail, there is a view of the Talcott Mountain when looking out East. The trail entrance is behind Petco and Staples; there is no sign just a wooden pole with a blue dot. Once you enter the trailhead, you will see a small wooden bridge and there is an informational kiosk. There were plenty of parking. We went on a rare, warm November day. The leaves were everywhere, so it can be slippery. The trails were easy to follow and nicely blazed; they did a great job with marking the trees. There were some steep-ish hills to hike up and down on, but they did a great job with etching the trail into the hills. On this visit, we explored the blue and yellow trails. The land looked like a natural amphitheater because there was a concave space in the middle of it; I thought it looked like a meteor might've crashed there at one point, based on the shape. However, I think it's just a natural glaciel formation of the earth. I thought this property was cool to see right behind a very busy and developed plaza. A piece of untouched land and nature in its glory. The hike was peaceful even though you can hear traffic in the beginning. There is a boundary marker showing where all three towns meet on this property; these towns are Avon, Canton, and Simsbury. Overall, a moderate and fun hike.

Loved coming here for the nature hike and exploring the grounds…read more Dogs are no longer allowed on the trails

This is a fun spot that's a little underwhelming in terms of the attractions. Part museum, part…read morepark, when we went it was covered in snow, so we only really were able to experience what's inside. It's $6, and small kids are free, which was an appropriate cost. You'll walk into a few small animals in exhibits - snakes, frogs, etc. - which are fun, and then get to the fossils and stuff. They have one of those topographical sand tables, which are fun for little ones (also saw some teens playing with it, so fun for all ages). They have a bunch of fossils, mostly fossilized footprints, and one mostly complete dinosaur specimen, as well as an impressive room that must've been 100 ft wide that shows tracks that different dinosaurs made over the eons. That part was very cool. But, it's a pretty small spot, and you can walk through it really quickly, probably in 15 mins or so if you're quick. We have a small kid, so we spent probably closer to an hour and ran through it a couple times. Ultimately, it was a good stop, but not something I'd really go out of my way to do again.

This is a great little park for an afternoon excursion with kids. In addition to the playing…read morefields, there are lighted tennis and basketball courts for evening play. We went with our 2yr old to check out the play area. It is very well done and arranged. It is ADA compatible which in addition to being accepting to everyone makes being a parent easier, ease of access to high areas. My daughter loved the slide that was essentially a string of rolling pins. The only slide of its design I've come across. There are plenty of swings and there is a nice covered area with picnic tables. It is completely enclosed and gated, so it takes a bit for the little ones to get away! Always a plus. In the play area there is a sand box with some shovels, the sand is pretty well used at this point and isn't all that soft but it's useable. There is also a really fun little pipe instrument setup with the gates. If you venture across the street there is some hiking trails in the woods, nothing overly long or daunting but it was nice for a stroll in the woods with the baby and the the dog.

I take my toddler to the playground here fairly often. The whole playground is fenced in. It has 2…read moremain playscapes, one for toddlers and preschoolers and another for older kids. My toddler loves the smaller playscape. There are a few slides and plenty of different ladders and stairs to climb. BEWARE- after a good rain the area around this climber is a giant puddle. There's a slide that goes right into the middle of it. We avoid this park after a rainstorm for this reason. The larger playscape seems pretty fun. My toddler still climbs on it when it's not too crowded. It has a lot of ramps and some fun slides. I climb with him or stay close by because there are some openings to climbing structures he cannot navigate that are pretty high up. There are also swings (including baby swings), covered picnic tables, a sand/ digging area, and some outdoor musical instruments inside the fence.